# Robert Smithson

> Robert Smithson is the founder and CEO of Just (just.insure), a Los Angeles pay-per-mile auto insurer that prices drivers on how they actually drive instead of credit scores and zip codes. A Cambridge philosophy graduate and former fund manager, he previously built Genius Sports (sold for $280M in 2018) and the Python platform PythonAnywhere before turning telematics and AI loose on the $300-billion car-insurance market - aiming squarely at making coverage fairer for lower-income drivers.

- **Role:** Founder and CEO at Just (Just Auto Insurance)
- **Organizations:** Just (Just Auto Insurance), Genius Sports Group, PythonAnywhere, GAM, THS Partners, Arete Research
- **Nationality:** British
- **Education:** Degree in Philosophy, University of Cambridge
- **Known for:** Founded and sold Genius Sports Group for $280 million in 2018, Founded PythonAnywhere, a leading Python platform-as-a-service, Built Just into a telematics insurer with some customers paying up to 80% less than traditional carriers

## Career timeline

- **earlier** — Held fund management roles, including investment director at GAM and partner at THS Partners and Arete Research in the UK
- **2018** — Genius Sports Group, which he founded, sold for $280 million
- **2019** — Founded Just (Just Auto Insurance) in Los Angeles with Greg Ferkel/Gregory Lyons and Murray Macdonald
- **2020** — Just launched its telematics-based pay-per-mile insurance in Arizona
- **2021** — Just expanded to full auto coverage in Arizona and raised an $8M round, bringing total raised to $15.3M
- **2022** — Reported as raising a Series A; total funding reaches roughly $28.85M

## Achievements

- Founded and sold Genius Sports Group for $280 million in 2018
- Founded PythonAnywhere, a leading Python platform-as-a-service
- Built Just into a telematics insurer with some customers paying up to 80% less than traditional carriers
- Drove a reported direct loss ratio of 65.8% versus Root's 82% (2020), signaling sharper risk pricing
- Grew Just revenue ~1,400% in a single quarter (Q2 2021) during early Arizona scaling

## Latest updates

- **2025-11** — Featured in interviews on using AI and telematics to make auto insurance fairer, emphasizing reading risk 'hidden in plain sight.'
- **2022-07** — Just last raised funding (Series A), with total funding around $28.85M.

## Links

- Website: https://just.insure
- LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/robert-smithson-just
- Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/just_insurance_
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GetJustInsure

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/robert-smithson
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-06-08