Blog

Ascend is excited to share that PIIAC has named us their newest recommended payments provider to their community of 2,500 independent agents.

Q3 was another packed quarter for new features. We wanted to highlight some of our favorites: our simple renewals workflow, flexible loan terms, and the insured payments portal.

With the Federal Reserve hiking interest rates by 0.75% for the third time in a row to fight inflation and fears of recession, we took a look at how the macroeconomic climate have impacted business owners spending patterns.

Endorsements don't have to be complicated. Ascend's endorsement flow can help agents meet their insureds' changing policy needs with ease - allowing them to further strengthen the agent / client relationship.

Ascend is excited to announce our integration with HawkSoft. This integration will help agents streamline their workflows within HawkSoft from quoting all the way to collecting payments.

We're excited to announce our very first AMS integration - with NowCerts. With this integration, agents will be able to automatically create Ascend checkout links inside the NowCerts dashboard with the click of a button.

Q2 was focused on payments flexibility - check out all the features we added to support agents' ever changing needs: endorsements, downpayment adjustments, cancelations, and more.

How big will non-admitted markets be in a decade? Growing at double digit rates and becoming a larger and larger % of the overall P/C market, excess and surplus market trends continue to point upwards as admitted carriers grapple the additional risk factors of today and in the future.

Michael Franke, owner of Franke Insurance Services, shares his journey from starting as a captive agent at Allstate and making the transition to independent agency owner to have more freedom to truly be his own boss and have control to run his agency how he sees fit.

Amos Levy plays a unique role at Flexport, a company more known for its freight logistics business, by building out its insurance product to expand the service offerings of the company. He shares insights he's picked up along the way for anyone interested in how to succeed in the insurance space.

2022 has gotten off to a mega start for Ascend - we've shipped over 20 different features last quarter and wanted to highlight some of our agents' favorites.

This week's Ask An Agent we chat with Sean Goral from Legacy Insurance Group. Sean made the leap from captive to independent after spending 5 years at Liberty Mutual. We discuss how independent agents have the challenge of not knowing what they don't know until they educate themselves.

Introducing AAA (Ask An Agent), a short form interview series where we chat to agents and owners about the good, bad, and unexpected experiences of running an independent agency. This week, we talk to Amit Kalra, VP of Insurance at billy, an agency based in New York.

Our top podcasts for independent insurance agents to follow as they look to balance the responsibilities of protecting their clients as insurance agents but also owning and operating a business. These podcasts will help agents learn about new technologies, strategies, and risks that will impact their businesses now and in the future.

When we started Ascend in March 2021 we knew first-hand the need for a payments infrastructure product for insurance. However, what surprised us as we went to market was the degree of pain insurance distributors are feeling and the subsequent market pull for Ascend’s payments solution. We are excited to implement this new round of financing with support from incredible partners and investors, to keep up with the demand for Ascend’s solution and meet the needs of our current and potential customers in this critically important market. 

With 2021 quickly coming to an end, it’s the time of year when people begin to reflect on the past and make way for the future. So many people are pondering what’s on the horizon for the insurance industry. What’s the next big thing in 2022? What’s going to be the defining moment or defining technology of the next year? What’s going to reshape the insurtech space over the course of the next 12 months?

Insurance, and especially its underlying enabling technologies, is often invisible yet it has become one of the most powerful processes that enables innovation further along the value chain. Today we’re excited to announce our seed round at Ascend, the first modern insurance payments platform.

Rob Galbraith has been called “the patron saint of insurtech,” “a global insurtech thought leader,” “a wonderful motivation,” “an inspiration,” “a mentor to many in the insurance industry,” “the prophet,” and “the most interesting man in insurance.” He is the author of the international bestselling book The End Of Insurance As We Know It, which has been a runaway success since its release in 2019. Rob is a popular keynote speaker who has shared his unique insights at numerous events around the globe on the topics of innovation, insurtech and the future of insurance.

Billy Van Jura is the Founder of Birchyard, an insurance brokerage that represents a wide range of insurance plans and types, adjusting to the individual needs of their customers. He actively manages a data driven, buying process oriented company in the personal insurance space. Billy has over 18 years of experience in the insurance industry, ranging from a captive sales agent with a captive carrier to a leader in insurtech. The following are excerpts from a conversation between Billy and Andrew Wynn, Co-Founder and Co-CEO of Ascend, the first modern insurance payments platform that provides automated all-in-one financing, collections, and payables.

Ryan Hanley is the founder and president of Rogue Risk, a national, tech-enabled independent insurance agency helping small businesses put their insurance on autopilot. Ryan is also the creator of The Ryan Hanley Show, the insurance industry’s most popular podcast. He has performed over 200 keynotes to insurance audiences over the last decade, helping independent insurance agents across the country digitize their business.

Brett Fulmer is the Managing Broker at Newport Beach Insurance Center LLC, where he is helping build out their digital strategy, to meet Personal, Commercial and Life Insurance needs fluidly nationwide. He is also the US Ambassador of FINAEO (Finaeo.com), a Toronto-based insurtech startup. They are building the Amazon of Insurance for financial planners, by digitizing the fabric of one of the oldest industries in the world. Brett assists with Marketing, Compliance, and Partnerships. He was also an Advisor to Juniper Labs, acquired by NEXT Insurance, and is regularly involved in SEED-stage startup conversations.

Jeff Shi, Chief Visionary Officer at Quantum Assurance International, which has built a successful franchise of independent agents. The following are excerpts from a conversation between Jeff and Andrew Wynn, Co-Founder and Co-CEO of Ascend, the first modern insurance payments platform that provides automated all-in-one financing, collections, and payables. Jeff opens up about his eclectic, successful background as a salesman and entrepreneur. Based on over a decade of experience in insurance, Jeff also shares thoughts on the challenges our industry faces as well as the best path ahead.

Bryan Falchuk is the Founder & Managing Partner at Insurance Evolution Partners, which advises carriers and their partners on how to navigate an evolving industry facing disruption and change. Bryan spent over 20 years in the insurance industry, including serving as Head of Claims for Hiscox USA and leading Growth for insurtech communications solution, Hi Marley. Bryan has also held leadership roles in corporate strategy, operations and distribution at carriers like Liberty Mutual and Beazley. He was a consultant in McKinsey & Company’s insurance practice and is on the advisory boards of several startups focused on the insurance industry. Bryan is an author and public speaker, including several TEDx Talks.