Executive in Residence - Insurance Consultant

Are you ready to join Connecticut Innovation’s vibrant community of innovators? Connecticut Innovations (“CI”) is Connecticut’s strategic venture capital arm, and we are passionate about serving our portfolio of 220 companies across various industries, with strengths in life sciences, technology, and climate tech.

Executive-in-Residence (EIR)

To provide both strategic and tactical guidance, we hire and embed executives in our portfolio companies for a period of time—at our expense. We match companies with people who have the specific expertise they need—marketing, finance, operations, sales and business development, and so on—as well as industry-sector experience.

We're looking for those that have an interest in a consultant role within Connecticut's innovation ecosystem, bring a wealth of investment expertise in early-stage technology companies, a deep pool of connections to help Founders and their teams advance ideas, and the resources to make things happen. This consultant must be based in Connecticut.

Overview

Canotera is seeking an experienced EIR / Advisor to accelerate its go-to-market motion in the US P&C insurance market. As an early-stage AI-powered claims intelligence platform, Canotera has established initial traction and is now focused on converting market interest into a repeatable, scalable sales process.

This engagement will focus on three interconnected priorities: building a high-quality top-of-funnel pipeline, compressing deal cycles, and identifying the most effective partnership and channel pathways for distribution. The advisor will bring deep relationships and operating experience across the US insurance ecosystem, with a hands-on orientation toward execution rather than strategy alone.

Focus Areas

• Pipeline Building: Build a qualified pipeline of opportunities across Canotera's priority segments by leveraging existing networks and relationships within the US insurance ecosystem. This includes identifying the right entry points within target accounts, refining ICP criteria, and making direct introductions to key decision-makers across carriers, TPAs, brokers/MGAs, and self-insured organizations.

• Sales Process & Deal Velocity Audit: Improve Canotera's current sales process from first contact through to signed agreement. This includes identifying friction points, shortening time-to-decision, and building the infrastructure (discovery frameworks, objection handling, champion development, and stakeholder mapping) needed to move deals forward efficiently.

• Partnership & Channel Development: Assess and activate the most viable partnership pathways for distribution and market access. The advisor will evaluate and engage brokers, MGAs, captive managers, and other intermediaries who can serve as multipliers into large enterprise accounts. This includes defining partner value propositions, structuring co-sell arrangements, and identifying where channel-led motions can complement direct sales.

Target Segments

The advisor will support Canotera's GTM efforts across the following segments:

• Insurance Carriers: P&C carriers with active interest in litigation management, claims cost reduction, and predictive analytics
• TPAs: Third-party administrators managing high-volume claims programs for self-insured and carrier clients
• Brokers: Distribution partners with access to large commercial and specialty lines accounts
• Self-Insured Organizations: Large enterprises managing retained risk across workers' comp, GL, and auto liability

Key Deliverables

1. Top of Funnel Development: A defined top-of-funnel strategy identifying the highest-priority entry points, personas, and conversion pathways across target segments, including recommended messaging hooks and engagement triggers for each.
2. Pipeline Build: A qualified, prioritized pipeline of active opportunities across target segments, with clear next steps and stakeholder maps for each account.
3. Sales Playbook Enhancements: Documented improvements to Canotera's sales process, including discovery frameworks, ICP refinement, and deal stage criteria.
4. First US Sales Hire Profile: A proposed job profile and remit for Canotera's first dedicated US sales role, aligned with the identified market entry strategy and go-to-market priorities.