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鈥淲e believe the next evolution of claims readiness begins before the loss. Proofly is building the trusted property record layer so insurers can begin every claim with verified information instead of reconstruction.鈥�

Tell us about Proofly and how you came up with the idea

Proofly was founded on a simple observation: the insurance industry had transformed almost every part of the claims process, yet property claims still often begin with reconstruction.

The industry has made tremendous progress modernising underwriting, claims operations, catastrophe response, and digital experiences. But despite all that innovation, property claims still often begin without a trusted property record.

As we listened to everyone involved – from carriers to policyholders – one observation kept coming up: after a loss, both sides are trying to reconstruct what existed before the event. We realised this wasn鈥檛 just frustrating for policyholders – it was equally challenging for insurers trying to begin the claim with incomplete information. Policyholders rely on memory. Families search through photos, receipts, emails, and bank records. Adjusters spend months – and often closer to a year – gathering and validating documentation that simply didn鈥檛 exist in a trusted, structured form before the loss.

The more we studied the process, the clearer it became that reconstruction isn鈥檛 really the problem – it鈥檚 the consequence. When trusted information doesn鈥檛 exist before a loss, everyone is forced to recreate it afterward. That means relying on memory, incomplete documentation, and information gathered from multiple sources, often over weeks or months. Without a trusted property record established before the loss, there鈥檚 simply no common starting point when a claim is filed. The impact carries through the entire claims process, influencing everything that follows – from documentation and validation to the policyholder鈥檚 recovery. That realization fundamentally changed how we thought about claims readiness and where the greatest opportunity for innovation really exists.

That鈥檚 when it became clear to us that the missing layer wasn鈥檛 another claims workflow. It was the trusted property record layer that helps insurers begin every claim with verified information established before the loss occurs. That鈥檚 the opportunity we鈥檙e pursuing at Proofly.

Why do property claims often begin with reconstruction?

For most homeowners, documenting what they own simply isn鈥檛 easy or top of mind until after a loss occurs. That鈥檚 when they suddenly realize how important that information is鈥攁nd by then, reconstruction becomes the only option.

People do the best they can with what鈥檚 available. They search through family photos, receipts, emails, bank records, and anything else that helps piece together what was lost. While insurers have encouraged homeowners to document their belongings for years, most existing approaches rely on manual inventories, spreadsheets, photos, or videos that are difficult to maintain and aren鈥檛 structured for the claims process.

When insurers can help policyholders create trusted property records before a loss and make them available at the start of a claim, the conversation changes. Instead of beginning with, 鈥淲hat did you lose?鈥� the conversation can begin with, 鈥淲e鈥檝e already got your property records. Let鈥檚 focus on helping you recover.鈥�

What excites you most about the insurance industry鈥檚 progress so far?

What excites me most is that the industry continues to focus on improving outcomes for policyholders during some of the most difficult moments in their lives. Whether it鈥檚 a fire, severe storm, or another unexpected loss, these events are life-changing and incredibly stressful.

What鈥檚 encouraging is seeing how insurers are embracing technology to improve that experience鈥攈elping claims move faster, reducing unnecessary friction, and getting people on the road to recovery sooner. Every operational improvement ultimately has a human impact on someone trying to rebuild their life.

I鈥檓 also encouraged by the industry鈥檚 willingness to rethink longstanding processes. Some of the biggest opportunities don鈥檛 come from replacing people鈥攖hey come from giving claims professionals better information, reducing unnecessary administrative work, and allowing them to spend more time helping policyholders recover.

I believe that鈥檚 what innovation should be about. It鈥檚 not technology for technology鈥檚 sake; it鈥檚 using better information and better tools to help people recover when they need it most.
 

What has been the biggest challenge you鈥檝e had to overcome?

The biggest challenge has been trying to change where a property claim begins.

For decades, reconstruction has simply been accepted as part of the claims process. We鈥檙e trying to change that starting point by asking a different question: what if claims could begin with trusted property records created before the loss instead of trying to recreate information afterward?

That鈥檚 not an incremental improvement. It鈥檚 a fundamental shift in thinking.

The challenge is that solving this problem requires more than building technology. It requires changing habits, improving awareness, creating a simpler experience for policyholders, and establishing a trusted record before it鈥檚 ever needed. That鈥檚 a very different challenge than optimizing an existing claims workflow because you鈥檙e creating something that becomes valuable long before a claim is ever filed.

We chose to solve one of the hardest problems in property insurance because we believe better information at the beginning of a claim has the potential to improve every step that follows鈥攆or insurers, adjusters, and, most importantly, the families trying to recover after a loss. Meaningful innovation isn鈥檛 always about making an existing process incrementally better. Sometimes it鈥檚 about rethinking where that process should begin in the first place.

What is your number one piece of advice to aspiring entrepreneurs?

If you wake up every day expecting entrepreneurship to be easy, you鈥檒l probably quit. If you wake up every day expecting to learn, you鈥檒l keep moving forward.