Today, millions of Americans lack adequate life insurance. Wysh is disrupting this status quo and redefining the way people think about and access life insurance. Founded by CEO Alex Matjanec, Wysh addresses the significant gap in financial protection that leaves millions of Americans without affordable, accessible life insurance. With a bold, consumer-first approach, Wysh has transformed traditional life insurance into a seamless, embedded benefit—directly integrated into the financial platforms that people already use every day.
The company’s flagship innovation, Life Benefit, offers micro-coverage automatically with savings accounts, removing the complexities and barriers that have long made life insurance a burdensome and exclusive product. Through partnerships with banks, credit unions, and fintech apps, Wysh is bringing life insurance to the masses—making it simple, inclusive, and emotionally relevant.
Driving Impact Through Strategic Partnerships
One of Wysh’s most compelling success stories is its partnership with Peoples Bank & Trust Company in Eastern Kentucky. Facing declining deposits, the bank sought an innovative way to provide added value to its community. By integrating Life Benefit into select accounts, they not only enhanced their offerings but also strengthened customer engagement.
The results were immediate and impactful: within just 90 days, the bank saw a 2.5% increase in total deposits, a 3.8% millennial deposit growth and a 25% reduction in marketing costs. Beyond the numbers, the partnership achieved something even more meaningful—providing life insurance coverage to customers who had never had access to it before. This success underscores Wysh’s ability to redefine financial protection while driving tangible business growth.
A Vision for Inclusive Financial Protection
Before founding Wysh, Alex Matjanec launched MyBankTracker, a platform dedicated to helping individuals make informed financial decisions. This experience revealed a significant gap in financial protection—despite life insurance being a crucial safety net, millions of Americans remained unable to access or afford it. Determined to change that, Matjanec set out to disrupt the traditional life insurance model, which often relied on invasive applications, medical exams, and exclusions based on age, health, or financial history.
Rather than treating life insurance as a complex and costly product, the company embedded protection directly into financial ecosystems, making it a seamless benefit rather than a burdensome purchase. With a consumer-first approach, the company focused on real-life goals with its coverage—what the company calls “Wyshes.” Instead of relying on vague income-based calculations, users can tailor policies to their specific needs, whether that means paying off a mortgage, funding a child’s education, or even making an unconventional dream a reality—like launching their ashes into space.
Innovation and Human Connection
At Wysh, innovation is the foundation of everything the company does. In an industry traditionally seen as dry, formal, and transactional, Wysh has made a deliberate effort to stand out with a human-centric approach. The brand’s tone is approachable, its design is modern and intuitive, and its product experience is seamless.
From the Wysh Builder, which allows users to customize their coverage, to the Wysh Granter Team, a dedicated claims concierge, every aspect of the experience is built on the principles of simplicity, empowerment, and personalization. The company has also embraced the power of storytelling—focusing on real people, real goals, and real protection—to make life insurance feel emotionally relevant rather than complex and intimidating.
Wysh’s ultimate goal is to create a brand that people trust and engage with, rather than one they avoid. Every decision, from product features to messaging, is designed to reinforce that connection.
Overcoming Complexity and Changing Perceptions
Building Wysh came with significant challenges, both operational and emotional. Integrating life insurance into banking and fintech platforms required navigating complex regulatory frameworks while ensuring compliance, data privacy, and trust. To address this, Wysh made early investments in infrastructure and strategic partnerships, earning an AM Best -A rating, which reassures partners of its financial strength. Moreover, the company achieved SOC 2 certification, reinforcing its commitment to data security and privacy.
Beyond the technical hurdles, Wysh also tackled the emotional challenge surrounding life insurance. The industry has long suffered from a “set it and forget it” mindset—or worse, being ignored until it’s too late. The company transformed this perception by embedding protection seamlessly into everyday financial behavior, such as saving. By removing friction and making life insurance an effortless, built-in benefit, the company has made it more relevant and accessible than ever before.
Customer-Driven Innovation
At Wysh, customers are more than policyholders—they are co-builders of the platform. The company actively seeks feedback to refine its offerings from its users to ensure that life insurance remains simple, personalized, and valuable.
Early users expressed a need for greater flexibility as their life circumstances changed, leading Wysh to introduce unprecedented adaptability into its term life policies. Others wanted coverage for non-traditional financial responsibilities, such as student debt or pet care, inspiring the expansion of supported “Wyshes.”
This feedback-driven approach also extends to B2B integrations. Financial institutions sought an easy, low-effort implementation process, and Wysh delivered—today, Life Benefit can be embedded in under 45 days without requiring a major tech overhaul. By continuously evolving based on real-world needs, Wysh is redefining what modern life insurance looks like.
Building Trust Through Clarity, Emotion, and Transparency
At Wysh, the foundation of success lies in clarity. From language to visuals to onboarding, every touchpoint is designed to remove fear and confusion. There’s no legal jargon, no hidden clauses—just straightforward value that customers can easily understand.
Equally important is emotional resonance. Life insurance today isn’t just about financial protection; it’s about securing the future for loved ones. Wysh ensures this message is central to every interaction, making the purpose of coverage deeply personal and meaningful.
Ultimately, trust is built through transparency. Unlike many insurtech companies that act as intermediaries, Wysh is a fully licensed carrier, maintaining complete control over compliance, service, and claims. The Wysh Granter Team takes a concierge-style approach, not just processing payouts but helping families fulfill their loved one’s final wishes. By combining clarity, emotional connection, and transparency, Wysh is redefining what it means to protect the future.
The Shift in Embedded Insurance
Embedded insurance is on the verge of shifting from a novelty to the norm. As consumers increasingly demand financial products that are bundled, personalized, and effortless, the industry is evolving to meet these expectations.
At the same time, banks are under growing pressure to offer socially responsible benefits, and life insurance that serves underserved communities is a natural solution to address this need.
Looking ahead, micro-protection will serve as a critical gateway to broader financial wellness. With its low barriers to entry and high impact, it is perfectly aligned with how the next generation engages with their finances—making it an ideal tool for building long-term security in a modern financial landscape.
The Blueprint for Innovation
Reinvention begins when one questions the status quo. If a product exists merely because it always has, it’s likely overdue for transformation.
Next, approach design with empathy. Financial services are deeply personal—they touch on people’s hopes, fears, and families. By leading with compassion, you can uncover the pain points that traditional players have overlooked for years.
The final step is never building in a vacuum. Collaboration with the people you’re serving is essential. Their feedback and insights will drive the most innovative solutions and ensure that the product truly meets their needs.
A Vision for the Future
Wysh envisions a future where life insurance is accessed effortlessly—not through a phone call with an agent, but directly through a bank, credit union, or app.
The company is committed to transforming the narrative around financial protection, shifting it from a stressful and exclusive experience to one that is inclusive, proactive, and deeply human. By embedding protection where people already engage with their finances, Wysh aims to make life insurance an integral, accessible part of everyday life.
5 Key Takeaways from Wysh’s approach to revolutionizing life insurance
- Consumer-First Innovation: Wysh is reshaping the life insurance industry by embedding coverage directly into everyday financial platforms, making it more accessible and effortless for consumers. This approach eliminates traditional barriers like invasive applications and high costs.
- Personalization and Flexibility: Through its “Wyshes” concept, Wysh allows customers to tailor life insurance coverage to their specific needs, such as paying off a mortgage, funding education, or even pursuing unconventional dreams. This flexibility ensures that life insurance is relevant to each individual.
- Strategic Partnerships: Wysh has successfully partnered with banks, credit unions, and fintech platforms to integrate its Life Benefit into existing services, significantly expanding its reach and impact. One such partnership with Peoples Bank & Trust led to measurable business growth and enhanced customer engagement.
- Simplifying Complexities: By removing the friction traditionally associated with life insurance—such as long application processes and hidden clauses—Wysh creates a transparent, easy-to-understand product that aligns with modern consumers’ expectations for simplicity and clarity.
- Embedded Insurance as the Future: Wysh is at the forefront of the embedded insurance movement, where life insurance becomes an integral part of everyday financial interactions. This shift is expected to make financial protection more inclusive, proactive, and deeply human for future generations.
