Dakotah Rice

Dakotah Rice is the Founder and CEO of Harper, an AI-native commercial insurance brokerage designed to modernize the legacy insurance industry through automation. Originally from Alabama, Dakotah developed an early appreciation for small business entrepreneurship from his parents before moving into elite academic and financial circles. He holds a degree from Brown University and later attended Harvard Business School, though he eventually took a leave of absence from his MBA program to focus on scaling his technology ventures.

Before launching Harper, Dakotah built an extensive background in high-stakes finance and private equity. He began his career at Goldman Sachs in the Technology, Media, and Telecommunications group, followed by roles at The Carlyle Group and Coatue Management. In 2022, Dakotah founded Poolit, a fintech platform that simplified investing in private equity and VC funds. He was included in Forbes 30 under 30 in 2023.

After years in the finance world, Dakotah’s experience growing up around small business owners struggling to navigate a system that never seemed to work for them led him to found Harper alongside Tushar Nair. The company is now announcing $47 million in combined Seed and Series A funding, led by Emergence Capital, with participation from Y Combinator, Peak XV, Antler, 10X Founders, Fellows Fund, and Outset Capital. This includes the largest, publicly disclosed Series A ever raised by a Black founder, a significant milestone that expands what is possible for founders who don't fit the pattern.