Novella
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Founders
About
Novella is a New York-based AI-powered wholesale insurance brokerage founded in 2024 by Max Kane (CEO, formerly product at Lemonade), Michael Tsibelman (CTO, formerly senior engineer at Microsoft), and Alex Broome (head of brokerage, formerly founder of FounderShield, acquired by The Baldwin Group) 12. The company provides specialty and excess-and-surplus coverage solutions for brokers handling complex commercial risks, with AI agents handling placement, binding, form comparison, policy review, subjectivity collection, inspections, billing, endorsements, and renewals 12. Novella has an R&D facility in Tel Aviv, Israel, and opened offices in Miami and Houston in 2026, with planned expansion to southern California in Q2 2. The $21M raise announced May 14, 2026 was led by Brewer Lane Ventures with participation from BoxGroup, Crystal Venture Partners, SV Angel, Avid Ventures, Verissimo Ventures, Blank Ventures, and global insurer Arch 12.
Funding History
| Date | Round | Amount | Lead | Co-investors |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-05-14 | Series A | $21M | Brewer Lane Ventures | BoxGroup, Crystal Venture Partners, SV Angel, Avid Ventures, Verissimo Ventures, Blank Ventures, Arch 12 |
What Investors Say
Chris Downer, General Partner at Brewer Lane Ventures, said: “Wholesale broking, at heart, is about human relationships… Novella is the first wholesaler to effectively blend AI and talent.” 2
What Founders Say
Max Kane, Co-Founder and CEO of Novella, said the company’s AI agents “handle placement, binding, form comparison, policy review, subjectivity collection, inspections, billing, endorsements, renewals, and more,” allowing producers “to focus 100% of their time on building client relationships and growing their books.” 2
Sources
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AlleyWatch, “The AlleyWatch Startup Daily Funding Report: 5/14/2026,” May 14, 2026. Accessed May 2026. https://www.alleywatch.com/2026/05/the-alleywatch-startup-daily-funding-report-5-14-2026/↩↩↩↩
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Reinsurance News, “AI-powered wholesale broker Novella raises $21m for US expansion,” May 14, 2026. Accessed May 2026. https://www.reinsurancene.ws/ai-powered-wholesale-broker-novella-raises-21m-for-us-expansion/↩↩↩↩↩↩↩