Analyze Re has become the first buyout to emerge from the Dal Starting Lean program.

Co-founded by Dr. Oliver Baltzer (PhD (Computer Science)’11), Adrian Bentley and Shivam Rajdev, Analyze Re is a reinsurance analytics firm which uses big data to assess risk for the reinsurance industry, which insures insurance companies. The company was recently bought by Verisk Analytics Inc. for $15 million.

Analyze Re has been highly successful since its launch in the Dal’s Starting Lean entrepreneurship course, in which teams of students create business ideas to develop their entrepreneurial skills. The firm now has offices in Halifax and London, England, growing internationally while providing jobs for local employees in Nova Scotia.

Dr. Mary Kilfoil (PhD (Economics)’98) plays an important role in helping students like Dr. Baltzer and his colleagues become successful entrepreneurs. Dr. Kilfoil is a professor at the Rowe School of Business, teaches at Dal’s Norman Newman Centre for Entrepreneurship, and leads Launch Dal, the university’s flagship entrepreneurial program. Starting Lean is a Launch Dal-supported course open to students across the university.

Dr. Kilfoil explains that Verisk’s plan to continue to support growth in Halifax demonstrates the philosophy of Starting Lean and Launch Dal. “Our programs pay it forward,” she said.

“What’s really interesting about the founders of Analyze Re is that they could’ve started the business anywhere,” commented Dr. Kilfoil . “But they chose to start it in Halifax.”

Other successful startup launches having emerged from the Starting Lean course include Spring Loaded Technology, co-founded by Chris Cowper-Smith (BSc’06, MSc’09) and Bob Garrish (BSc’05, MASc’12).

Read more in “From Starting Lean to a bankable exit” on dal.ca.