The team behind The Derby
Insurtech, off the ballroom floor
The ITX Derby Conference is the first event to structurally redesign the insurtech experience by moving high-level life and annuity conversations out of the standard hotel ballroom and onto the historic grounds of Churchill Downs during world-famous Derby Week. This inaugural, single-track event is intentionally capped at 400 senior decision-makers—carriers, BGAs, advisors, and InsurTech executives—to maximize the buyer-to-seller ratio and ensure every conversation is meaningful. The structure further maximizes ROI by featuring dedicated 1:1 business meetings (Speed Meetings) alongside main stage programming and transitioning afternoons to high-energy relationship building with access to live racing, providing a tangible, quantifiable networking advantage that traditional tradeshows cannot replicate.
InsurTech Express
InsurTech Express is a principal technology resource for businesses in the Life & Health Insurance and Annuity Industry. Bringing the insurance community together (Carriers, Reinsurers, Distributors, Insurance & Financial Advisors, and Solution Providers) while partnering with all the top industry associations. As an insurtech company, we have the largest industry network exceeding 250,000.
InsurTechExpress.com is a secure online information and sales platform for insurance technology. There are many tools and resources from the hottest industry events to industry discounts, job opportunities and advisor tools. Our Services include software development, strategic consulting, marketing, training, and an online store selling the top insurance software solutions.
Ken Leibow
Founder & CEO
Ken Leibow, Founder and Chief Executive Officer at InsurTech Express, is a veteran of the insurance industry with more than 38 years of experience spanning carriers, distributors, and vendors. His extensive background in insurance technology is highlighted by his tenure as COO of Integrated Insurance Technologies (now owned by Oracle, Inc.), where he built the largest life insurance data exchange hub in the industry. A recognized leader for technology standards, Ken is an ACORD Leadership Award winner, and his company, InsurTech Express, has won multiple ACORD Standards Advancement and LIDMA Innovation awards. He founded the ITX Derby Conference with the express purpose of creating an unprecedented, exclusive event that moves high-level insurtech conversations out of the standard tradeshow environment. He specifically chose the iconic grounds of Churchill Downs during the Kentucky Derby because holding a conference in this venue has never been done before in the insurtech industry.
Meet the organizers
Candice Leibow
Event Marketing Specialist
Candice Leibow previously worked as an AI Trainer, enhancing skills in performance analysis and insights to optimize marketing and ticket sales. They have hands-on event experience from gig-based roles, providing practical knowledge of event operations and attendee experience. Now an Event Marketing Specialist, Candice aims to boost attendance and ticket revenue through targeted marketing strategies, combining data-driven decision-making with event expertise for impactful outcomes.
Alisa Erickson
Creative & Digital Specialist
Alisa's journey to InsurTech Express is rooted in the Minneapolis arts scene, where she has directed outreach for nonprofits, fundraised for the Minnesota Orchestra, and worked at the Guthrie Theater. Her experience in AI data annotation, specifically rubric evaluation, gives her insight into language models. Currently, she leads event sales for ITX Derby 1, the inaugural conference at the 2027 Kentucky Derby, while also overseeing digital marketing for InsurTech Express.
Nichole Gaines
Chief Revenue Officer
As Chief Revenue Officer at InsurTech Express, Nichole leads growth strategies by managing sales, partnerships, and market expansion in the life insurance and InsurTech sectors. She aligns marketing and client engagement to achieve results and collaborates with various stakeholders to enhance revenue through flagship programs like the IE Revenue Accelerator and IE Marketing Program. Nichole focuses on building relationships, creating sustainable growth models, and developing scalable solutions within the InsurTech landscape.
Thanks to Nichole's connections, we successfully secured this iconic venue! Without her, the ITX Derby wouldn't be possible.
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