Lancaster tech firm to pitch insurance software in San Francisco

Lancaster-based BeneFix is one of 15 startups across the nation selected to pitch their products in Silicon Valley to health insurance industry executives, top brokerage firms and angel investors, among others, the company said.

The conference, scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday, is hosted by Silicon Valley Insurance Accelerator, a membership organization focused on the digital future of insurance.

BeneFix has created software that pulls group health plan quotes for insurance brokers to provide to small businesses, a product built to streamline the process.

BeneFix will have three minutes to tell people about its product, and then the floor will open for questions. BeneFix will be the first start-up to pitch on Wednesday afternoon.

BeneFix founder Matthew Ranauro and sales manager Lee Shand Snyder will present at the conference. Their goal is to make connections, tell people about a product that they may not know exists and to bring in more capital so that BeneFix can continue on its path, Ranauro said.

Founded in 2016, BeneFix has seen significant growth, increasing its customer base by nearly 200 percent since going to market in September 2016, according to Ranauro.

Today it has about 250 clients in the region, and it is doubling the number month over month.

Its employee count has grown to nine, and BeneFix recently moved from a Lancaster-based co-working space called Pubforge to its own office, a former photography studio, at 117 S. West End Ave.

The move gave BeneFix about 2,400 square feet and room to grow.

BeneFix first started offering its product to insurance brokers in Central Pennsylvania, but its long-term goal is to expand organically throughout Pennsylvania and eventually go regional and national.

The opportunity to present at the Silicon Valley conference is in line with that goal, Ranauro said. “It’s going to be fantastic as far as national recognition.”