In an effort to feature more insurtechs, Digital Insurance has modified the format of our Meet the insurtech series.
Mike Greene, co-founder and CEO of Hi Marley, shared the following responses, which have been lightly edited.
What's the origin story of the company?
Mitesh Suchak, John Miller, and I founded Hi Marley. We all experienced first-hand (both professionally and personally) how insurance carriers can impact people's lives in a meaningful, positive way. But we also recognized that the industry faced challenges with customer experience and its overall reputation.
We set out to reimagine how people think about and interact with the industry by
When was it founded and/or when was the product launched?
We founded Hi Marley in 2017. By early 2018, we had our first customer: West Bend Mutual Insurance Co. We continued to grow and partner with innovative customer-focused insurance providers ever since.
Can you tell me about the founders/founding team?
Mitesh and I were colleagues at IBM, and John was a friend from college. In 2007, along with my mentor Judy Merante, we co-founded Futurity Group, a company that provided software and consulting services for P&C claims. After Futurity was acquired by Aon, we spent seven years there—but always felt the entrepreneurial pull to start something new. When we launched our next venture, we were also very fortunate to attract a group of leaders who became our founding team, laying the groundwork for a strong culture and enduring company.
We already appreciated the insurance industry—but we also knew firsthand just how frustrating the experience could be for customers. By 2017, Amazon had dramatically raised everyone's expectations for ease and speed, forcing industries—including insurance—to adapt rapidly. At the same time, insurtech startups like Lemonade and Root were setting new standards for simple, clear communication.
But our view was that insurance isn't about just one company—it's a whole web of interconnected players: carriers, agents, body shops, contractors, rental companies, salvage partners, and more. Seeing the complexity and the opportunity, we knew the industry needed something special: a communication fabric that could seamlessly bring everyone together. Our goal was straightforward—make sure policyholders always had a reliable, trusted connection right in their pocket, ready to support and protect them through life's ups and downs.
With this mission in mind, we launched Hi Marley. We began with claims and messaging, and quickly expanded across the broader insurance process, introducing new channels and connecting more pieces of the ecosystem. Today, Hi Marley is about more than communication—it's about intelligence, giving insurance professionals the tools they need to make better decisions, act proactively, and deliver personalized, meaningful experiences to their customers.
Any meaning behind the company name?
We started with the mantra "simple, lovable, protection," which guided and inspired our name. We wanted something that felt like having a trusted friend right in your pocket. Eventually, we landed on "Hi Marley"—a unique, approachable, gender-neutral name that instantly evoked comfort and ease. It reminded us of Marley, the lovable yellow lab from "Marley and Me," who perfectly embodies love, loyalty, and protection—exactly what we aim to deliver for our policyholders.
How many employees?
~100
Where is the company based?
Boston, MA
What pain points is the technology trying to solve?
Hi Marley's mission is to empower insurance to communicate simply, build trust and protect what people love.
The cornerstone of simplifying the disjointed phone calls, voicemails, information intake, extended resolution times, and overall insurance processes lies in improved communication and effective collaboration for insurers, policyholders, and the broader insurance ecosystem. It begins with simple messaging, but Hi Marley capabilities go far beyond that. Conversational tools, automation and workflow simplification, artificial intelligence, unique data insights, and network partnerships represent a few of the ways Hi Marley's technology simplifies existing processes.
The insurance industry cannot solve its complex challenges in a silo, so we partner with carriers and other players in the ecosystem (like Guidewire, Copart, One Inc. and more) to accelerate problem-solving with solutions carriers want and need.
For example, we know the first notice of loss experience is stressful for the policyholder and also a critical step in claims, where collecting the right information upfront can streamline the entire process. We worked with several customers as design partners to create Conversational FNOL™, a solution that enables policyholders to file their claim at their convenience leveraging an omnichannel experience that combines voice and text and uses responsible AI to gather critical information. Hi Marley takes data and security seriously. When we leverage new technology, we do it thoughtfully, only launching products that meet our high standards for data stewardship. Conversational FNOL simplifies claims intake while balancing automation with empathy.
We also partnered with Copart and Plymouth Rock to create Total Loss Assist, an offering that improves the total loss claims process for insurance carriers and policyholders, educating the policyholders, eliminating steps within the process and accelerating others, while increasing customer satisfaction.
What funding rounds has the company had?
Our most recent round was our Series B back in 2021, but we've always viewed fundraising as more than just capital—it's a chance to bring an exceptional new board member onto our team. And when it comes to our Hi Marley Board Team, we truly couldn't have asked for a better group of leaders alongside us.
What's ahead?
As we look to the future, we're doubling down on staying closely connected with our customers, building deeper partnerships, and expanding our conversational network across all enterprise use cases. Together, we're igniting fresh conversations and simplifying complex insurance interactions through a unified omni-channel experience powered by smarter, AI-driven assistants. At Hi Marley, we envision insurance as a trusted companion that's there in all life's meaningful moments. We've made meaningful strides—but as an industry, we still have significant work ahead. While technology and innovation are vital, the true transformation of insurance will come from authentic human empathy, relentless collaboration, and genuine connections exactly when they matter most.
