DURHAM — Insurtech startup Policygenius has added Google veteran, Erik Garr, to its C-Suite.

Garr isn’t new to the area. He established Google Fiber’s operation in Durham and was the director of strategy and operations at Google Cloud, will oversee property and casualty operations from Policygenius’ Durham, North Carolina headquarters.

Before his time at Google, Garr was a partner at consulting firm PwC, and prior to that helped scale Diamond Management and Technology Consultants from a small VC-funded company to a global publicly traded firm with more than 600 employees.

Erik Garr

He’s now turning his hand to insurance at a critical time for the company, which has gown by 200 percent every year since launching in 2014.

WRAL TechWire’s Chantal Allam recently had the chance to catch up with him. Here’s what he had to say:

  • Congrats on the new position. What made you decide to jump from Google to a relatively young startup like Policygenius? 

I like to build new things. I could not pass up another chance to build the Durham headquarters for another great company. I also think that getting people the insurance they need and making them feel good about it has never been more important — and that’s exactly what we’re doing at Policygenius.

  • You will be leading property and casualty operations. What does that entail?

I’m responsible for the day-to-day operations of our business that services the insurance needs of home and auto customers. This is a fairly new line of business for Policygenius, and I’m excited to build out this team right here in Durham. Try out our comparison shopping service at www.policygenius.com.

  • What is your experience in the insurance sector? And how do you think your time at Google will inform your work at Policygenius?

Like a lot of former consultants, I worked in multiple industries during the course of my career. I have done several projects in the consumer banking and insurance sectors.

I learned a lot at Google. Most relevant to my new role at Policygenius is how to build a high performing team right here in Durham, and how to take a startup operation and craft it into something which customers love and which delivers for the company. Google Fiber is consistently rated as the top customer experience in the Internet Service Provider market, and Policygenius has a similar high-quality experience in insurance, which I look forward to continuing in the Property and Casualty market.

  • The pandemic has shaken things up in all sectors. What is your view on the ground in Durham, and the region’s startup ecosystem?

I think Durham remains a great place for businesses to attract and retain a high quality and diverse workforce. As long as our community delivers that, businesses will form here and grow.

  • Under the Obama Administration, you also headed up the National Broadband Plan. Talk to us about that experience, and why it was important for you to take a leave of absence to perform this role.

Government service was my best professional experience. I have great respect for our civil servants who work hard every day on our behalf.

Ten years ago, I was worried that the United States did not have the proper infrastructure to compete with other countries. The FCC made several changes which contributed to the improvement of the network that we now all use constantly as we adjust to working more from home.  Google entering the broadband market also drove much needed competition which pushed up speeds and improved quality of service.

While the broadband in our country still needs work — especially in rural areas — we are better off now than we were a decade ago, and I was honored to play a small role in that progress at the FCC and at Google.

  • It sounds like you’re mission oriented. Ultimately, what is your mission at Policygenius over the next year or so?

Policygenius’ mission is to help people get insurance right — and feel good about it. I think that insuring people against financial risk is more important now than ever.

My own experience with insurance brokers reminds me of my experience with cable companies. I often did not understand what I was buying, or what I was paying for it. I think Policygenius has built a fantastic service which helps consumers protect them from risk in a simple, transparent and consumer-oriented way. I was a Policygenius customer before I joined the company, and it delivered for me as promised. I want to help that continue to be the experience for all our customers.

Insurtech startup Policygenius hires Google Triangle exec for Durham post