NetQuote

In 1989, long before "Insurtech" was a buzzword, two brothers identified a core inefficiency in the insurance world. Keith Lawton, an insurance agent, and Harvey Lawton, a software engineer, saw that technology could solve a major problem for both consumers and agents. They launched a service that would become NetQuote, an online marketplace to connect people seeking insurance with the agents selling it. The business model was straightforward: consumers would submit a single online application for auto, home, life, or health insurance, and NetQuote would match them with multiple agents who could provide competing quotes. This saved consumers time and provided agents with a steady stream of high-intent leads. The company was an early pioneer in online lead generation, a model that would become a pillar of internet commerce. The company grew, merging with a marketing firm run by Chris Findlater in 1993 and officially rebranding as NetQuote in 1995. The significant event in NetQuote's journey came in 2010 when it was acquired by Bankrate for approximately $205 million. This acquisition validated the power of the online lead generation model in the massive insurance market. Later, in a move to consolidate its insurance assets, Bankrate sold its entire insurance division, including NetQuote, to All Web Leads in 2015 for $165 million. Today, the NetQuote brand has been integrated into the larger digital marketing ecosystems of its subsequent owners, but its origin story is a foundational chapter in how the internet changed the insurance industry.