Buddy co-founder and CEO Charles Merritt is an experienced marketer, strategist, & innovator. Early marketing roles at online travel sites KAYAK and Jetsetter.com gave Charles an understanding of the relationship between strategy, creativity, and analysis in growing a startup and iterating on the feedback loops between users and product. He applied this experience at 80Amps where he advised early stage startups in marketing, customer acquisition, product development and branding. While serving as CMO for a Fintech startup, he saw opportunities to apply the thinking and strategies of a nimble startup to the Insurtech industry. These combined experiences, coupled with a love of technology, led him to assemble the team that has become Buddy. Charles was named to the Forbes Magazine 30 Under 30 list for marketing and advertising.