Harper raises $46.8M to streamline commercial insurance with AI
Harper, an AI-native commercial insurance brokerage founded in 2024, has secured $46.8 million across combined seed and Series A rounds. The round was led by Emergence Capital with participation from Y Combinator, Lobster Capital, and Peak XV Partners.
Co-founded by CEO Dakotah Rice and former Poolit CTO Tushar Nair, Harper connects small to mid-sized businesses with 160+ carriers across lines like workers' compensation, general liability, and professional liability. The company reports serving 5,000+ customers, focusing on daycares, manufacturers, car dealerships, and local restaurants.
Where the AI removes friction
- Submission routing: Directs risks to the right markets based on appetite.
- Underwriter follow-ups: Automates reminders and status checks to keep quotes moving.
- Document collection: Gathers loss runs, COIs, and applications without long email threads.
- Pipeline management: Centralizes deal flow so producers and account managers see next actions.
Why this matters for insurance professionals
Commercial lines are won (or lost) on speed, completeness, and fit. If Harper's workflow covers the handoffs, teams can spend more time advising clients and less time chasing paperwork.
- Cycle time: Faster submissions and fewer back-and-forth emails.
- Placement quality: Better alignment to carrier appetite across 160+ markets.
- Operational clarity: Cleaner audit trails for E&O and easier producer handoffs.
- Capacity: More quotes handled per desk without burning out the team.
What to verify before you plug in
- Integrations: AMS/CRM connectivity (policy sync, activities, documents).
- Data governance: PII handling, SOC 2, retention policies, and E&O defensibility.
- Market mapping: Appetite rules, exceptions, and how triage updates with carrier changes.
- Human-in-the-loop: Clear checkpoints for underwriter escalations and producer approvals.
Founders and context
CEO Dakotah Rice previously founded investment firm Poolit, which closed in 2023. Co-founder Tushar Nair served as Poolit's CTO before starting Harper.
What's next
The company says funding will expand engineering and brand growth. Longer term, Harper plans to move beyond insurance into broader risk, compliance, and back-office services for entrepreneurs.
Practical next steps for your team
- Map your current submission workflow and mark repetitive steps suited for automation.
- Pilot on one line (e.g., workers' comp) to measure response times and placement lift.
- Set QA checkpoints so producers approve market routing and client-facing communications.
For deeper context on use cases and tools across underwriting, placement, and servicing, see AI for Insurance.
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