Meet Our Summer 2020 (K)interns

At Kin, innovation is at the heart of everything we do, and this summer, that meant we had to get a little creative with our Kinternship Program. We’ve been operating remotely since the COVID-19 pandemic began, but we also wanted to make sure our brilliant and ambitious Kinterns got the full experience of working at an industry-redefining startup. 

Through virtual onboarding and training, and many, many Zoom meetings, we’re happy to report our Kinterns got front-row seats to how Kin works and plenty of opportunity to let their talent shine. We’re thrilled to share what they spent the summer working on. 

Meet this year’s academically diverse group: undergraduate students Andrew Forsyth and Jack Klauber, MBA students Chinmaya Kulkarni and Jeff Trexler, rising third year law student Michael Weinstein, and recent master’s graduate Nida Prukpitikul. 

• Andrew joined the Marketing Team and focused on an ongoing SEO outreach project. He also took the lead on a competitive analysis of online insurance carriers and a manual data harvesting project. 
• Jack worked closely with Kin’s co-founder and CEO Sean Harper, concentrating on a range of projects, including launching a regionally-targeted Spotify marketing campaign and a performance analysis to better understand how to leverage an agent’s full potential and impact. 
• Chinmaya teamed up with the Product Team to help improve workflow automation and the scalability of claims. He also set up thorough systems and processes to support the rapid growth Kin anticipates this year. 
• Michael worked with the Legal Team to ensure regulatory compliance with privacy, data security, and telemarketing requirements and to handle the unique legal demands of managing a reciprocal insurance exchange. 
• During spring and summer, Nida supported the Head of People and Recruiting and the People Team with employer branding, recruitment and selection, and performance management initiatives. 

Get to Know Our Kinterns

Our Kinterns got to see the inner workings of our business, and we’re so excited to see where their promising careers take them. Check out their personal bios below, and don’t miss your chance to connect with these emerging professionals.

Andrew Forsyth

Andrew Forsyth is a rising junior at UCLA studying mathematics and applied science. He is active in several organizations, including Club Lacrosse and the Undergraduate Math Mentor Program. Andrew worked at Campus Cooks and Boro, a startup that lends money to college students and promotes financial literacy.  

The Kin Appeal

Kin's startup culture and emphasis on data-driven solutions across all teams sparked my interest. Every team member is equally valued and has the ability to contribute to the growing goals of the company. 

Biggest Takeaway

My biggest takeaway is that it never hurts to ask as many questions as I have. Not having much prior insurance industry knowledge, the employees at Kin are eager to explain insurance topics, give advice for projects, and answer any question. Asking questions has given me a much better grasp of what I'm actually trying to accomplish and has allowed me to be more efficient.

Favorite Kin Pun

Kinitiative

Chinmaya Kulkarni

Chinmaya Kulkarni is a graduate of Brown University, earning a degree in environmental science and heading into year two of Northwestern's Kellogg School of Management’s MBA program. After undergrad, Chinmaya spent a few years consulting before founding Callido Learning, where he headed up product. 

The Kin Appeal

Kin is actually disruptive, unlike other companies that misuse the term. Kin is at a crucial, and very exciting, stage in its growth. The employees are smart, excel in their work, and their humility keeps their minds open.

Biggest Takeaway

No industry is doomed to be stodgy and boring forever.

Share your favorite kin pun.

Kinfant

Jack Klauber

Jack Klauber is a rising sophomore at Colgate University where he is completing a bachelor’s in economics and philosophy. 

The Kin Appeal

I wanted to intern at Kin because it’s a company developing new techniques to disrupt an older market. Data is the future, and Kin actively embraces it. And the emphasis on data doesn't detract from the effort invested in personal interactions between our agents and customers. Rather, Kin's use of information helps facilitate and streamline the customer experience. 

Biggest Takeaway

Prior to the internship, I knew that I had to be prepared to learn new things almost every day. While this has certainly turned out to be true, I've come to realize that everyone at Kin, regardless of their role, is constantly learning and adapting. I think that speaks to the strength of Kin's culture and the expectation to consistently work toward improvement. 

Favorite Kin Pun

Kindie-darlings, the name of one of the Slack music channels

Jeff Trexler

Jeff Trexler is a University of Wisconsin alum where he completed a bachelor’s in finance, investment banking, and accounting and a master's in accounting. After his master's, Jeff started his career with KPMG, went on to work with Baird & Co, and more recently at Maestro Health. He is currently working on his MBA at Northwestern's Kellogg School of Management.

The Kin Appeal

I liked the people I interviewed with as well as the opportunity to gain operations exposure within a tech startup.

Biggest Takeaway

There are a ton of exciting initiatives going on, and it's exciting to see the flurry of activity all around (virtually, of course). And the Bevi machine is awesome! 

Favorite Kin Pun

Munchkin

Michael Weinstein

Michael Weinstein is a graduate of the University of Illinois with a bachelor’s in agriculture and consumer economics. He went on to clerk for Lane and Lane, a Chicago law firm while pursuing his law degree from DePaul University. He strives to stay active in the community and is an associate board member for the Juvenile Protection Association. 

The Kin Appeal

What drew me to Kin is the unique experience to intern in a field that I had yet to experience, and it is an incredible company.

Biggest Takeaway

Given the organizational structure of Kin, it has been eye-opening observing all the departments and teams working cohesively on a wide range of topics.

Favorite Kin Pun

Wor-kin hard or hardly wor-kin

Nida Prukpitikul 

Nida Prukpitikul is a recent graduate of DePaul University’s Kellstadt Graduate School of Business Master of Science in Human Resource Management program. Her career in higher education administration and retention helped her discover the immeasurable rewards and joy that the varying and unique challenges people management brings, prompting an exciting pivot.

The Kin Appeal

I was attracted to Kin because of their thoughtful employer branding content on LinkedIn. I found the content intriguing because the focus wasn’t on selling a flashy tech startup. Instead, Kin’s content consistently focused on their employees, their unique backgrounds, and an honest culture. It was evident that they cared about the importance of culture defining the health of an organization and its people. 

Biggest Takeaway

Who you hire truly matters – the culture drives the organization. It seems obvious, but a company needs to constantly reflect and re-evaluate the organization’s goals and vision in relation to the people they have hired to achieve success. 

Favorite Kin Pun

Kintergalactic