The Next Adventure

This past month, I’ve joined my sister as the CTO and co-founder of Venteur. We’re tackling health insurance for the self-employed. Today, many people feel like they have to choose between having affordable, quality health care and being their own boss. Our safety nets like health insurance haven’t kept up with the generational shift towards self-employment.

For us, this is deeply personal issue as we were one of many families faced with that compromise. We believe you shouldn’t have to make that compromise. Our safety nets should support you, not hinder you.

A Family Story

Growing up, our parents left traditional jobs to have more flexibility to be with us when we got home from school. As engineering consultants and small business owners, they had to figure out health insurance for the family. Unfortunately, our dad got sick and health care became a lifelong burden for the family. Our parents worked extra hours just to keep up with the rising health care costs. This created a vicious cycle - working more hours also meant that our dad wasn’t taking the time he needed to reduce stress and get better.

I’ve also experience a version of this story firsthand. When I created Leafully, my first startup venture, my plan was like many other entrepreneurs - just don’t get sick. I bought the cheapest possible plan with a deductible that made me avoid seeking health care. What’s the point of a plan if it doesn’t keep you healthy?

Generational shift to self-employment

Our story is not unique. More people are choosing to become their own boss for a variety of motivations. For some, the motivation is pursuing a creative or professional passion. For others, it’s about spending more time with the family. For many millennials, there is a lack of trust in the ability of employers to take care of them after living through the Great Recession and the pandemic.

Over the last decade, we’ve observed both higher participation in freelance activities across the US workforce and an identity shift of this lifestyle being a long-term career. Over half of the generation entering the workforce participates in freelance work. In contrast, less than 30% of Gen X and Baby Boomers engage outside traditional employment.

Our safety nets based on traditional employment haven’t kept up with this change. As an individual, there isn’t an HR department looking out for you. Many get lost navigating a complex and opaque system that often leaves them with an overly expensive plan or cheap plan that isn’t there for you when you need it.

Our Vision

We believe you shouldn’t have to choose between affordable, quality health coverage and being your own boss. We partner with you to find the best benefit plans for your individual situation. It’s more than just finding the lowest quote. And we will bring products into our marketplace optimized for the self-employed. We look after you so you can focus on growing your own business.

Our MVP Launch

We excited to launch our marketplace with a health benefits product designed for the self-employed. It allows you to take advantage of being both the employer and employee, bringing cost savings that beats the individual plan market. It’s a no deductible plan designed to minimize out-of-pocket costs and increase cost predictability. It has broad coverage including dental and vision.

We’re working on bringing more products to our marketplace to provide you more choice and a personalized fit when it comes to health benefits.

Your Story

If you got this far, thank you for reading and sharing in my journey. If you have been frustrated by health care or felt like you had to choose between being your own boss and quality health coverage, I’d love to hear your story. Find me on LinkedIn. We’re building Venteur for you.