# Dustin Walsey

> Dustin Walsey is an Atlanta-born insurance entrepreneur, CEO and co-founder of Buckle, and president of Gateway Insurance Company. After working in banking, technology sales and more than a decade at AutoTown Insurance, he spotted a coverage problem created when rideshare drivers used personal cars for commercial work. Buckle began by building insurance for gig drivers and later expanded toward a fronting-carrier platform for managing general agents, pairing state licenses, reinsurance relationships and technology.

- **Role:** CEO and Co-Founder at Buckle; President of Gateway Insurance Company
- **Organizations:** Buckle, Gateway Insurance Company, AutoTown Insurance, Akamai Technologies, Wells Fargo, Georgia Tech VentureLab
- **From:** Atlanta, United States
- **Education:** Bachelor of Science in Finance and Marketing, Indiana University Bloomington, Executive Program, Leadership for Extraordinary Performance, University of Virginia Darden School of Business
- **Known for:** Co-founded Buckle to address insurance and financial-service gaps facing gig-economy drivers., Helped Buckle acquire and recapitalize Gateway Insurance Company in 2020., Helped assemble financing that Buckle reported at approximately $115 million by March 2022.

## Career timeline

- **1993-1997** — Studied finance and marketing at Indiana University Bloomington.
- **2007** — Completed Darden's Leadership for Extraordinary Performance executive program.
- **2008** — Entered insurance, initially insuring taxi and limousine operators in Georgia.
- **2016-2017** — Developed the idea for Buckle after identifying the coverage gap facing UberX drivers; launched the company with Martin Young.
- **2020** — Buckle acquired and recapitalized Gateway Insurance Company and announced a $31 million Series A financing package.
- **2021** — Buckle raised a $60 million Series B and expanded its insurance and financial-services platform for gig workers.
- **2022** — Buckle added $15 million to its term loan, bringing reported total capital raised to approximately $115 million.
- **2023** — Succeeded co-founder Martin Young as Buckle's CEO.
- **2025** — Public regulatory records listed Walsey as president and director of Gateway Insurance Company.
- **2026** — Continued positioning Buckle around MGA launches and fronting services across auto, commercial and specialty insurance.

## Achievements

- Co-founded Buckle to address insurance and financial-service gaps facing gig-economy drivers.
- Helped Buckle acquire and recapitalize Gateway Insurance Company in 2020.
- Helped assemble financing that Buckle reported at approximately $115 million by March 2022.
- Built from a Georgia rideshare product toward a fronting-carrier platform serving MGAs in more than 43 states and the District of Columbia.
- Buckle was included in CB Insights' 2022 Insurtech 50 list.
- Served as a Georgia Tech VentureLab Fellow mentoring university-linked startup companies.

## Latest updates

- **2026-08** — Shared that Buckle was preparing additional MGA launches and highlighted a working relationship with insurance executive David Flint.
- **2026-04** — Planned to attend the Auto Insurance Report National Conference in Dana Point to meet auto-insurance operators and partners.
- **2025-09** — Signed a Florida regulatory consent order as president of Gateway Insurance Company.
- **2024-10** — Attended ITC Vegas to explore partnerships with wheels-focused agencies, MGAs and insurtech companies.

## Links

- Website: https://buckleup.com
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dustin-walsey
- Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/getbuckle
- Facebook: https://facebook.com/GetBuckle

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/dustin-walsey
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-08-26