(Image source: Branch.)
Branch Insurance (Columbus, Ohio), a full-stack startup insurer offering instantly-bundled home and auto insurance, has announced that Homepoint co-founder and former Chief Strategy Officer Brian Brizard has joined its executive team as Chief Business Officer. Branch characterizes the appointment as a major investment to the commercial end of the commercial side of company’s business and partnership strategy as it continues expanding nationwide.
Steve Lekas, Co-founder and CEO, Branch.
“We are extremely grateful to have someone with Brian’s experience and vision join the Branch leadership team,” comments Steve Lekas, Cofounder and CEO, Branch. “As a multi-platinum entrepreneur, operator, and investor in mortgage and insurance businesses with embedded-insurance experience, Brian will be a huge asset to the future of Branch.”
Brizard brings more than two decades of mortgage expertise, which Branch says is important to the company’s growth and partnership strategy—which already includes lenders such as Homepoint. Having previously held multiple executive roles at Homepoint, Brizard was part of the team that developed Homepoint’s path to an IPO in January 2021. Previously, Brizard founded Pioneer Mortgage, successfully navigating the company from a small mortgage broker to a thriving multi-state mortgage lender culminating in the sale of the business.
“The financial services industry can feel very transactional and lagging from a technology perspective,” says Brizard. “But Branch caught my attention with its incredible technology that serves to lower the price of insurance across the board. I feel extremely fortunate to join a team that’s dedicated to restoring insurance to its communal roots, and by doing so, taking care of its members in a way that’s unlike any other company.”
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