Yaron Ben-Zvi is General Manager and COO of Tinubu Surety, but before that, he was the well-respected leader of a life insurance innovator. Haven Life, which started as a two-person team in a New York City WeWork, became a leading technology innovator in the life insurance space and revolutionized the tech infrastructure of a nearly 200-year-old (yes, you read that right) life insurance carrier. Yaron is a thoughtful and compassionate leader who deeply cares about his team and serving customers. Just ask anyone who has worked with him.
Yaron founded Haven Life after the birth of his first child. As a new father, he went to get himself a life insurance policy and was so dismayed by the process that he was inspired to create a technology company that would make protecting your loved ones with life insurance easy. The result was a highly successful direct-to-consumer provider backed by MassMutual.
Now, Yaron has set his sights on modernizing Surety, using technology to fuel innovation, increase efficiency and further grow the industry. In this interview, Yaron provides his perspective on how digitization will positively affect the Surety industry.
How far along is the insurance industry in terms of technological change?
Insurance companies have been slow to adopt technology compared to other sectors, but there’s huge potential for improvement, especially in areas like automation, AI, and digital transformation. Surety is somewhat unique in that it operates more like credit than traditional insurance, but it has vast opportunities for modernization. We’re just at the beginning stages of integrating cutting-edge technology, and there’s a significant opportunity to drive efficiency and improve the customer experience with automation.
What makes Tinubu particularly well-positioned to lead in this technological shift in Surety?
Tinubu has a unique advantage because we work across both the broker and carrier sides of the industry, allowing us to streamline operations between both. Our platform can integrate the best of both worlds, giving us the ability to simplify complex processes and automate value-driven tasks. This positioning enables us to add substantial value across the entire ecosystem as technology continues to play a more significant role in the space.
We also bring to the table more than 20 years of domain experience in Surety. Surety really is a unique corner of the specialty insurance market, so being good at technology isn’t enough. You really need to bring together that great technology with a deep understanding of the specific issues, workflows, and processes within this domain. At Tinubu, we have both.
In relation to automation, are you focusing on reducing manual work, or do you see technology enhancing the risk assessments that underwriters do?
Both, actually. We’re already eliminating a lot of the manual processes, but we’re also empowering underwriters to work smarter. Instead of replacing human judgment, the goal is to support underwriters with better tools, data, and automation that help them make faster, more accurate decisions. This allows for a more efficient process without sacrificing the essential human expertise in underwriting.
"There’s a lot of potential for improving risk evaluation through data and advanced metrics, especially in more complex areas like account ratings for contract bonds."
This can also be a game-changer in terms of customer experience and efficiency. Our goal is to bridge the gap between traditional insurance and the future of digital, data-driven underwriting, while always keeping the customer experience front and center.
How important do you think user experience is in the world of Surety platforms?
It’s crucial. People now expect a seamless experience everywhere they go, from their phones to their desktops, and that’s becoming increasingly important in the insurance industry. We deal with many types of users: brokers, underwriters, operations teams at carriers, and even customers. Our platform needs to match the high expectations they have from other technologies they interact with. We’re spending a lot of time improving the way users interact with our system, ensuring it’s intuitive and easy to navigate, which aligns with the modern, data-driven approach our clients are expecting.
Do you think this emphasis on technology will shape the future of the Surety industry?
Yes. We’re at a turning point where the Surety industry is realizing that technology can no longer be an afterthought. It’s essential for improving efficiency, accuracy, and the overall customer experience.
"As technology continues to evolve, companies that can integrate it effectively will lead the way."
Your background was in life insurance. What drew you to Surety, and how do you like it?
Coming to Tinubu was an exciting opportunity because of the chance to modernize a critical part of the insurance industry—and one that has shown consistent growth and strong profit margins. I also appreciate the opportunity to work in an industry that has such a broad impact on people’s lives, whether it’s through infrastructure construction projects such as a road, a hospital, or even a football stadium, or by enabling license and permit bonds for so many different industries.
