David Wald – Co-Founder & CEO of Aclaimant
David Wald is the Co-Founder and CEO of Aclaimant, a Chicago-based risk management platform helping businesses keep their people safe and reduce workplace risk. With a background in consulting, venture capital, and startup growth—including time with Groupon’s early venture fund—David brings a unique blend of entrepreneurial experience and operational discipline. His journey shows how risk management, when digitized, can transform business safety and efficiency at scale.
Key Takeaways from the Episode
- From Investor to Founder: David began his career at Bain & Company before joining Lightbank, Groupon’s venture fund, where he learned firsthand how successful founders iterate and scale.
- The Spark for Aclaimant: What started as his girlfriend’s (now wife’s) father’s insurance idea became a thriving company with 60 employees and Series B funding.
- Fixing Outdated Systems: Aclaimant moves risk management out of the “paper form era” into digital workflows—helping companies prevent accidents, manage incidents, and reduce insurance costs.
- Family Business Done Right: Building a company with his father-in-law wasn’t without challenges, but David credits honesty, trust, and shared passion as the keys to success.
- The Future of Risk & Tech: Beyond insurance, David sees Web 3.0 and blockchain as technologies that will revolutionize industries—though like 3D printing, it will take time to mature.
Catch the full conversation with David Wald and host Ken on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mRF9c8hv9kY
Memorable Quote:
"If you don’t know how to lose, you can never really win. In startups, you’re getting your butt kicked all the time—what matters is how you learn from it." – David Wald