Meet The Team
The Sayata team combines over a century of insurance experience with in-depth technology expertise to help insurance professionals accelerate their cyber business. Meet the team below.
Asaf Lifshitz
CEO
Asaf is CEO of Sayata Labs. Prior to Sayata Labs, he worked at the Boston Consulting Group, where he collaborated with high-profile clients, such as Google, on high-level strategic projects. Asaf is a graduate of Israel’s most elite science and mathematics military program, Talpiot. In the program, he served as a Researcher for the Ministry of Defense. Asaf holds an MBA from Harvard Business School, an M.Sc. (Cum Laude) in Physics from the Technion, and a B.Sc. (Magna Cum Laude) in Physics and Mathematics from the Hebrew University.
Avishay Maya
Chief Technology Officer
As CTO, Avishay oversees all technology and product delivery aspects of the Sayata offering. Prior to joining the private sector, Avishay served for over a decade in various roles within several Israeli Defense Force technological units, most recently as a Head of Section in the Intelligence Corp Technological unit. Since 2013, Avishay has lectured at Hebrew University on cybersecurity topics. He received three Major General distinctions for technological achievements. Avishay holds an M.Sc. in Computer Science, and a Talpiot B.Sc. in Computer Science, Mathematics and Physics, both from the Hebrew University.
Iddan Golomb
Chief Product Officer
As CPO of Sayata Labs, Iddan guides the strategy, vision, and implementation of Sayata’s product line. Prior to co-founding Sayata Labs, Iddan served in the famed Israeli intelligence unit 8200. Iddan led multiple teams applying artificial intelligence (AI) and data science expertise to several state-of-the-art projects, receiving numerous awards including the highest distinction in the Israeli Intelligence Corps for technological achievement. Also a graduate from the prestigious Talpiot program, Iddan holds a Talpiot B.Sc. in Computer Science, Mathematics and Physics from the Hebrew University as well as an M.Sc. in Computer Science from Tel Aviv University, where he graduated Magna Cum Laude.
King Flynn
Head of Insurance
A senior industry veteran, King held pivotal roles with some of the biggest names in insurance. Most recently, as US employee #2, King helped launch UK-based Beazley Group’s entrance into the United States, where the carrier saw explosive growth expanding to over $1B in gross written premiums (GWP) in the US. Serving as US Head of Broker Relations over the course of his 15 years with Beazley, King supported the underwriting teams in generating US-sourced business through brokers including Cyber/Data Breach risks. Before Beazley, the majority of King’s career was in the retail brokerage space rising through the ranks of global brokers Johnson & Higgins and later at Marsh & McLennan where he was ultimately promoted to Managing Director (Marsh acquired J&H in 1997). As Managing Director at J&H/Marsh, he forged close trading relationships with insurers in the US, European, and Lloyd’s markets representing clients in a number of industry verticals. During his tenure at J&H and Marsh, he held several high-level management roles including Head of Energy team (Houston), Head of Office (Wilmington and Hartford) and ultimately Industry Practice Leader for the Marsh Northeast Region.
King holds a BA in Economics from Marietta College.
Benjamin Goldfien
VP of Insurance Operations
Benjamin Goldfien, a 20-year insurance veteran, has worked with name brand carriers throughout his career. Most recently at Starr Companies, he was a Senior Underwriter in charge of the New England region where he was responsible for underwriting complex cyber and errors and omissions programs for Fortune 500 companies. Prior to Starr, he worked at Risco Insurance Brokerage handling Management and Professional liability for SMEs. Before Risco, he was an Underwriting Specialist at CNA where he was responsible for Middle Market Management and Professional Liability underwriting for the Mid-Atlantic region. Earlier, he held various positions at ACE USA working with International and Professional liability accounts from SMEs to Fortune 500 companies. Ben holds an MS in Insurance Management from Quinnipiac University and a BA from The University of Massachusetts. Ben also holds CPCU and RPLU designations.
Valorie Owens
VP of Business Development
Valorie Owens is the VP of Business Development driving Sayata’s growth, engaging clients on a national scale. Valorie, a 30-year insurance veteran, has worked with several iconic insurance brands throughout her career. Most recently at Beazley, she was Head of Broker Relations (South Central Region) where she oversaw over $70M in business, managing senior relationships with national and regional partners, both wholesale and retail. Prior to Beazley, she was Assistant Vice-President/Underwriting Manager at Chubb where she was responsible for a $32M book of business across most of Texas. Before Chubb, Valorie was Vice President of Sales and Marketing at Great American Insurance Group where she was responsible for marketing and distribution of the national lawyers’ professional liability program across 45 states. Valorie holds a BBA in Insurance and Risk Management from The University of Texas, Austin.
David Schapiro
Strategic Advisor
David has over 30 years of experience within the software industry as a senior executive, specializing in data analytics and insurtech companies. Since 2006, for over a decade, David has led analytical insurtech company Earnix, turning it into one of the leading analytical insurtech players. David is also the co-founder of Planck Re, and serves as a Non-Executive Director at Bought By Many.
