Vertafore AI Slashes MGA Program Setup from Hours to Minutes

DENVER, CO – January 22, 2026 – InsurTech leader Vertafore today announced a significant enhancement to its Surefyre™ platform, introducing artificial intelligence capabilities designed to eliminate a major bottleneck for Managing General Agents (MGAs) and wholesalers. The new feature automates the conversion of static PDF submission forms into fully functional digital web applications, a task that previously consumed hours of manual labor.

This innovation promises to drastically reduce the time it takes to launch new insurance programs, transforming a multi-hour manual process into a task completed in minutes with the click of a button. For an industry segment where speed and efficiency are paramount, this development represents a substantial step forward in operational capability and competitive agility.

Tackling the Manual Submission Bottleneck

For program administrators, MGAs, and wholesalers, one of the most persistent and time-consuming challenges is the setup of new insurance programs. This process often begins with carriers providing submission forms as PDFs. Administrators have traditionally been required to manually recreate these forms field by field into their digital agent portals and underwriting systems. This painstaking work is not only tedious but also prone to human error, which can lead to inaccuracies in data capture and subsequent underwriting issues.

According to Vertafore, this manual creation of web applications for a single new program could take an administrator up to four hours. This time represents a direct operational cost and, more critically, a delay in bringing new products to market. In the fast-paced specialty insurance market, such delays can mean the difference between capturing a market opportunity and falling behind competitors. The manual process creates a significant friction point, tying up skilled personnel in low-value data entry rather than allowing them to focus on strategic activities like underwriting, risk assessment, and building agency relationships.

A Practical AI Solution in Action

Vertafore’s update to Surefyre directly targets this inefficiency. The platform's new AI engine is trained to analyze a PDF submission form, intelligently identify the various data fields, and automatically construct a corresponding digital web application. This automation is embedded within Surefyre’s low-code agent portal and underwriting workbench, reflecting what the company calls a “practical approach to AI.”

Instead of focusing on speculative or generalized AI, Vertafore has aimed this technology at a specific, real-world workflow to deliver immediate and measurable value. The AI handles the heavy lifting of form creation, freeing up administrators and underwriters to focus on higher-value tasks. This move is central to Vertafore’s strategy of embedding automation directly into the daily operations of insurance professionals.

"We're innovating with AI in Surefyre with a clear purpose: to remove friction from the work MGAs do every day," said Emily McGinn, general manager of MGA and wholesale at Vertafore. "By using AI to automate one of the most manual steps in program setup, Surefyre helps MGAs move faster, create a great experience for their agency partners, and focus on the growth activities that truly accelerate their business."

Beyond Efficiency: Accelerating Growth and Competitiveness

The impact of this automation extends far beyond simply saving time. By dramatically accelerating the program setup process, Vertafore enables MGAs and wholesalers to be more responsive to market demands and carrier opportunities. The ability to launch new programs faster provides a distinct competitive edge, allowing these businesses to quote and bind policies sooner. Reports from users of the broader Surefyre platform have indicated significant business improvements, with some MGAs reporting benefits like 90% faster quoting and substantial business growth within a year of adoption.

Furthermore, automating data capture from PDFs reduces the likelihood of manual entry errors, leading to cleaner data, more accurate underwriting, and fewer downstream complications. This enhanced data integrity is crucial for maintaining profitability and strong carrier relationships. Wholesalers like One80 Intermediaries have reportedly leveraged Surefyre's automation capabilities to overhaul internal processes, streamline workflows, and empower their agents with more efficient tools.

The time saved by this AI-driven feature—whether it's the four hours cited in the announcement or the 2.5 hours per submission reported by some platform users at a company event—is time that can be reinvested into core business functions. This includes nurturing agency relationships, developing new products, analyzing market trends, and performing the complex risk analysis that defines the value of a specialty MGA.

Vertafore's Broader AI Strategy and What's Next

This Surefyre enhancement is not an isolated development but a key part of Vertafore's comprehensive, long-term AI strategy. The company has been integrating AI and generative AI capabilities across its product suite since 2017, focusing on three core areas: generative convenience, document intelligence, and data enhancement. The PDF-to-web form feature is a prime example of document intelligence in action.

Vertafore's roadmap for Surefyre indicates that this is just the beginning. Later this year, the company plans to introduce additional AI-powered features, including:

• A natural-language summary tool to automatically highlight changes to an application during endorsements or renewals, allowing underwriters to quickly identify what has changed without a manual line-by-line comparison.
• AI-powered ingestion of unstructured submissions data, which will enable the platform to extract and process critical information from emails, attachments, and other non-standard formats, further automating the intake process.

These planned updates signal a deeper push into more sophisticated data interpretation and summarization, addressing other complex and time-intensive tasks in the insurance lifecycle. This aligns with Vertafore's broader portfolio strategy, which includes AI-driven tools like AgencyOne Insights for analyzing client trends and ReferenceConnect AI for smarter research queries, creating a more connected and intelligent ecosystem for the entire insurance distribution channel.

Industry Recognition and Competitive Positioning

The strategic value of the Surefyre platform, which Vertafore acquired in November 2024, has been validated by its growing user base of over 80,000 and its recent industry accolades. The platform was recently named Product of the Year by the BIG Awards for Business and recognized as a Finalist for Best B2B Customer Strategy in the 2025–2026 Cloud Awards.

This external validation underscores the platform's impact and innovative approach in a crowded InsurTech market. "As a global benchmark for excellence in cloud computing, the program recognizes organizations like Vertafore that are driving the industry forward through innovation and excellence," stated James Williams, CEO of The Cloud Awards.

The acquisition and subsequent enhancement of Surefyre represent a strategic move by Vertafore to solidify its leadership position in the MGA and wholesaler technology space. By providing a highly configurable, AI-enabled, low-code platform, Vertafore is equipping its clients with the agile tools needed to compete and thrive, turning a once-manual bottleneck into a powerful engine for speed and growth.