Benefix Gearing Up for RISE OF THE REST® Pitch Contest

First there was the idea — revolutionize the health insurance industry. Then there was the funding, the development of the platform, and the opening of the office in Lancaster.

Now there’s this: We’re finalists in Revolution’s RISE OF THE REST® competition!

That means, if we hit it out of the park during our pitch to Steve Case, co-founder of AOL and the creator of RISE OF THE REST®, next Tuesday, October 10, in Harrisburg, we’ll not only win $100,000, but we’ll demonstrate that technology start-ups can, and do, flourish in central Pennsylvania.

Our very own Matt Ranauro, CEO and Founder, expanded on that, saying, “It’s an amazing opportunity to not only shed light on Benefix, but also on Central PA.” He then pointed out that, “It’s a big deal having this competition right in our backyard. This will bring attention to the tech scene in the area and show that we can create jobs and bring more innovative companies right here.”

So, what is RISE OF THE REST®? Revolution’s website describes it as a “nationwide effort nationwide effort to work closely with entrepreneurs in emerging startup ecosystems.”

Case says his initiative is part of the larger picture of technology start ups in the U.S.

Case’s opinion, and the view of Revolution LLC, is that the U.S. is at the beginning of a new era of entrepreneurship. High growth companies can start, and scale, anywhere (even in the middle of Amish country!) not just in a few cities in New York and California.

So Revolution created the RISE OF THE REST® competition, literally taking their team of experts on the road to hear pitches from startups in small cities around the country.

When the competition was announced back in June, we knew we had to go for it. To be eligible, startups for the competition had to have a product or service that is live or at least in beta form. We certainly have that! Startups also had to have measurable performance indicators, such as revenue, customers, successful beta results etc.

With more than 1,000 happy insurance brokers using our platform, we’re pretty sure that we’ve got the “measurable performance indicators” covered.

We are currently raising, and have proven we can raise, capital, so that qualifier was met, along with the need to be in central Pennsylvania. So, we applied and in September got the news that we were one of the nine finalists!

Now, less than a week out, Matt’s hard at work on the pitch (there will be a video!) and the whole team is eager to get the Harrisburg and prove that we, and our product, are ready to revolutionize the health insurance industry. No more antiquated spreadsheets and stacks of brochures. It’s time for brokers to leave their paper covered past behind and embrace technology.

The event begins with a Fireside Chat (3:00 PM), then the Pitch Competition (4:00 PM) and Happy Hour (6:00 PM). It’s being hosted at the Harrisburg Midtown Arts Center and is free and open to the public. But, space will be limited so an RSVP is required.