Zorro is an AI-powered platform transforming employee health benefits by allowing employers to offer personalized, cost-effective, and flexible coverage through Individual Coverage Health Reimbursement Arrangements (ICHRA) instead of traditional, one-size-fits-all group plans. Pulse 2.0 interviewed Zorro co-founder and CEO Guy Ezekiel to learn more.
Guy Ezekiel’s Background
Could you tell me about your background and what led you to the healthcare benefits space? Ezekiel said:
“I’ve spent most of my career building healthcare companies—everything from medical devices to pharmaceuticals to digital health. Later, I transitioned to venture capital, where I spent several years backing disruptive healthcare innovations. But one thing kept striking me: while science and treatments were advancing, affordability was only getting harder.”
“Nine out of ten Americans aren’t lying awake worrying about a heart valve or a surgery; they’re worrying about how to pay for a doctor’s visit, a prescription, or an unexpected bill. That’s what ultimately led me to build Zorro. I wanted to tackle healthcare at its foundation, to build something that could touch anyone who needs care, not just patients in one specialty.”
Zorro’s Mission
What is Zorro’s mission? Ezekiel shared:
“At Zorro, our mission is to revolutionize healthcare benefits by making high-quality, affordable coverage more accessible. We believe employers shouldn’t be trapped in rigid, one-size-fits-all group plans and employees deserve the freedom to choose coverage that truly fits their needs.”
“We use ICHRA as the foundation to do that. The real value of ICHRA is that it removes friction across the benefits experience for everyone involved—employers, brokers, and employees. Employers set predictable budgets, brokers get the tools to guide their clients, and employees gain autonomy to select plans that align with their doctors, prescriptions, and financial situation. And because the benefits industry is incredibly complex—and most employees have never navigated it without additional support—we built our best-of-its-kind platform to make choosing and using benefits simple, scalable, and decidedly human.”
Favorite Memory
What has been your favorite moment or proudest accomplishment at Zorro so far? Ezekiel reflected:
“For me, it always comes back to the people. The proudest part of building Zorro isn’t just the technology or the client wins—though I’m always humbled and astounded to play even a small role in our clients’ success stories. It’s the team we’ve brought together. They’re not only some of the brightest minds in the industry, but they’re also the kind of people you genuinely want to work alongside.”
“What makes me most proud is seeing how this group pushes each other—and me—to be better. They challenge assumptions, bring fresh ideas, and support one another in ways that make the culture here feel special. Watching that dynamic unfold has been the most meaningful aspect of the journey because it’s what makes everything else possible.”
Core Offerings
How would you describe Zorro’s core offerings, and how do they empower employers, employees, and brokers in the healthcare benefits process? Ezekiel explained:
“Zorro is a tech-forward ICHRA administration platform. We take the complexity out of defined contribution benefits and make them work like a modern, group experience.”
“For employers, that means setting a predictable budget, staying compliant, and eliminating the headaches of group plan renewals. We simplify ICHRA administration and management, which has historically caused a bit of admin overload, and make it easy to understand plan engagement.”
“For employees, it means smart, personalized decision support tools that help them find the right plans for their health needs, budget, and preferences—whether that’s maintaining access to a specific doctor, ensuring a medication is covered, or verifying they can continue using a certain facility or care network. Our built-in chatbot and decision support flow help individuals navigate what’s often 50-100+ plans and choose the right coverage for themselves and their families.”
“For brokers, it means a quoting, modeling, and an administration platform that makes ICHRA as easy to sell and manage as group insurance, while keeping them firmly at the center of the client relationship. We’re the only ICHRA platform built with brokers in mind, and our technology reflects that at every step.”
Significant Milestones
What have been some of the company’s most significant milestones? Ezekiel cited:
“One of the biggest was announcing our Series A funding. That moment wasn’t just about raising capital; it was validation that the market believes in what we’re building and the future of healthcare benefits we’re creating.”
“We were also honored to be named one of five finalists for the Conference Board’s Vendor Breakthrough Awards. This category highlights innovative companies that are disrupting their industries with advanced solutions, and being recognized among them was a strong signal of the impact Zorro is making.”
“Another proud accomplishment was doubling the size of our team in less than a year. Growing quickly is one thing, but bringing in people who share our mission and values is what really matters. The culture and talent we’ve built are the foundation for everything that comes next.”
“On the product side, we unveiled a whole suite of platform updates in August of 2025. These updates and additions gave brokers, employers, and employees an even more seamless, data-driven experience, from smarter, AI-driven decision support for employees to more robust quoting and modeling tools for brokers and even more action-oriented, user-centric administration dashboards for employers.”
“A large portion of the product preview focused on our plan design tool—the most advanced in the industry and the only real-time ICHRA quoting tool built with brokers in mind. We made it even easier to model contribution strategies, strategic carve-outs, and real-world scenarios in seconds, and, according to one of our partners, it’s now ‘lightyears ahead’ of our competitors in the space.”
Customer Success Story
Can you share a story of a client or broker who has seen tangible results from implementing Zorro’s ICHRA platform? Ezekiel highlighted:
“Rush Memorial Hospital is a great example. Based in rural Indiana, they faced a challenge employers know all too well: renewal rate hikes that made maintaining their existing coverage impossible. Their choices were to cut coverage, pass along costs to employees, or try something new.”
“That’s when their broker recommended exploring ICHRA with Zorro. Together, we built a generous contribution strategy that enabled Rush Memorial to control costs, cut healthcare spending by $2.25 million year over year, forecast their budget years in advance, and still provide equitable allowances for every employee—from clinicians to service staff.”
“They’re a flagship example of how ICHRA works at scale, and a powerful testimony to its effectiveness. It’s been an honor to help streamline their transition from a group plan to the ICHRA model.”
ICHRA Survey
Your findings from Zorro’s 2025 Broker ICHRA Survey showed strong momentum for ICHRA adoption. What were the biggest takeaways from the data, and how do you see those trends shaping the market over the next few years? Ezekiel noted:
“For me, one of the biggest takeaways was confidence and belief in the ICHRA model. Over 90% of brokers told us they believe ICHRA adoption will surge in the next five years. What struck me was how far sentiment has shifted—from a brand new alternative to something brokers are pitching confidently and clients are open and even eager to explore. It’s further confirmation in my belief that ICHRA will follow the path of the 401(k). When the 401(k) was first introduced, it seemed radical to move from pensions to defined contributions. Now it’s the standard. I think we’re at the beginning of that same curve in healthcare benefits.”
“Another key takeaway was how crucial effective, efficient, and streamlined technology is when it comes to successfully administering an ICHRA. Our respondents cited factors like difficult carrier enrollment and payment processes, challenging administration, and concerns around the employee plan selection process as top client hesitations and challenges faced when selling ICHRA—which is exactly where a platform like Zorro comes in. We’re already seeing an influx of technology in the insurance space, and I believe Insurtech will become central to the benefits landscape over the next few years as we work to simplify, streamline, and scale administration.”
Differentiation From The Competition
What differentiates the company from its competition? Ezekiel affirmed:
“Zorro was built to solve the real problem at the heart of health benefits: not just getting care, but affording and accessing it. That’s why our platform looks different from the start. What sets us apart is simple: deep industry expertise, best-in-class technology, thoughtful product design, and service built around humans — all working together to deliver outcomes that last.
- Industry expertise: Our team brings unmatched policy and industry knowledge. We weave that expertise into everything—from product design to client support, sales demos to training webinars.
- Streamlined product design: We built Zorro with brokers, employers, and employees in mind. Brokers get the tools they need to quote, sell, and manage ICHRA—side-by-side comparisons to group coverage, real-time contribution modeling, and allowance strategies tailored to every kind of business. Employers get streamlined dashboards that keep administration, reporting, and compliance clear and actionable. And employees get a consumer-grade experience with smart recommendations based on their unique health profile, coverage preferences, budget, and anticipated care levels, plan spotlights with deep-dives into summaries of benefits, side-by-side comparisons, and the ability to ask our in-platform chatbot natural-language questions like, “Which plan keeps my out-of-pocket costs lowest and has Dr. Brown in-network?”
- Advanced, high-performance technology: Great design is only part of the story. Underneath, Zorro’s technology is more efficient and more scalable than anything else on the market. Whether it’s running contribution models, processing reimbursements, or surfacing personalized recommendations, our platform is built to deliver with precision and usability in mind, giving brokers confidence, employers clarity, and employees answers they can trust.
- Built for the future: We’ve built the foundation of our business on ICHRA, but our vision (and product design) go beyond today’s ICHRA needs. Zorro is built to support the broader health-to-wealth journey, where financial well-being and physical well-being intersect. Decision support is a cornerstone of that vision. By harnessing data, we’re helping people make informed choices not only about their healthcare coverage, but also about how those decisions connect to their larger financial portfolio over time.
- Customer service: Technology only works when people feel supported. That’s why we combine AI-powered chat and a robust self-service center with exceptional, high-touch human support. The result is smooth onboarding, easier enrollments, and ongoing management that scales with companies of every size and ensures an unmatched experience for brokers, employers, and employees.”
Future Goals
What’s next for Zorro? Ezekiel concluded:
“We’re focused on continuing to raise the bar for our partners and their teams. That means investing in the product experience—adding new features, refining decision support, and making sure brokers, employers, and employees all feel the platform was built for them. At the same time, we’re continuing to scale operations to serve organizations of every size, growing our team internally, and expanding the ways we support our customers day to day, whether through high-powered AI or 1:1 support.”
“Most importantly, we’re staying true to our mission: ensuring equitable, affordable access to healthcare coverage. Even as policies shift and rate hikes create uncertainty, Zorro is building a model that gives employers predictability, employees real choice, and brokers the tools to lead with confidence.”
