Company Overview
Chris Cocuzzo is Founder & CEO at Irving Risk, a company made for insurance organizations that unblocks your team with targeted strategic help. They become your second brain that organizes and executes your ideas and projects while you focus on important work. Learn more at https://www.linkedin.com/company/irving-risk/.
Can you tell us a little about your background before starting at your company?
I landed in my dream job exactly as planned. Kidding!
Like so many others, I landed in the insurance industry by accident. A recruiter working for what is now Verisk inquired about my technical chops and wanted to fill a role. That initial jump opened my eyes to the enormous potential of the industry, and the massive number of problems available for eager eyes, ears, and long-hour hearts. I’m still in the industry 20 years later doing what I do best: blending some technical skills, some insurance knowledge, the desire (and interest) to speak to people, to help companies make better underwriting decisions.
How did you start at your company? What were the first steps you took to get it off the ground and how did you identify the need for your product/service in the market?
What career event helps catalyze a new opportunity? A lay-off on April Fools Day! (Really.) After spending time on some non-career life pursuits, I jotted everything that generated the most fun during work. I’m a tinkerer and builder and I love watching people light up with joy when I put a solution in front of their faces.
So, I pitched a consulting concept to companies that need technical expertise and insurance knowledge. I knew the industry’s need was real: the offer was my job in the past. So, Irving Risk’s offer is everything I like to do coupled to problems that I both know and like to solve and new problems that fit my targets.
What innovations or unique features set your company apart from others in the industry?
It’s simple: I am a bridge between business folks (like insurance underwriters) and software engineers. Perhaps a therapist to both! Neither side has enough time to learn the other side, and that means insurance industry participants deal with subpar internal product outcomes. Irving Risk’s magic is blending that insurance and technical knowledge to produce high-quality internal output.
What has been the most effective strategy for scaling your business?
AI isn’t the ultimate enabler in every instance. But experimentation and deep tinkering with AI tools helps me scale my work. I use AI to orchestrate tasks, vet ideas, and research topics of interest. I would otherwise need to engage business-process-outsource (BPO) providers.
Otherwise, I’m nearing one year of my business and want to remain disciplined about what I do vs. turn away. I love the idea of scaling, but not at the expense of my work quality, professional relationships, and critical balance with my non-work life.
Looking ahead, what are your goals for the future of your company?
I’m targeting a few simple goals over the next year or so:
Find a way and the time to have fun doing what I do. Work shouldn’t feel like a drag. It shouldn’t induce panic. I want to start and end every day with fun!
Grow the awareness of the brand and offer. I love writing and many dive into newsletters and longer-form posts about my work and the industry. Also, why not a podcast?
Hone my problem-finding skills – much of consulting is finding the right problems and avoiding effort-sucking traps. I want to provide the best answers for the right problems and not be everything to everyone.
