Harper

Harper, founded in 2024 by Dakotah Rice and Tushar Nair, has secured a combined $47 million in Seed and Series A funding, with lead investors including Emergence Capital, Y Combinator, Peak XV, Antler, and Pioneer Fund. Based in San Francisco, CA, this AI-native commercial insurance brokerage provides tailored insurance solutions to businesses across diverse and complex sectors, leveraging advanced machine learning and AI tools for superior service. Harper delivers comprehensive risk management and coverage in hours, streamlining traditional processes for simple, fair insurance without delays. The firm has rapidly scaled, serving over 5,000 businesses and managing over $6 million in annualized premiums across 35 states. With 25 dedicated employees, Harper continues its mission to transform commercial insurance through technology and unparalleled efficiency.

High-Level Overview

Harper is an AI-native commercial insurance brokerage that leverages artificial intelligence to transform how businesses secure and manage commercial insurance. Its platform automates risk assessment, matches clients with optimal insurance products, and streamlines application and renewal processes, delivering faster, more accurate, and transparent service. Harper primarily serves mid-sized businesses with complex insurance needs, focusing on sectors like trucking, tech, construction, and consulting. Since launching in late 2024, Harper has rapidly grown, writing over $6 million in annualized premiums across 35 states, demonstrating strong early traction and scalability[1][2][4].

Origin Story

Founded in 2024 by Dakotah Rice and Tushar, Harper emerged from their combined expertise in finance, technology, and insurance. Both founders started their careers at Goldman Sachs—Tushar leading AI/ML engineering teams and Dakotah working in investment banking—and later co-founded a fintech company managing $100 million AUM. They identified commercial insurance as an industry ripe for disruption due to its operational inefficiencies and antiquated systems. Blending Dakotah’s family background in insurance with Tushar’s automation expertise, they built Harper as the world’s first fully autonomous, AI-native commercial insurance brokerage[2][3][5].

Core Differentiators

• AI-Native Platform: Harper’s brokerage is built from the ground up around AI, enabling automation of complex workflows such as risk profiling, carrier matching, quoting, and policy management.
• Operational Efficiency: Their proprietary AI stack enhances sales, underwriting, and service interactions, allowing for faster turnaround and higher margins.
• Complex Risk Expertise: Harper specializes in nuanced, multi-state, and compliance-heavy industries (e.g., FDA-regulated labs, aerospace contractors), providing tailored coverage with precision.
• Superior Client Retention: With a client retention rate of 98.78%, Harper demonstrates strong customer satisfaction and trust.
• Scalability: The AI-driven model supports rapid growth and scalability across diverse sectors and geographies[1][2][4].

Role in the Broader Tech Landscape

Harper rides the wave of AI-driven transformation in legacy professional services, particularly in the traditionally manual and inefficient commercial insurance brokerage market, which commands over $100 billion in annual commissions. The timing is critical as advancements in large language models (LLMs) and AI automation enable fully autonomous workflows that were previously impossible. Harper’s approach exemplifies how AI can create new industry standards by improving transparency, speed, and scalability, potentially reshaping the entire insurance ecosystem and setting a precedent for other professional services to follow[2][3].

Quick Take & Future Outlook

Looking ahead, Harper aims to become the largest insurance brokerage globally with the highest Net Promoter Score (NPS), leveraging continuous AI innovation to expand coverage offerings and geographic reach. Trends such as increasing demand for automation, regulatory complexity, and AI adoption in financial services will shape their trajectory. Harper’s influence is likely to grow as it demonstrates the viability and advantages of AI-native models, potentially inspiring a broader shift in how insurance and other professional services are delivered[2][3][5]. Their success story ties back to their founding vision of replacing legacy inefficiencies with intelligent automation, positioning them as a pioneering force in the insurance industry’s digital future.