At Bunker, we’ve been privileged to speak at a variety of events over the past year, from HR and staffing events to insurance and risk management conferences.  This week, we spent time in Las Vegas at the inaugural HR Transform event.  The conference brought together HR professionals and technology thought-leaders for three days of knowledge-sharing.  Here’s what we learned between turns of the roulette table.

Insurance, a word that has a reputation of an eye roll when mentioned.  Add “liability” in front of it and an eye roll quickly turns to a glossy gaze. It’s not hard to understand why; the commercial insurance industry is deeply rooted in PDF documents, slow low-tech processes and poor customer service.  All of this leads to misunderstanding and miscommunication, not to mention the industry has not adapted to the workforce of 2018, treating independent professionals like mega corporations.  

When building a business, there are many different milestones that make up the journey.  While financial milestones are obviously significant, team and cultural milestones should be celebrated with equal importance.  Over the past few weeks, we have experienced a fantastic company milestone that impacts both our employees and Madison community that we’ve chosen to grow - the opening of our first official office space in Madison!

At Bunker, we’ve spent the past 18 months understanding how insurance plays a role in industries that require it as part of normal operating procedure.  What we’ve found is that business insurance is a requirement to formalize relationships in many industries, including contingent workforce, franchising and property leasing, among others.  We've also found that those requirements are very painful for everyone involved.

On Thursday, September 14th, five leaders of startup organizations took the stage at the Staffing Industry Analyst’s Collaboration in the Gig Economy to tell why their company deserved the title of “most innovative company in staffing”.  

“Insurance was invented in the late 1600’s, and sadly, if I could wake someone up from that time period, I could probably get them fully up to speed on what has changed in about 20 minutes; not much has happened,” explained Chad as he started his Bunker pitch.  Chad then shared how Bunker is on a mission to seamlessly embed insurance when two organizations decide to do business together, like when an enterprise hires an independent contractor.

Bunker, a San Francisco-based digital business insurance platform, announced today its public launch and that it has closed $6M in Series A funding.  This follows less than a year after announcing their $2M seed round and launching in beta.

This round was led by Omidyar Network, a leading venture capital firm that invests in mission-oriented companies.  Other new and previous investors - including Comcast Ventures and Route 66 Ventures - also participated in the round.  Rob Veres from Omidyar Network has joined Bunker’s board of directors.  

The Contingent Workforce Demands From The World’s Largest Athletic Event

When thinking about the future of work and what it might become, one plausible definition is “a never ending series of events that people choose, or don’t choose, to participate”.  In other words, together we’re building an ecosystem that supports a constant revolving door of opportunity, where any worker, at any moment, can jump in or out.

So, if the future of work is a never ending series of events, there are few larger events than the Olympics...

How to feel the joy of sales without the looming fear of risk exposure

From attracting talent to adding members, “closing the deal” is often a battle between requirements and compliance.  

At Bunker, we’ve spent the past 18 months understanding how insurance plays a role in industries that require it as part of normal operating procedure.  What we’ve found is that business insurance is a requirement to formalize relationships in many industries, including contingent workforce, franchising and property leasing, among others.  We've also found that those requirements are very painful for everyone involved. 

Building A Cultural Foundation For Growth & Evolution

At Bunker, we are stewards of the “future of work”, the concept that individuals and organizations can flourish in an on-demand economy.  Our stewardship started with many questions and few answers.  But, over time, we’ve built answers in the form of a platform, products and services to create transparency between individuals and organizations so they can reduce risk, save time and work the way they want. 

Redefining the Point of Sale for Small Business Insurance

Bunker, a San Francisco-based insurance technology startup, announced today the US launch of its platform.  Their initial private beta program labeled 'Project Greenbrier' is changing the way insurance is distributed to independent contractors and small businesses.