A Product Market Fit Show | Startup Podcast for Founders He tested his idea in one weekend—then raised $120M. | Wayne Slavin, Founder of Sure
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Nov 17, 2025 Wayne Slavin, Founder and CEO of Sure, shares his incredible journey from a weekend prototype to a $120M embedded insurance platform serving giants like Tesla and Toyota. He tested flight insurance with a fake payment error and achieved a stunning 15.9% conversion rate. Wayne worked solo for a year, risking his savings and landing his first partner in South Africa. A game-changing tweet from Elon Musk skyrocketed their growth, affirming the need for embedded insurance solutions. He emphasizes validating ideas quickly and focusing on a clear mission.
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Weekend Prototype Proved Demand
- Wayne built a fake flight-insurance WordPress prototype over a single weekend and drove traffic with Google and Facebook ads.
- He showed a payment error at checkout and still recorded a 15.91% conversion, proving strong demand.
Platform Over Single Brand
- Build platform-level tech that supports multiple products instead of pushing a single branded product.
- Focus on your strengths and enable other brands to sell using your infrastructure.
Year Alone Before Hiring
- Wayne worked solo for a year, burning through savings while building prototypes and landing partners before raising seed.
- He only brought five founding employees after he felt the project was de-risked and had seed funding.
