Hi. We're Bestow.
We’re the life insurance software partner trusted by large carriers to help them digitize, launch new products, and grow faster than ever before.

Top tech talent. Deep insurance expertise.
Bestow boasts both software expertise and a wealth of insurance talent. From distribution and underwriting to strategy and product development, we know insurance operations. Bestow's insurtech solutions are guided by real industry expertise to solve your biggest challenges with eye-popping speed.

Meet the team
Founded on principles. Leading by example.




Melbourne O’Banion is Bestow's CEO and co-founder, guiding the company’s vision to modernize the life insurance industry. Melbourne is also a co-founder of BeautyBio and a founding member of Presidio Title, Texas's leading title insurance agency. He serves on the National Advisory Council for BYU’s Marriott School of Management and Southern Methodist University’s Tate Lecture Series board. Melbourne earned a degree in Finance and Ancient Near Eastern Studies from BYU and resides in Dallas, Texas, with his family.




Jonathan Abelmann is President and Co-Founder of Bestow, leading efforts to build the infrastructure that is transforming life insurance for modern consumers and businesses. Prior to Bestow, Jonathan co-founded Invitation Homes (NYSE: INVH), growing it into a $25 billion category leader in partnership with Blackstone. Previously, he worked as a private equity investor at Starwood Capital. Jonathan is a member of the 2024 class of the Henry Crown Fellowship at the Aspen Institute. A graduate of Brigham Young University, Jonathan lives in Dallas, Texas, with his wife and three sons.




Lena Chukhno is the Chief Revenue Officer and General Manager of the Enterprise SaaS Business at Bestow. She leads efforts to help carrier partners modernize their operations and innovate with Bestow’s transformative technology. Before Bestow, Lena served as General Manager at Earnest, where she drove the company to market leadership in education financing. Her career spans nearly a decade in management consulting at McKinsey & Company and PwC, as well as leadership roles at JPMorgan’s Multi-Asset Solutions division. Lena resides in San Francisco, California.




Jeremy Bill is the Chief Insurance Officer at Bestow, leading the actuarial, underwriting, and operations teams to develop innovative insurance products and support carrier partners leveraging Bestow’s technology. Jeremy has nearly 25 years of industry experience, including 15 years in leadership roles. Before joining Bestow, he held various positions at Sammons Financial Group, overseeing functions such as pricing, reinsurance, inforce management, and underwriting strategy. Jeremy lives in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, where he and his family actively support local organizations, including the United Way, Kairos University and The Transformation Project.




Chris Copeland serves as Chief Technology Officer at Bestow, where he leads the technical teams driving innovation in the life insurance industry. Under his guidance, Bestow leverages cutting-edge technology to simplify the way life insurance is perceived and purchased, enhancing accessibility and user experience. Chris brings more than 20 years of experience in Austin’s tech ecosystem, spanning enterprise software, ecommerce, martech, and data. Before joining Bestow, Chris served as CTO of TrendKite, where his leadership culminated in a $2.7 billion acquisition. He also held senior roles at RetailMeNot, advancing from Senior Engineer to Senior Vice President and contributing to the company’s journey from startup to IPO. Chris earned a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science from the University of Texas at Austin. He resides in Austin with his family.



David Malenoir-Evans is Chief Product Officer at Bestow, where he leads product strategy and innovation to deliver transformative solutions that modernize the life insurance industry. A recognized leader in AI, SaaS, and fintech, David brings a 15-year track record of success in the technology sector, including roles as Vice President of Product at Metamap, recognized by Forbes as a Next Billion-Dollar Startup, and at Procore, where he played a key role in the company's rapid expansion and successful IPO. David earned a Bachelor of Arts in Accountancy and Finance from the University of Greenwich and received his Queen's Commission in Junior Officer Command & Leadership from the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst. He resides in Santa Barbara, California.




Chris Laia is Bestow’s Chief Legal Officer, overseeing the company’s Compliance, Legal, and Security functions to ensure robust governance and regulatory excellence. Chris has extensive prior experience in senior legal and compliance roles across the financial services sector. He holds a Master of Laws degree from Tulane University, a Juris Doctor from Willamette University College of Law, and a Bachelor of Arts from the State University of New York at Stony Brook. Chris and his wife live in Boerne, Texas.




As Chief Financial Officer at Bestow, Claire Martin leads the Strategic Finance, Financial Planning and Analysis, Treasury, and Accounting teams. Her work underpins Bestow’s innovative approach to scaling operations and delivering impactful solutions to partners and customers alike. Claire is a seasoned finance leader with over 20 years of experience building high-growth digital businesses in Europe and the United States. Prior to Bestow, she held leadership roles at companies including BCG Digital Ventures, King, and Yahoo. Notably, she co-led the successful sale of Seatwave to Ticketmaster in 2014. Claire holds a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Texas and resides in Austin, Texas.



Doug Brewster is Vice President of Finance at Bestow, where he leads the accounting and strategic finance teams to support the company’s mission of modernizing the life insurance industry through technology. Doug has over 15 years of experience in finance and strategic planning. He began his career in investment banking at Piper Jaffray and Credit Suisse and has spent the last 12 years in finance leadership roles at Okta, Confluent, and Tecton. At Okta and Confluent, he was an early finance hire and helped build the FP&A function as the companies scaled toward successful IPOs. At Tecton, he was the Vice President of Finance, where he led finance, accounting, and legal affairs through a period of rapid growth. Doug earned his Bachelor of Science in Finance from Brigham Young University. He lives in Salt Lake City, Utah, with his family.




Dave Belanger serves as Chief Security and Privacy Officer at Bestow, where he oversees both cyber and physical security. Dave’s leadership ensures that Bestow’s cutting-edge solutions are delivered with uncompromising security and privacy standards. With over 25 years of experience in security and technology leadership, Dave previously served as Chief Information Security Officer at Maxor National Pharmacy Services and as Information Security Officer for a technology company in law enforcement and public safety. He holds certifications including CISSP, Certified CISO, and Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH). Dave is an active speaker at industry conferences and serves on advisory boards for organizations such as CISO-XC and Secure World. Dave lives in Dallas, Texas.




Luke McLaren is Deputy General Counsel at Bestow, overseeing Compliance and AML affairs to uphold the company’s commitment to responsible innovation in life insurance. Luke has more than 22 years of corporate legal and compliance experience with established and startup insurers. A Marine Corps veteran, he has led teams at organizations including Farm Family, Genworth Financial, USAA, Transamerica, and Swiss Re. He holds a Juris Doctorate from the University of Maryland School of Law and an MBA from Johns Hopkins University. Luke resides in Pasadena, Maryland.




Jill Beeler Bradley is Vice President of Brand and Creative at Bestow, where she oversees brand development, customer insights, and the creation of compelling advertising assets. Her leadership helps Bestow communicate its vision to modernize life insurance. Since joining Bestow, Jill has spearheaded a brand relaunch, recruited top-tier creative talent, and led the creation of broadcast, print, and digital campaigns. Prior to Bestow, she honed her expertise at agencies like R/GA, Saatchi & Saatchi, and McGarryBowen. With nearly 20 years of experience, her work has earned recognition from The One Show and AdAge. Jill holds a Master’s Degree in Advertising from the University of Texas and a Bachelor’s in Journalism from the University of Missouri. She lives in Austin, Texas.




Laura McKiernan Boylan serves as Vice President of Underwriting Solutions at Bestow. She collaborates with enterprise partners to design and scale underwriting programs on Bestow’s technology, improving risk selection outcomes. Before joining Bestow, Laura led the development of a digital underwriting platform at Haven Life and Haven Tech and served as an actuary at AXA US. She holds a Bachelor’s in Applied Mathematics from Harvard and carries FSA and AALU designations. Laura resides in New York City with her husband and two children.




Peter Eliason is Vice President of Data and Analytics at Bestow, where he integrates analytics and data science to drive continuous improvement across the business. His work enhances the precision and impact of Bestow’s technology solutions. Peter has over 15 years of experience in analytics leadership roles at companies such as EasyKnock and Icario Health. At Icario Health, he developed a machine learning recommendation engine recognized with a Tekne Award for innovation in AI. Peter earned a Master’s of Science in Predictive Analytics from Northwestern University. He lives in Minneapolis, Minnesota, with his wife and three children.




Paul Rasmussen is Vice President of Partner Success at Bestow, working closely with life insurance carriers to drive growth and deliver results using Bestow’s enterprise platform. Before Bestow, Paul worked at Bain & Company, advising Fortune 500 clients on growth strategy and technology modernization. He discovered his passion for fintech through client engagements and early-stage investing. At Bestow, he has grown carrier partnerships and played a critical role in enterprise planning and strategy. Paul earned his MBA from Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University and lives in Dallas with his family.




Peter Olah is Vice President of Engineering at Bestow, leading the high-performance team building the digital infrastructure that powers Bestow’s transformative life insurance solutions. Peter’s 17 years of engineering experience include senior roles at Care.com and Vrbo/Expedia. He is passionate about creating collaborative engineering cultures that unlock business value through technology. Peter holds a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science from the University of Texas at Austin. He lives in Austin with his wife, three children, and two dogs.



Pete Schiller serves as Vice President of TPA Services at Bestow, leading the company’s third-party administrator operations. In this role, he oversees exceptional service delivery to carrier partners’ customers and agents, ensuring industry-leading Net Promoter Scores and operational excellence. With deep expertise in driving sales, quality, and customer service performance, Pete is a Lean Six Sigma Black Belt and an innovative leader. His career spans the design and implementation of processes, workflows, and measurement systems that achieve transformative business results. Pete holds a Bachelor of Science in Banking and Finance from Hofstra University. He resides in the New York metro area.

Our commitment to information security
Bestow utilizes a structured framework to enhance security, manage risks effectively, and cultivate trust with customers, clients, and partners.
Bestow is backed by the following investors

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Our life insurance technology is revolutionizing the industry, one digital product at a time.