September 2016
Vol 4 | Issue 28

Q&A with Jon Kelly

Founder of Kelly Klee Private Insurance

Principal Series:

Family Office Insights sits down with Jon Kelly, Founder of Kelly Klee Private Insurance to talk about his personal journey that led him to launch a startup that’s creating waves in the private insurance space.


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What is Kelly Klee Private Insurance?

Kelly Klee Private Insurance is the first and only online insurance brokerage for affluent Americans. We’ve partnered with the very best carriers like Chubb, AIG, PURE, and Nationwide Private Client and brought them online. We are laser-focused on personal property and casualty insurance – residences, vehicles, collections, and personal liability – for the top 10% wealthiest American households. The needs of these families and the insurance products available to them are completely different from those of the mass market.

Why was it launched?

I was “scratching my own itch.” After I sold my last company in 2008, I became a Chubb customer. I had two claims with Chubb that were amazingly well handled. Yet, the experience with my broker was like something from the pre-Internet era. Like most affluent people, my assets change a lot. We buy and sell cars, houses, jewelry, art, etc. and every time I had to make a change, I had to call during business hours or fax something over to my broker.  I just couldn’t fathom why my bank, wealth manager, credit card, and every other financial service I used was online, but my insurance was offline. So, I decided to build a completely digital, online brokerage that could deliver that level of convenience to affluent families.

How does the platform work? Why was it launched?

We’ve taken an incredibly complicated process and made it easy. In the offline world, it’s a giant hassle for affluent families with significant assets to shop for property and casualty insurance. It usually requires multiple in-person meetings or long phone calls, just to collect all of the data that the underwriters need to generate a package quote.  We’ve taken all of that complexity and built an online app that is like the TurboTax for insurance. Instead of hours on the phone, our clients can do it in 10 minutes online, on their schedule and then let us do the rest of the work.  Once we get the data, our in-house team of agents shop on behalf of the customer. We then present a clear comparison that shows the different options available, prices, and our recommendation. We then re-shop every single year for our clients, something that is virtually unheard of in the industry.

Why online?

Convenience.  Affluent Americans are too busy to spend hours in an agent’s office or on the phone.  The web is a huge time saver.  Of course, we also have our in-house concierge team to help out whenever a customer wants to call, text, or email us. We believe in using whatever channel is most convenient for the customer, not what’s most convenient for us.

Why should affluent customers do away with traditional brokers?

I think there’s a place for traditional brokers, but most people will be better off with us. For those who value their own time, using an online broker is a no brainer. Also, a huge disadvantage that local brokers have is that they are in the same location as their clients. In times of disaster, you’re much better off having your insurance broker safely in another state and not affected by the hurricane, earthquake, fire or flood that has devastated your town.

What is Kelly Klee Local?

Kelly Klee local is our offering for customers who do want a local agent. We provide our technology platform and access to high-end carriers to local agents, who then do the day-to-day sales and service with customers. We recognize that there are some great local agents out there, but they are hamstrung by the ancient technology in our industry and they can’t get access to the best carriers because they are too small. We solve both problems for them and create a real benefit for them and for their customers. We also believe that it’s incremental for our business, since they’re talking to people who chose not to go online.

What’s next for you and your company?

We’re putting the finishing touches on a huge upgrade to our online app, incorporating the feedback we’ve received since we launched the current version in July. We’re also growing like crazy, having just topped $1 Million in active premium. Finally, we’re wrapping up our first round of outside funding, a $2 Million round from family offices and private investors.  We just started raising a few weeks back and already have over $1 million committed, with all commitments due by the end of this month. 


Jon Kelly

Jon Kelly is the CEO of Kelly Klee Private Insurance, the digital insurance brokerage for affluent Americans. Jon’s career in the insurance industry started in 1995 with Marsh & McLennan’s strategy consulting division. In 1998, Jon co-founded eCoverage, the first U.S. startup to sell insurance policies online and later sold it to General Motors. In 2004, Jon co-founded the insurance ad network Sure Hits and sold it to Quin Street in 2008.  Later, Jon was the CEO of insurance lead aggregator Hometown Quotes, before becoming its Chairman.  Jon also serves on the board of the Aspen Education Foundation and Aspen Rotary and is an officer in the Aspen Chapter of YPO. Jon earned a BA in Economics and Political Science from Stanford University.

For more information, please visit https://kellyklee.com/ or email Jon at jon@kellyklee.com.