# Vivek Shah

> Vivek Shah is the co-founder and CEO of SimplyInsured, a San Francisco company that lets small businesses compare and buy employee health insurance entirely online - billed as 'Kayak for health insurance.' An MIT-trained engineer and former McKinsey healthcare analyst, he started the company in 2012 after a maddening personal experience trying to buy coverage. Backed by Y Combinator (W13), Bessemer, and Polaris, SimplyInsured has served roughly 25,000 small businesses and saved them more than $50 million.

- **Role:** Co-founder & CEO at SimplyInsured
- **Organizations:** SimplyInsured, McKinsey & Company, Globespan Capital Partners, Cardpool, Y Combinator (W13)
- **Nationality:** American
- **Education:** B.S. in Electrical Engineering & Computer Science and Management Science, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
- **Known for:** Co-founded and leads SimplyInsured, serving roughly 25,000 small-business customers, Helped small businesses save more than $50 million in health insurance costs, Built the only 50-state online quoting engine for small and medium businesses

## Career timeline

- **2007** — Graduates from MIT with degrees in EECS and Management Science
- **2007** — Joins McKinsey & Company as a healthcare analyst, working with insurance companies
- **2011** — Joins YC-backed startup Cardpool as Director of Retail Sales through its acquisition
- **2012** — Founds SimplyInsured with MIT housemate Bob Aspell
- **2013** — SimplyInsured goes through Y Combinator (Winter 2013); raises $750K seed
- **2013** — Launches '100% online' platform to compare and buy small-business health insurance nationwide
- **2015** — Raises $5.9M Series A led by Polaris Partners with Bessemer and others

## Achievements

- Co-founded and leads SimplyInsured, serving roughly 25,000 small-business customers
- Helped small businesses save more than $50 million in health insurance costs
- Built the only 50-state online quoting engine for small and medium businesses
- Raised $10M+ from Y Combinator, Bessemer Venture Partners, Polaris, and Altair Capital
- Graduated from MIT in Electrical Engineering & Computer Science and Management Science

## Links

- Website: https://simplyinsured.com
- LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/vivekajayshah
- Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/SimplyInsured
- Facebook: https://facebook.com/SimplyInsured

---

Profile page: https://yespress.io/vivek-shah
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-06-11