The story behind the show

James M. Benham

James is the CEO of JBK, a premier technology and consulting company he co-founded in 2001 from his dorm room in the Corps of Cadets at Texas A&M University. Today, JBK is a powerhouse in the insurance and risk management space, providing specialized technology solutions to carriers, TPAs, and brokers worldwide. Under his leadership, the company helps insurance organizations transform technical debt into revenue-generating innovation through custom enterprise development, legacy system maintenance, and complex data services.

A sought-after keynote speaker, James has delivered over 400 presentations, becoming a fixture at influential conferences like ITC Vegas, RISKWORLD, National Comp, and WCI. He also served for five years as an Adjunct Professor at Texas A&M University.

James proved the power of his bootstrapper’s mindset with SmartBid, which he launched in 2006 and grew into one of the top construction bid management software platforms in the world; ConstructConnect acquired it in 2018. Today he applies that rigor at Terra, a cloud-native, AI-enabled core insurance platform he co-founded for claims and policy management. He is the author of the bestselling book Be Your Own VC, and serves as Chairman of the Board of Regents at Texas Southern University. James lives in College Station, Texas.

Geeks out on: Star Trek · camping & flying · drones, AR & VR

Rob Galbraith

Rob is the author of the Amazon bestseller The End of Insurance As We Know It. He has been called “a global insurtech thought leader,” “a mentor to many in the insurance industry,” “the most interesting man in insurance,” “the prophet,” and “the WD40 of insurance” for his versatile skills and ability to solve all manner of problems. Rob is a popular keynote speaker who has spoken at events around the globe on innovation, insurtech, and the future of insurance, as well as the role of insurance in disaster preparedness, climate adaptation, and resiliency.

Rob has over 20 years of experience in the financial services industry in a variety of leadership positions with AF Group, USAA, Citigroup, and the Federal Reserve Board. He is a recognized thought leader on P&C insurance, a frequent media contributor, and a well-known industry influencer. He holds a Master of Science in Insurance Management from Boston University and a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from Michigan State University. He also holds the CPCU, CLU, and ChFC professional designations and previously served on the CPCU Society Leadership Council from 2016 to 2018.

Geeks out on: insurance & insurtech · reading business books · travel, hiking & golf