Finally.Health Benefits Built for the Modern Worker.

“I’ve spent my career inside healthcare, seeing firsthand how frustrating and unnecessarily complicated the system can be for both patients and providers. Too much time and energy gets wasted trying to understand what something costs, what’s covered, who owes what, and why getting paid or getting care has to be so difficult. The longer I’ve worked in it, the less willing I’ve become to accept ‘this is just how healthcare works’ as an answer. We can do better, and I want to be part of proving that.”

“Healthcare should be built around people, not a system they have to fight their way through. I know what it feels like to need care and be left navigating the financial consequences on your own. No one should have to choose between getting the care they need and protecting their financial future. That’s why Smirk’s mission is so personal to me. We’re building a simpler, more accessible and affordable healthcare experience that gives people the clarity, control and agency I wish I’d had when I needed it most.”

“I love building products that help people make decisions that truly matter. In those moments, people deserve to feel clear about their choices, supported through the process, and confident about what comes next. At Instacart, designing products for more than 300,000 shoppers opened my eyes to how many freelancers, gig workers, and other independent workers can’t count on healthcare through their jobs. That stayed with me. I joined Smirk because reliable access to healthcare shouldn’t depend on fitting into a traditional employment model. We have the chance to build something genuinely new: coverage people can understand, trust, and rely on - no matter how they make a living.”

“Access and affordability of care is a generational problem that is being exacerbated by changes in how people work and policy gridlock in Washington. I’ve also personally experienced the challenges navigating the system when you sit outside of the traditional employer-dependent group health insurance ecosystem. I joined Smirk because it gives me an opportunity to help build the solution from the ground up, and make a real difference in the lives of our customers.”

“My wife and I have owned a small business for over 20 years and have employed hundreds of local women. During this period many of them have had challenges understanding their health insurance and affording healthcare. My passion lies with utilizing my health insurance experience to create meaningful solutions for this underserved workforce in America. Solutions which provide plans customized to meet their needs, cost transparency of the benefits, provider costs and member cost, and create unmeasurable consumer confidence to help people take better care of themselves. I joined Smirk to make a difference!”

“As a father of three under three, I spend practically every week at the pediatrician dealing with something unexpected, so I know how overwhelming healthcare friction can be when you’re just trying to take care of your family. Coming from Lemonade, I’ve seen how insurance can be redesigned to be delightfully simple, transparent, and empathetic. I joined Smirk to bring that same seamless experience to healthcare, so parents and patients can focus on getting better rather than deciphering the system.”

“Growing up, conversations around healthcare access is what guided almost every career decision for my friends and family. The fear of what would be covered, and catastrophic stories of when it wasn’t. I’m passionate about finding ways to broaden access. Healthcare should feel simple and painless.”

“Growing up in a family of physicians, healthcare was never abstract to me. I saw the compassion, judgment, and commitment providers bring to caring for people—and how often the system surrounding that care makes their work, and their patients’ lives, harder than it needs to be. The experience around healthcare should reflect the care itself: personal, trustworthy, and focused on helping people feel better, not leaving them confused about coverage, costs, or what to do next. I joined Smirk because we have the opportunity to remove that friction and build a simpler, more transparent healthcare experience that works better for both patients and providers.”

“I’ve been the person without coverage - laid off, then in an accident, sitting there doing math in my head about whether I could afford to be seen. What I remember isn’t the injury, it’s the calculation. You start weighing whether something is bad enough to justify the bill, and that’s a terrible position to put anyone in. Nobody should have to decide whether they can afford to take care of themselves. Getting to work on something that takes even a little of that dread off someone’s plate is why I’m here.”

“I’ve seen how quickly healthcare can go from something you barely think about to something that takes up way too much mental space, especially when you don’t know what something will cost or what’s actually covered. I love the idea that your health benefits can actually give you more freedom to work how you want, live how you want, and make choices without healthcare holding you back - and that’s what I hope Smirk can give more people.”

“I grew up in England. I never thought about what it cost to see a doctor, and I didn’t know what a deductible was. If I needed an x-ray, it was just there for my next doctor to pull up. It all connected. Then I moved to the US and had to figure the system out cold, as an adult, with none of the instincts most people here grow up with. I said yes to a few extra tests thinking they were covered. A surprise bill showed up weeks later, and once I paid it, another one followed. The whole thing felt built to keep you guessing. That’s why I joined Smirk. Benefits you actually own, where you know what you’ll pay and what you’re covered for, so you can do the quick math and get on with your life.”

“Healthcare shouldn’t require a manual. I joined Smirk because I love the idea of taking something unnecessarily complicated and making it simple, transparent, and genuinely useful for people when they need it most.”

“Going through different situations in my life where I’ve had to deal with health insurance, coverage, expenses, reimbursements, and the complexity of the whole system has made me truly appreciate when insurance is intuitive, transparent, accessible, and simply easy to navigate. Especially when you’re dealing with a real-life situation and need to make decisions quickly, the last thing you want is to spend time trying to understand how the system works. I joined Smirk because I believe we can bring that kind of seamless experience into people’s lives when they might need it most.”

“I’ve experienced how quickly healthcare can become overwhelming when you’re trying to understand what’s covered, what something will cost, and what you’re actually supposed to do next. As a designer, I love the challenge of taking that kind of complexity and making it feel simple, intuitive, and even a little fun. I joined Smirk because I want to help create an experience where people feel supported and in control, especially when the last thing they need is more complexity.”

“Growing up in Croatia, I never had to think about what a doctor’s visit cost. Coming to the US system as an engineer, what stands out is how much of the complexity people navigate is accumulated rather than designed — layers that built up over decades and were never worth anyone’s time to untangle. That’s the kind of problem I like working on: rebuilding something so the person using it doesn’t have to understand the mess underneath.”

“We’ve all had those moments when life throws a challenge your way, and healthcare only adds paperwork, bureaucracy, and uncertainty at the worst possible time. Having been there far too often - as both a daughter and a mom - I firmly believe healthcare should lighten the load, not add to it. I’ve always been passionate about simplifying complex systems through thoughtful design and continuous improvement. At Smirk, those efforts come together to build something truly unique: a healthcare experience unlike anything traditional insurance has offered before.”