Andrew Bate is the Founder and CEO of Safely.com, the leading insurtech and guest screening platform built specifically for the short-term rental market. Since launching the company in 2013, Andrew has led Safely’s growth into a dominant force in vacation rental protection, helping thousands of property managers, homeowners, and platforms reduce risk and trust guests with confidence. Under his leadership, Safely has redefined how modern insurance products can be embedded seamlessly into digital platforms, pairing data-driven guest screening with tailored short-term rental coverage.
Andrew brings more than two decades of experience at the intersection of travel, insurance, and digital strategy. Before founding Safely, he launched HotelUpgrade, a loyalty-based platform that enabled hotels to compete for premium bookings. He also held consulting and strategy roles at McKinsey & Company, Razorfish, and Project Profile, with a focus on digital transformation in the travel and hospitality sectors.
In addition to his entrepreneurial work, Andrew has taught applied strategy and innovation at Emory University’s Goizueta Business School, where he helped students explore real-world business models, neuromarketing, and ethical decision-making frameworks. He’s also served as a research associate at The Wharton School, where his academic work focused on the neurological underpinnings of executive strategy.
Andrew holds an MBA from London Business School, with an exchange term at The Chinese University of Hong Kong. With a rare combination of academic insight, startup grit, and industry know-how, Andrew continues to shape how insurance adapts to the future of living, renting, and traveling.
At Capacity Day, Andrew Bate will share lessons from building a niche carrier for the modern rental economy—and what every capacity provider can learn from the short-term rental revolution.
