GTM: New Verticals Lead

About the role

This role owns the end-to-end discovery and validation of entirely new insurance verticals for Harper, acting as the primary market explorer for the company. You will be responsible for identifying nascent industries and emerging business models before they become mainstream, and determining if and how Harper should enter these spaces with a viable commercial product. The position requires you to synthesize ambiguous external signals into concrete hypotheses about coverage demand and operational feasibility. You will own the narrative that connects emerging world trends to concrete underwriting theses and go-to-motion designs. Success in this role means you convert faint market signals into fully formed, testable business hypotheses that can be executed by cross-functional teams. You are expected to operate with a high degree of autonomy, making critical decisions despite incomplete data and rapidly iterating based on real-world feedback. Winning is defined by moving a new concept from an initial hunch through to a repeatable, scalable production workflow that can be handed off to specialized teams.

Key facts

What you'll do

• Discover nascent verticals by monitoring global economic shifts, technological disruptions, and regulatory changes to identify novel categories of businesses requiring insurance coverage.
• Conduct opportunity assessment for prospective verticals, analyzing market size, risk profile, and alignment with Harper's strategic capabilities and AI infrastructure.
• Collaborate with underwriting and market intelligence teams to deconstruct the risk architecture of nascent business models and map the necessary coverage structures.
• Architect the end-to-end commercial workflow, defining the customer journey from initial inquiry through to binding coverage and ongoing service for new segments.
• Acquire the first paying customers in a target vertical, personally engaging in outreach and discovery to validate product-market fit and refine value propositions.
• Diagnose breakdown points in the customer onboarding and claims flow, then implement procedural fixes and documentation to streamline operations.
• Codify successful playbooks and operational procedures to enable other teams to assume responsibility and scale the new vertical efficiently.
• Leverage artificial intelligence tools to amplify individual productivity, using large language models to handle research, data synthesis, and initial analysis traditionally requiring larger teams.
• Translate complex domain-specific knowledge into accessible frameworks that enable non-specialists to execute the new vertical strategy effectively.
• Maintain a dynamic portfolio of exploration initiatives, balancing high-potential experiments with near-term revenue-generating verticals.
• Establish clear metrics and feedback loops to measure the viability and profitability of new verticals as they scale.
• Synthesize qualitative customer insights and quantitative performance data to iterate on both product design and risk models continuously.
• Represent the interests of the new vertical internally, ensuring alignment between product, risk, and commercial teams during development.
• Drive the transition from manual, improvised processes to standardized operational frameworks that support repeatable growth.

Requirements

You must have a Bachelor's degree or equivalent practical experience in a relevant field or demonstrable expertise in a related domain. Candidates must possess a minimum of three years of progressively responsible experience in growth, business development, or operational roles within fast-paced, high-growth technology companies. You have a proven track record of owning ambiguous, high-stakes projects where success is not clearly defined and where outcomes depend on your judgment and initiative. Experience taking a product, service, or business line from an early conceptual stage to tangible traction with real customers is essential. You are comfortable making high-impact decisions with incomplete information and navigating environments where the rules and best practices are still being written. Strong written and verbal communication skills are required to articulate complex ideas to both technical and non-technical stakeholders and to build alignment among teams without direct authority. You must be able to quickly master new industries and business models, demonstrating the capacity to learn deeply about specialized domains such as insurance, finance, or regulated industries. A bias for action and comfort with using technology, including artificial intelligence tools, to amplify output is mandatory. You are prepared to work in a setting that demands long hours, high standards, and intense on-site collaboration in a San Francisco-based environment.

Nice to have

Experience working at the intersection of technology, finance, and insurance would be advantageous given the nature of the products. Familiarity with startup GTM motions and the process of scaling early-stage businesses is highly valued. Prior exposure to underwriting concepts or commercial insurance products is a plus but not a prerequisite. Experience building operations in new geographic markets or regulatory environments could be beneficial.

Practical notes

This role is based in San Francisco and requires consistent presence on-site due to the collaborative and fast-paced nature of the work. Travel may be required to meet customers, partners, or regulatory bodies in person. Employment is full-time and eligible for standard Harper benefits. The position is exempt from standard work hour limitations but expects sustained high performance during long days.