Upline launches proactive account management platform for independent P&C agencies

Upline has launched a platform in Tulsa aimed at independent property and casualty agencies that automates renewal shopping, proposals and account management under the agency’s own brand. The company says the product is designed to help agents retain more business and free time for new sales as AI changes insurance distribution.

Why it matters: - Independent P&C agencies lose customers when renewals are not actively worked, and Upline is pitching a way to keep every account in motion without adding manual workload. - The platform is designed to help agencies protect retention, surface cross-sell and referral opportunities, and reclaim time for winning new business. - The launch lands as insurance distribution shifts toward AI-powered automation, with Upline arguing that independent agents should be at the center of that change.

What happened: - Upline launched its proactive account management platform for independent property and casualty agencies on Sept. 25, 2026, from Tulsa, Oklahoma. - The platform shops every customer at every renewal on the agency’s behalf. - Upline handles shopping and proposal work end-to-end under the agency’s own brand. - The product also surfaces cross-sell and referral opportunities as they come up. - Upline said the business is structured to grow only when the agency does. - The company was founded by Justin Valenzuela, Davie Holt and Doug Sheridan.

The details: - Upline is onboarding a limited number of independent P&C agencies at founding pricing. - General availability is planned for later in 2026. - The company says the platform handles the proactive work of the existing book, including renewal outreach, shopping, cross-selling, up-selling and referrals. - In a September 2026 study of an independent agency with roughly 1,500 households, 43% of contacted clients asked to be shopped. - The same study found retention among everyone contacted reached 98%. - The study showed total premium value grew 3.1%. - Shopped clients saved an average of $592. - The company says shopping a single carrier can take 2 to 3 hours of focused work. - Industry research cited by Upline says 65% of clients who leave never speak to their agent first. - The same research says replacing a lost client costs 7 to 9 times more than keeping one. - Upline says the platform was built by people who have owned and run independent agencies. - Upline says the product was built for the channel it came from. - Justin Valenzuela is a co-founder of Upline and still runs an independent agency. - Valenzuela is also a partner at Iscential Markets and previously held distribution leadership roles at Farmers Insurance. - Davie Holt is Upline’s founding head of sales and previously led national sales at IPFS, served as president of Virtual Intelligence and founded the AI Rock Stars insurance community. - Jacob Johnson, managing partner at Tulsa-based venture studio Gitwit, said the company was created after months of work inside independent agencies. - Gitwit said the renewal is where the customer relationship is won or lost, and it is often the first task pushed aside. - Gitwit also said Valenzuela and Holt are among the strongest founding teams the studio has brought in.

Between the lines: - Upline is positioning itself against a broader industry trend in which insurance automation often bypasses independent agents. - The pitch is not just efficiency; it is a bet that proactive service and renewal management can become a competitive moat for independents. - The company’s branding and workflow are meant to preserve the agency relationship, not replace it with a direct-to-consumer system.

What’s next: - Upline is inviting a limited number of independent P&C agencies to join at founding pricing before broader rollout. - The company directs agencies to learn more at uplineinsurance.com. - Gitwit says the venture studio builds companies rooted in deep human research. - More information is available on Upline’s social channels, including LinkedIn, Facebook and YouTube.

The bottom line: - Upline is betting that the winning AI play in independent insurance is not replacing agents, but giving them a system that works every renewal for them.