Conversation
Highlights

Welcome to another episode of Category Visionaries, the show that explores the future of tech with innovative B2B founders. In today’s episode, we’re speaking with Nyasha Gutsa, CEO and Founder of Billy, a construction insurance platform that has raised over $4 million in funding.

Key topics discussed in this episode:

• Nyasha’s journey from growing up in Zimbabwe to moving to the US at age 16 through a chance pen pal encounter, eventually working in construction and developing a passion for building financial software
• The inspiration behind Billy, born from Nyasha’s experience at construction management platform Procore and his co-founder’s struggles with managing insurance documents as a contractor
• Billy’s pivot from construction payments to insurance, addressing the pain points of obtaining and managing insurance certificates for each project and interested party
• The company’s focus on partnering with Procore and targeting emerging to mid-size construction companies, offering a simple, quick-to-implement solution that integrates seamlessly with existing workflows
• The challenges faced by founders of color in raising capital, with Nyasha sharing his perspective on the lack of significant improvement in funding disparities despite increased attention post-George Floyd
• Nyasha’s approach to building a people-first company, fostering a culture of engagement and excitement that drives problem-solving and business success
• The long-term vision of becoming the “Kayak of business insurance,” providing a one-stop shop for businesses to compare, purchase, and manage their insurance coverage