Harper

About Harper

Harper is a Y Combinator (W25) AI-native commercial insurance brokerage founded in 2024 by CEO Dakotah Rice and Tushar Nair that matches small- and mid-sized businesses to more than 160 carriers for workers’ compensation plus general and professional liability. Named after Rice’s mother’s maiden name after he returned to entrepreneurship following the wind-down of Poolit, Harper runs almost fully autonomous licensed agency workflows—submission routing, underwriter follow-ups, document collection and pipeline management—so AI handles operational load while aiming to cut multi-day broker cycles to roughly one to two days and support far more customers per month than a traditional sales team. Rice has cited more than 5,000 customers spanning mid-America businesses such as daycares, manufacturers, car dealerships, bars and restaurants. In February 2026 Harper raised about $46.8 million in a combined seed and Series A, with the Series A led by Emergence Capital and investors including YC, Lobster Capital and Peak XV Partners, to grow engineering and brand. Sources: TechCrunch 25 Feb 2026.