Alkeme Insurance just pulled a move that most in the insurance space will feel three quarters too late. The Southern California-based brokerage, known for moving at a tempo that feels more tech house than traditional coverage, announced it has secured a new investment from Flexpoint Ford, a private equity firm with a taste for companies that don’t wait for markets to evolve, they evolve markets.
Let’s be clear: this wasn’t a “raise.” This was a reload.
Under the steady hand of CEO Curtis Barton and the strategic command of President Chris Walters, Alkeme isn’t just scaling, it’s compounding. Since 2020, the firm has completed over 40 acquisitions, making it one of the fastest-growing brokerages in the country. The real story here isn’t about the number of deals, though. It’s about integration. Most folks in M&A get stuck in the churn, buy, rebrand, repeat. Alkeme’s execution has been surgical. Plug in the pieces, keep the DNA intact, and amplify what made each acquisition worth buying in the first place.
Flexpoint Ford didn’t just see a growing brokerage, they saw a platform. A real one. Not the overused VC buzzword kind. We’re talking about an operational, scalable foundation built by operators who actually know what it takes to build in insurance, not just bankroll it.
The play here is deep distribution meets vertical specialization. Alkeme has assembled a roster of agencies that serve everything from surf shops and ski resorts to commercial construction and cannabis. They know that insurance isn’t sold, it’s translated. And Alkeme speaks fluent niche.
And let’s not overlook the underlying lesson for the broader market: growth doesn’t come from stacking logos. It comes from alignment, vision, tech, and culture stitched together with intent. This is why PE-backed rollups fail more often than they scale. Alkeme didn’t just buy firms. They built a machine.
Credit to Curtis Barton for keeping the wheel tight, and Chris Walters for navigating the turns that most would’ve missed doing 90. And hats off to Flexpoint Ford, who’ve shown once again they know how to spot signal through the noise. This deal isn’t about cash infusion. It’s about acceleration, with precision.
