Finding insurance is an endeavor most people don't enjoy undertaking, a problem RATEKICK is turning into a business.
The Bingham Farms-based start-up provides an Internet service that offers free, anonymous and impartial quotes for health, car, home and life insurance. "It saves you from calling all over the place giving your personal information over and over again," says Brian Hannigan, CEO of
RATEKICK.
Hannigan used to sell insurance in Michigan and Florida and saw the frustration of people who gave their personal information again and again looking for a good deal on insurance. It is not a comfortable experience, but one Hannigan thought he could profit off of if he found a way that allowed people to avoid it. RATEKICK came soon after that.
The 4-year-old company got its start providing insurance quotes online in Michigan, California and Texas. It has since gone national, hiring three programmers and a chief of marketing in the last year. It now employs seven people, two independent contractors and is bringing on interns this summer.
Hannigan expects to keep adding people as the business grows this year. He is aiming to make RATEKICK a household name within the next year. "We're building a brand like Kayak," Hannigan says. "A year from now we want to be the place that people go to shop for insurance."
Source: Brian Hannigan, CEO of RATEKICK
Writer: Jon Zemke
Read more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.
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