Problem

Commercial insurance is slow, expensive, and difficult to place when a business has unusual operations, regulatory requirements, multiple states, or higher-risk exposures. Harper specifically targets the “too tricky” or “too late” cases that traditional processes may struggle to handle, where businesses can wait weeks for a suitable quote and may receive generic coverage or poor pricing. The killer use case is the mid-sized company with complex needs—such as an aerospace contractor, technology company, transportation operator, or regulated business—that needs specialized coverage quickly and at a reasonable price.

Product / Service

Harper is an AI-native commercial insurance brokerage that combines human insurance expertise with technology. Its team uses automated workflows, carrier-matching, quote intelligence, and real-time decisioning to identify suitable markets and coverage more quickly, while its market access helps match businesses with carriers that can handle specialized risks. The offering spans general and professional liability, commercial auto, property, cyber, umbrella coverage, garage liability, and bonds, with a stated focus on complex and specialty risks.

The customer benefit is a faster, more precise, and potentially less expensive placement process rather than a purely self-serve insurance product. Harper says AI amplifies its team’s expertise, while lower overhead and smarter underwriting support better rates without sacrificing coverage quality. Its positioning is therefore “smarter, faster, cheaper” commercial insurance delivered through a brokerage relationship and a single quote-oriented workflow.

Market

Harper competes in commercial insurance brokerage, particularly the excess-and-surplus and specialty insurance segment. Its initial focus is mid-sized businesses with complex insurance needs, with a longer-term ambition to serve every business. The company’s stated industries include aerospace and manufacturing, technology, retail, transportation, public-sector entities, care providers, hospitality, security, and professional and financial services. The available materials do not name specific competitors; Harper’s practical competitive set is incumbent commercial and specialty brokerages, carrier-direct channels, and conventional broker workflows.

Harper does not appear pre-revenue in the available evidence, although no revenue figure is disclosed. Its public traction claims include $47 million raised, more than 6,000 business customers, 98.78% client retention, more than 1 million quote-intelligence datapoints, and more than 100,000 prior customer interactions analyzed in real time. Founded in 2024 with 25 employees according to Y Combinator, Harper is still an early-stage company, but these reported customer and fundraising metrics indicate meaningful commercial activity rather than a pre-launch product.