Modern benefits brokerage Nava Benefits today announced Kristen Malone as Vice President of Finance. With more than a decade of leadership experience managing financial operations for large companies, Kristen will help Nava build and scale its financial management, planning, and growth functions to bring benefit innovation to employers of all sizes.
Nava recently completed a $40 million Series B funding round to make benefit innovation accessible to smaller employers. In 2021, small to midsize employers saw healthcare renewal costs increase 9.6%, compared to an average 5% increase among large employers. By leveraging modern technology and the best of benefits consulting, Nava is able to close the cost gap and achieve its mission of making healthcare benefits more affordable and accessible for all Americans. The raise follows the launch of the Nava Benefits Search Engine and a series of strategic new hires.
"Managing our financial health – and the financial health of our customers – has never been more important than it is right now," said Brandon Weber, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer. "In order to fix healthcare and ensure we're delivering the most value to our clients, we have to build a world class finance function. Kristen's expertise in doing just that, coupled with her passion for reducing healthcare costs, will be a major asset to our team."
Kristen Malone brings strong operational and financial leadership expertise leading financial planning & analysis (FP&A) at larger-scale enterprise SaaS companies to Nava, where she will establish a scalable and durable operation. She joins Nava from HyperScience, an enterprise data automation platform, where she designed, built, and managed organizational and departmental budgeting as Director of FP&A. During her tenure at HyperScience, Kristen helped lead three of the company's financing rounds, including a $60M Series C, $80M series D and $100M Series E, and its acquisition of Berlin-based data management company Boxplot.io. Prior to HyperScience, Kristen worked at financial news media network Cheddar as the Senior Director of Finance. As one of the network's first employees, Kristen helped grow the company 5x, ran financial due diligence through the sale to Altice USA and directed the FP&A for the acquisitions of MTV Networks and ratemyprofessors.com. A Certified Public Accountant, Kristen has held a range of finance positions at Propeller Industries, SoulCycle, and Reboot.
"In my various financial leadership positions, I've seen employers grapple with expensive healthcare benefits and the impact it has on their employees." said Kristen. "Nava's ability to provide better benefits at more affordable costs during a time of record-high inflation and increased costs of living is a game changer for employers of all sizes. I'm looking forward to joining the cause and helping the company and our customers navigate this tricky financial landscape."
