Cyberspace can finally supplant paper space in the empire of boilerplate: the world of insurance. The means to this overdue achievement comes from Downtown-based ConfirmNet Corp.'s CertificatesNow.com, which electronically and securely delivers and stores certificates of insurance, linking insurance providers with their customers over the Internet. The market is vast.

"There are literally millions of these things being done every day. Every time a contractor goes on a job site or a business delivers goods or any business transaction, the first thing asked is, 'Do you have insurance?'" says William J. Mudge, president and CEO of ConfirmNet.

The insurance industry has taken notice; CertificatesNow.com has been exclusively endorsed by the Big I — the 300,000-strong Independent Insurance Agents of America. "It’s a seal of approval and a recommendation to their members. We’re the only one endorsed," Mudge says.

The company was founded by San Diego commercial real estate executives Craig Irving and Jason Hughes along with New Orleans insurance executive Edward B. Scheinuk last September. Mudge arrived soon after with 18 years' insurance experience, most recently heading Golden Eagle Insurance for two years.

The 38-employee company has come a long way in Mudge's six-month tenure. Key executives to join the business-to-business application service provider include Scott Shepherd, CFO, formerly a v.p. in the investment banking division of Goldman, Sachs & Co. in New York; Dan McCarthy, v.p. of sales, most recently v.p. for Cigna in the Bay Area; Gregg Hovey, v.p. of strategic development and legal counsel, from San Diego’s Hovey & Kirby; and Keith Fisher, v.p. of human resources, who came over from another local Internet success story, WebSideStory.

The latest addition to the board is John Torkelsen, general partner of The Acorn Technology Fund, which just led a $7 million venture capital investment in ConfirmNet. Mudge expects another round of capital later this year to support more Internet insurance products.

"We have half a dozen different ideas on the board that fit the profile of things that are very paper-intensive. We’re focused on helping agents, brokers and insurance companies be more customer-friendly in a much more efficient and effective manner. There are so many opportunities," says Mudge, who adds that he'd be happy to get the Big I's seal of approval on those other products as they come down the cyberspace pipeline.

— Terence J. Burke