At Accelerant, our Expert Service model is at the center of what we offer. Along with the Risk Exchange, it’s key to how we are able to be a trusted partner to both capital providers and underwriters and enable a re-platforming of the entire specialty insurance value chain so that it works better for everyone.
The importance of the Expert Service Model comes through in the Member Spotlights we have been featuring in the Community and on the Accelerant website. Below are highlights and words of wisdom on how to make the most of Accelerant’s commitment to service and helping Members thrive.
Lean into the long-term capacity commitment
For Jeffrey Longbons, President and Founder of Wyvern Underwriters, choosing to become an Accelerant Member was simple. In a Member Spotlight, he shared, “[I] sought a company who would be authentically committed to our success. Accelerant’s five-year commitment stood out as a differentiating factor that guaranteed they’d stand by Wyvern through industry ups and downs.”
The reliability of such a long-term commitment opens up time and opportunity for Members to innovate. Rather than worrying about where their capacity will come from each year, Members can be free to explore new markets, products, and ideas.
Leverage capital to enable growth and capture value
Rainbow, founded by Bobby Touran, Shalom Yiblet, and Jamie Hankinson, had the vision to develop customer-centric insurance solutions for restaurants that would actually reward business owners who carefully manage their risk.
In 2022, Rainbow teamed up with Accelerant after recognizing that there was an alignment of values and commitment to facilitate capital backed by a long-term reinsurance commitment. The partnership enabled Rainbow the ability to actively serve customers in Arizona, Texas, Michigan, and Indiana, and capture even more value by moving ahead with launches in an additional 22 states.
Explore opportunities in a trustful, bureaucracy-free environment
For Andy McGinty, CEO of LIPCA, the independence Accelerant grants LIPCA is one of the key things he appreciates.
“It’s important to us that Accelerant trusts our team and grants us agency to make the right decisions. Nobody knows this industry like we do,” he said, describing how Accelerant lets them handle the areas they’re experts in and opens themselves to learning about their process so they can be helpful when the opportunity arises.
Simply put, there is no unnecessary red tape and processes. We trust our Members just as Members trust Accelerant, and this mutual trust positions the relationship for success.
Benefit from expertise and quick communication
Volta Underwriters found the quick communication and constant exchange of data enabled through the Expert Service Model key to their growth and product evolution.
“We had the opportunity to meet with Accelerant at least twice a month when we first joined as a Member. As we got our footing and established a stronger product-market fit, we could accomplish all we needed in our monthly meeting, where we could speak in shorthand with the knowledgeable Accelerant team, exchange intel, and identify opportunities through whiteboard sessions. That said, we are also grateful they don’t need to wait until the monthly meeting if something comes up—in a single email, we can get a 30-minute slot with Accelerant the next morning,” shared Managing Partner Jon Rank and Director Michael Lyons.
We prioritize consistent open communication with all Members and ensure our leadership team makes itself quickly available as questions, challenges, and ideas emerge.
Remember Accelerant doesn’t compete with you
There are no barriers when it comes to Accelerant. We believe in empowering our Members so they can better serve their clients. We even go so far as to empower entrepreneurial underwriters to start their own MGAs.
One such entrepreneurial underwriter is Phil Terrill, the founder of SoleSafe, an Accelerant Member that offers the ultimate in sneaker insurance. Aaron DiCaprio, the U.S. Head of Programs at Accelerant, coached Terrill through every detail with a customized plan as Terrill worked to build the product, obtain funding, and move forward with starting his MGA. (You can read more about his advice on it here).
Tap into Accelerant’s resources
Thomas Shewchuck, Head of Underwriting at Evertas, advises Members to take initiative in sharing their thoughts with Accelerant and taking full advantage of all the ways Accelerant can support them.
“Be proactive, not reactive, when communicating with Accelerant. If you have doubts about a direction to head in or ideas for a new jurisdiction or line of market, reach out – you might not even be aware of the wealth of resources Accelerant can offer. And remember that Accelerant is a partner: Foster that relationship, and they will help you grow.”
Nurture the relationship to reap its rewards
Gareth Roberts, CEO of Ventis, likewise recommended Members to nurture the relationship with Accelerant: “The more you put in, the more you get out, and that includes trust, transparency, and open communication.”
In building this two-way street of transparency and communication, surfacing opportunities — no matter how difficult or complex they might seem — is something we appreciate at Accelerant. We welcome the chance to explore a new angle we hadn’t thought of before and to partner with our Members in tackling a fresh challenge.
This is why Gareth also encourages Members to bring up all of their ideas: “There’s a ‘can-do’ attitude at Accelerant that’s refreshing. Its forward-thinking approach and ability to say ‘yes’ to new opportunities makes doing business easy.”
And it is this can-do attitude that opens doors for Members to implement their own forward-thinking ideas, pursue more, and go further — together with our team.