Local Entrepreneurs Tackle Insurance Underpayments

When Sam Kleiman was rear-ended in a car accident, he thought getting his car repaired would be the end of it. The Weber High School class of 2012 graduate had no idea he was missing out on thousands of dollars his insurance company was legally required to pay him.”

Insurance companies have a legal obligation to pay for diminished value, but 99 percent of people don’t even know what that means,” says Kleiman, who teamed up with high school friend Ari Oken to launch Claims Concierge in January 2025.

“We’re talking about real money — our average client recovers $3,400 in additional compensation they would never otherwise have received.”

“According to industry data, 96 percent of drivers don’t fully understand their auto insurance policies, and 63 percent feel their final settlements were inadequate. With 13 million accidents occurring annually, that translates to $58 billion in unclaimed settlements,” added Oken.

Even after the highest quality repairs, a car’s value isn’t fully restored. This drop in market value is called “diminished value,” and it’s a real financial loss that most people never recover.

“When potential buyers see an accident history, they have natural concerns about structural damage, reliability, and safety,” Kleiman explains. “Even with perfect repairs, that accident report permanently affects resale value. You shouldn’t have to eat that loss.”

The duo also helps clients ensure their total loss settlements reflect true market value. “Insurance companies often provide lowball offers that don’t reflect what your car is actually worth,” Kleiman adds.

These childhood friends from Sandy Springs took different routes after graduating from Weber. Kleiman studied at the University of Maryland before becoming involved in the startup world, helping scale multiple companies. Oken went to Tulane and built a career consulting for Fortune 500 organizations. Their diverse backgrounds proved complementary — Kleiman’s entrepreneurial experience in building technology companies paired naturally with Oken’s expertise in corporate strategy and process optimization. For two years, Kleiman and Oken researched Boomer-heavy industries as both of them had talked about creating a company together.

Claims Concierge’s business model is straightforward. When insurance companies complete repairs or declare vehicles as totaled, that car’s resale value drops permanently — sometimes by 30 percent or more. Insurance companies are legally required to compensate for this diminished value but rarely volunteer the information.

Claims Concierge charges a fee only on the additional settlements they secure. If they don’t increase a client’s payout, there’s no charge. Claims Concierge has maintained an approximate 95 percent success rate since launching, with settlements typically resolved in under 30 days.

Their marketing strategy leverages their Atlanta roots, partnering with independent auto body shops and law firms to reach accident victims. The service is free to try.

“A lot of our early clients have been friends and family who either didn’t know about diminished value or tried to handle it themselves and got nowhere,” says Oken.

Even with perfect repairs, that accident report permanently affects resale value. You shouldn’t have to eat that loss.

The entrepreneurs are also building AI-powered technology to automate the claims process, making it scalable while maintaining personalized service. Rather than competing directly against law firms and insurance companies in expensive car accident marketing, they developed a partnerships strategy with businesses already involved in the accident ecosystem. This approach allows their startup to reach customers without requiring a massive marketing budget that would be unsustainable as a start-up.

Real-time examples include a recent client (Mercedes-Benz owner) who recovered an additional $4,500 after initially being offered $1,700 for diminished value. Another client discovered $2,800 in unclaimed compensation from a four-year-old accident.

“With average new car prices up $11,000 since 2021 and repair costs rising 25 percent in 2024, every dollar of compensation matters more than ever,” said Kleiman.

As they prepare to expand beyond Georgia, both entrepreneurs remain committed to their Jewish Atlanta base. “We’re not just building a business,” Oken reflects. “We’re helping people get what they’re legally owed. That feels pretty meaningful.”

For more information, please visit www.claimsconcierge.io or call 404-334-7877.