Insurance on
your terms.
Insurance on
your terms.
We believe in leveraging technology to hyper-personalize, optimize, and streamline every part of the home insurance process.
We believe that getting it right for the individual matters and that a one-size-fits-all approach has no place in the insurance world.
We believe in building trust by making it easy to do business with us and in helping our policyholders prevent and navigate the what if’s of homeownership.
We believe your insurance should be on your terms.
Slide into the future.
Slide into the future.
Built for modern
consumers.
Built for modern
consumers.
Slide’s cutting-edge technology delivers a digital-first, hyper-personalized insurance experience.
High-performance
outcomes.
High-performance
outcomes.
With the largest historical dataset in home insurtech history, Slide’s platform and portfolio are built to perform.
World-leading
expertise.
World-leading
expertise.
Behind Slide is a team of leaders with an unmatched depth of insurance, data science and technology expertise.
We are Slide.
Slide makes it easy for modern homeowners to choose the right coverage for their unique needs and budgets. Our cutting-edge technology leverages artificial intelligence and Big Data to hyper-personalize, optimize, and streamline every part of the insurance process.
Based in Tampa, FL the company was founded in 2021 by Bruce Lucas, an insurance insider with a deep understanding of how technology can be applied to achieve better outcomes for both consumers and the business.
Slide closed a record-breaking $105 million Series A in November of 2021 and has since grown to be one of the largest insurtechs in the country.
Our Foundation
As Founder, Chairman, and CEO of Heritage Insurance, Bruce Lucas took the super-regional homeowner's insurance carrier from inception to IPO and beyond. Despite challenging market conditions and record numbers of natural disasters, he maintained profitability and stability throughout his 9-year tenure. He left Heritage to pursue the next big opportunity in insurtech, which he believes is the future of insurance. Lucas envisioned leveraging data and cutting-edge technology to transform all aspects of the insurance process, including operations, claims, underwriting, customer and agent experiences.
Slide's Big Data Advantage
To deliver on his vision, Bruce joined forces with a network of insurance, technology, data science experts from marquee companies like Amazon, Facebook, Progressive, and eBay.
Big Data is the key to Slide's technological advantage. It is impossible to have credible artificial intelligence and machine learning without it. Slide has forged partnerships to gather a dataset in excess of $6 trillion total insured value. With a dataset larger than any other insurtech competitor, Slide is positioned to make better underwriting decisions and provide more options for homeowners.
A Better Way
Curated by deep data science, Slide's cutting-edge technology streamlines and optimizes everything from underwriting decisions to the customer experience to the way we partner with independent agents.
Meet some of the people behind Slide.
Meet some of the people behind Slide.
We’re a team of big dreaming insurance gurus, tech trailblazers, number crunchers, risk analyzers, and business growers who share a passion for designing world-class outcomes and experiences.
Bruce Lucas
Founder & CEO*As Founder and CEO of Slide, Bruce drives the vision and innovation behind our technology. Prior to Slide, founded super-regional insurer Heritage Insurance (NYSE: HRTG), where he grew the company from a single-state start-up to over $1 billion in annual revenue in 15 states. His unique insider’s perspective of the insurance industry formed the basis of his vision to transform all aspects of the insurance process including operations, claims, underwriting, and user experiences.
Jesse Schalk
President & CFO*As President & CFO of Slide, Jesse oversees the data-driven financial strategies of our holding company. Jesse has over 25 years of experience in the P&C insurance industry as a senior leader in operations, investments, financial reporting, regulatory compliance, and reinsurance. Before joining Slide, Jesse served as Chief Financial Officer and President of St. Johns Insurance Company.
Shannon Lucas
COO & Chief Risk Officer*Shannon leads Slide’s operations and enterprise risk management. She has nearly 20 years of experience in P&C insurance with big-name companies like Tower Hill, Heritage, UPC, and HomeWise. Her deep expertise in predictive analytics and data optimization are key to Slide’s growth and stability. Among her many accomplishments, Shannon was selected as an honoree of the TBBJ 2023 BusinessWoman of the Year award and was named a Top 40 Elite Women in Insurance” by Insurance Business America.
John Devoe
Chief Claims OfficerJohn leads Slide’s claims operations and claims customer experience. He has 29 years of experience in insurance claims and holds 33 adjuster licenses, Associate in Claims (AIC) designation, and FEMA-NFIP certification with authorization across all categories. John was the former President and COO of RYZE Claim Solutions which provides comprehensive claim adjusting services throughout the US.
Rachel Carr
Chief Marketing OfficerRachel leads Slide’s omnichannel customer experience, integrated marketing strategy, and branding. She has over 15 years of experience in the carrier and brokerage settings. Prior to Slide, she was an executive leader at one of the fastest-growing P&C insurance brokerage firms in the nation. Rachel’s strategies for disruptive marketing in high-growth environments have distinguished her from her peers. Among her accolades, she was named one of Business Journal’s “Top 40 Under 40” professionals.
Russell McCollough
Chief ActuaryRussell is responsible for leading the Actuarial function at Slide. He has over 25 years of actuarial experience for companies that write catastrophe exposed property lines business. Russell served as the head of the Actuarial function at Southern Farm Bureau for 10 years and most recently Chief Actuary at Allied Trust Insurance Company. He became a Fellow of the Casualty Actuarial Society (FCAS) in 2004 and a Member of the American Academy of Actuaries (MAAA) in 2000.
Shannon Gougis
Chief People OfficerShannon leads the People Operations of the organization, using a holistic approach to achieve a positive employee experience and successful business outcomes. Shannon is a SHRM-SCP and has over 23 years of expertise in HR and People Operations. Prior to joining Slide, she was the Chief People Officer at e-TeleQuote Insurance Inc. Among her accolades, Shannon won the Top 100 Women Leaders in Tampa award in 2022, and was also named Small Business Executive of the Year by Business Intelligence Group.
Mark Cole
EVP of SalesMark leads Slide's sales strategies with a focus on building strong partnerships with agency partners and delivering technology-driven homeowners solutions that position our customers and agents for success. Mark has over 23 years experience driving multi-state sales strategies in the Property & Casualty industry. Prior to joining Slide, he was the Vice President of Sales at Heritage Insurance Company.
Jeremy Baczkiewicz, JD, MBA, CPCU
SVP of Underwriting & Product*Jeremy is responsible for Slide’s underwriting operations and product development. He has over 18 years of experience managing direct and independent agency business in the P&C industry. Prior to Slide, he served as the VP of Underwriting & Compliance at Allied Trust Insurance Company. Jeremy also has prestigious industry designations including CPCU, ARe, and is a proud member of the Florida Bar Association.
Jonathan Mertz, CIC
SVP of OperationsJonathan is responsible for overseeing day-to-day company operations including the monitoring of performance, efficiencies, and the support execution of the Slide operational strategy. He started his career with St. James Insurance Group where he gained extensive training in underwriting for numerous personal and commercial lines programs and claims administration. He later served as Marketing Director of St. James Insurance Group, and most recently served as Chief Operating Officer of St. Johns Insurance.
Vern Kirchhoff, CFA
SVP of Data AnalyticsVern leads the Data Analytics team at Slide, with a focus on reporting and implementing actionable AI and ML Ops. He has 31 years of P&C industry experience with a background in personal lines insurance. During his tenure at UPC, Vern grew the company from a single-state insurer to Super Regional Insurer with more than $1.3 billion in annual revenue. He led and managed the product teams across multiple P&C entities operating in 18 licensed states. He is also a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA).
Matt Larson
SVP of Risk ManagementMatt is responsible for building Slide's reinsurance pricing framework for underwriting, portfolio management, and placement of the reinsurance program. He spent the past 13 years at Aon’s Reinsurance Solutions division. Most recently, Matt co-led the Coastal Regional Segment within their Catastrophe Management group. He holds the Certified Catastrophe Risk Management Professional (CCRMP) credential in conjunction with the International Society of Catastrophe Managers (ISCM).
Jennifer Powers, MBA, CPCU
Head of Business SystemsJennifer oversees Slide’s operations, ensuring our business goals and objectives are met. She has over 14 years of experience in the P&C industry working in various roles within underwriting, IT, and marketing, including serving as Senior Account Manager at Seibels and Product Operations Manager at Olympus. Additionally, Jennifer holds prestigious industry designations including CPCU, AIC, API, AINS, and AIS.
Hassan Sawaf
Chief Data AdvisorHassan is no stranger to trailblazing new applications of data science. His experience ranges from academia to executive positions where he built and led AI programs at Amazon Web Services, Facebook AI, and eBay. At Slide, he applies world-leading AI, machine learning, and data science to improve outcomes for the business and our customers.
Jared Saul, MD
Founding Stockholder & AdvisorJared serves as an advisor to Slide. He is currently the Global Head of Amazon's Healthcare + Life Sciences (Startups + Investors.) He has also been on the founding team of several successful technology-focused businesses including Healthslate, Petfinder.com (acquired by Discovery Communications and later Nestle SA), and Teleradiology Services LLC.
*Appointed at the Holding Company level