Will Johnson

CEO & Co Founder @GydeInc | Ex @OscarHealth @Bainalerts @VandyBoys

[Will Johnson @Will_Johnson]

@MollySOShea @tonywkim @bendingspoons @generalcatalyst Handful of other players, including @GydeInc, @ModusAudit, and @beaconsoftwarex.

[Will Johnson @Will_Johnson]

@Jason_A_Scharf :)

[Will Johnson @Will_Johnson]

@YIMBYLAND Won't just be hardware!

[Claire Zau @clairejyz]

1. GET COVERED

In most countries coverage is automatic, but in the US how you get covered shapes everything downstream - step zero of healthcare and it's a mess.

@GydeInc (@will_johnson) is an AI-native brokerage that acquires top insurance agencies and arms their brokers with AI tools to guide people through Medicare, ACA, and benefits decisions

Evermore runs "smart benefits" infrastructure, matching Medicare Advantage and Medicaid members to supplemental dollars for food, OTC meds, and transport on a single card.

(2/9)

[The ATX @TheATX1]

This is another big economic win for Austin...

Apollo selects Austin as site of second headquarters

US private capital giant Apollo Global Management has selected Austin as the site of its second headquarters, picking the Texas city over two locations in Florida, according to two sources briefed on the matter. The $1tn in assets investment group has been planning a second headquarters from its longtime base in New York City, the FT reported in March, and said its new offices will house the bulk of its new hires. Apollo conducted an internal survey among its top dealmakers to decide between Palm Beach, Miami, Nashville and Austin as a preferred location for the second headquarters. Apollo never shared the results of its survey with employees, and chief executive Marc Rowan decided to anoint Austin its second home, one of the people said.
https://t.co/n6I6NdUsG3

[Jesse Landry @JesseDLandry]

Medicare brokerage is being rebuilt around guidance, not just transactions.

@GydeInc acquired @WKMIncWA as @will_johnson, Sam Wiener, Andrew Shults, and Jonathan Hale build an AI-native brokerage platform while expanding trusted distribution through agency acquisitions.

The next insurtech winners will not replace advisors. They will remove the administrative drag that keeps advisors from guiding people when decisions actually matter.

[Jason Scharf @Jason_A_Scharf]

This wasn't the podcast I had planned with @anothercohen & @will_johnson. It was supposed to be about the business of health with a sprinkling of Austin.

Instead it was all the love, frustrations, & on the ground realities of building a startup in Austin.

Drops Wednesday.

[liemandt @jliemandt]

Austin has historically imported talent.

In the next decade, it is going to be developing it.

[Gyde @GydeInc]

We're proud to officially welcome Gerrick Diaz and the Avid Health team to Gyde.

[Elad Gil @eladgil]

Staying power matters in careers just as it does for startups

If in the right seat, better to stay there and compound then keep jumping around

[Gyde @GydeInc]

Frederic Hanika joins Gyde as Head of M&A!

Frederic built his career partnering with PE and VC-backed companies to design value creation plans and drive growth.

At Gyde, he'll work on sourcing deals and bringing the best agency partners to the table.

Happy to have you on board

[Will Johnson @Will_Johnson]

I joined @SpencerSmithSF on the Self Funded podcast to provide an introduction to @GydeInc and what we bring to partners. The broker is an essential part of the value chain for consumers and employers, but is buried by administrative work that doesn't add value to clients. @GydeInc is building the infrastructure to power the most ambitious agency owners. More at the link below.

https://t.co/d2SAeL5HKq

[Lightspeed @lightspeedvp]

Brokers are the entry point to coverage decisions, but much of the work is still manual.

@GydeInc is changing that by building an AI-powered platform that supports insurance brokers through a partner-centric approach, streamlining operations. Today, we’re proudly leading their $60M funding.

This week on The Investment Memo, @BrentonFargnoli and Gyde Co-Founder & CEO @WillJohnson_15 discuss why brokerage is a fragmented market well-suited to an AI-driven roll-up, why Gyde is approaching it differently, and more below.

0:00 Welcome, Will Johnson!
2:33 Why Insurance Brokerage Is an Ideal AI Rollup Market
5:36 The Broker’s Role in the Healthcare System
7:42 Why the Brokerage Market Is Underinvested
10:44 Gyde's AI Rollup & Partner-and-Build Model
13:10 Why Gyde Isn’t a Pure Software Company
18:50 Founder Market Fit & Team Advantage
24:58 Gyde's Mission Beyond Insurance
29:33 Market Size, TAM & Competitive Landscape
33:44 Real AI Use Cases for Brokers & Consumers
41:14 What the $60M Funding Enables
42:17 Gyde's Long-Term Vision & North Star
43:54 Advice for Founders in the AI Era

[Will Johnson @Will_Johnson]

Thanks to @niceryanlawler at @axios for covering the fundraise, and to our other investors for their partnership and support: Laura at @Optum_Ventures, @JHFCrystal at @cvpartners, @geoffwinegar at @MVP_Ventures, and @seanwdoolan at @virtue_vc.

Axios Exclusive: https://t.co/Z9r0HaLfra

Gyde Press Release: https://t.co/SsWXLdBnsS

[Will Johnson @Will_Johnson]

Today, we're announcing the launch of @GydeInc with $60M in funding, led by @lightspeedvp.

Brokers are the most important—and most underserved—player across America's insurance, healthcare, and financial services ecosystem.

They're the trusted entry point to these essential products and services. And with the right infrastructure, they can become comprehensive lifelong guides for their clients.

That infrastructure hasn't existed. And this is why we built Gyde.

[Lightspeed @lightspeedvp]

Life’s most important decisions deserve better guidance.

@GydeInc officially emerges from stealth today with a $60M raise led by Lightspeed. Gyde is an AI-native brokerage platform redefining how brokers guide insurance, wealth, and health decisions.

Gyde is setting out to build a modern brokerage platform that aligns brokers, clients, and carriers around better outcomes across every stage of life. Congrats to Co-Founders @WillJohnson_15, Sam Wiener, and the entire Gyde team on the launch and the raise.

Cc: Lightspeed Partners @BrentonFargnoli and Isaac Kim

[Will Johnson @Will_Johnson]

I joined Lightspeed's Investment Memo with @BrentonFargnoli to discuss Gyde, the partnership model we're bringing to market, and why we're grateful to be partnering with him, Isaac Kim, and Amish Desai.

https://t.co/6SehjwhYI1

[Jason Shuman @JasonrShuman]

Talk to anyone in PE who has done rollups and they’ll all tell you the same thing

The majority of services businesses require strong human to human relationships

When most rollups fail they’ve failed because of churn

If the VC rollups aren’t focusing a lot of their AI products on how to improve that customer relationship and are only focused on less headcount for service delivery and AI driven growth they’ll be doomed

Home service companies, MSPs, vacation rental management…history shows us the mistakes that have been written

[gon @chinesegon]

just do it

[Will Johnson @Will_Johnson]

@gilbert @AcquiredFM Unequivocally.

[Tim Urban @waitbutwhy]

New year, new you