Who is Big 5?
Investing in tomorrow, today.
Backing early-stage companies, led by enthusiastic founders.
Big 5 Investments is an Australian-based syndicate of angel investors
Big 5 was originally founded by Jarrod O’Brien, Nathan Hepple, the late Kurt Nilsen and the late Ralph Dissell. A short time later, Heath Amber joined the syndicate.
Two of the three current Big 5 team are founders themselves.
The entire team at Big 5 hail from the insurance sector. Together, Nathan, Jarrod and Heath have a collective 70+ years of experience in business.
Big 5’s deep knowledge and experience spans virtually every aspect of the insurance lifecycle - underwriting, broking, claims management, and legal. This gives us the edge in being able to identify and nurture early-stage insurance industry related and high-potential growth prospects.
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Jarrod O’Brien
Background: Broking, Finance, Business Management
Jarrod spent 25 years in the banking, finance and general insurance industries and now acts as Big...Jarrod O’Brien
Background: Broking, Finance, Business Management
Jarrod spent 25 years in the banking, finance and general insurance industries and now acts as Big 5’s ‘Operations Lead’.
In 2008, Jarrod founded Ausure Macarthur, a retail insurance brokerage specialising in small to medium enterprises and niche high-risk specialty businesses. Under Jarrod’s leadership, the company serviced over 1000 clients and experienced consistent year-on-year growth, culminating in a successful sale of the business in 2022. Jarrod’s commitment to customer service excellence was recognised with the prestigious Jim McIlveen Award of Excellence. Ausure Macarthur was also honoured with a multitude of industry and business awards while Jarrod was at the helm.
Jarrod’s business philosophy for Ausure Macarthur centred around professional and transparent services which translated into profit margins higher than competitors and peers, and a client retention rate greater than the industry average.
At Big 5, Jarrod is driven to invest in passionate people with visionary ideas. He enjoys the due diligence process and has a keen interest in learning about business’ products, services and market impact. Jarrod thrives on working with smart, ambitious and hardworking entrepreneurs, helping them build their companies into successful enterprises. -
Heath Amber
Background: Broking/ Placements, Binder Management, Business Development
Heath has spent almost 30 years in the insurance industry across Australia and the UK. Heath’s...Heath Amber
Background: Broking/ Placements, Binder Management, Business Development
Heath has spent almost 30 years in the insurance industry across Australia and the UK. Heath’s insurance experience covers a broad range of international markets, binder placements/ management, risk placements and business development.
Today he is Partner Development Director at AUB Group-owned, Austbrokers (insurance brokers and risk management specialists), leading commercial service agreements, insurer engagement and growth strategies between the insurance market and Austbrokers partners. Heath's direction has been key with strengthening partnerships and enhancing service delivery.
Heath holds several prominent industry directorships, advisory board positions and is immediate past Chair of the Underwriting Agencies Council of Australia (UAC). He has been a Director of the UAC for the past 15 years and is passionate about advancing the interests of underwriting agencies and fostering industry growth.
Heath's experience, industry involvement and leadership, uniquely position him to navigate and thrive in the dynamic landscape of insurance investment.
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In Memory of Kurt Nilsen
Background: Broking, Underwriting, Business Management
In 2025, Kurt lost his courageous battle with cancer and is deeply missed by the Big 5 team. RIP...In Memory of Kurt Nilsen
Background: Broking, Underwriting, Business Management
In 2025, Kurt lost his courageous battle with cancer and is deeply missed by the Big 5 team.
RIP Kurt
Following a career in brokerages and underwriting agencies, Kurt founded Lion Underwriting in 2015.Lion remains a successful niche underwriting agency that prides itself on developing and offering innovative insurance solutions. It has traditionally focussed on hard-to-place risks, across General Liability, Property, and Professional Lines including Professional Indemnity, D&O, Cyber, Management Liability and Medical Malpractice. Lion also maintains a strong ability for more, as Kurt calls them, "vanilla type risks" across all classes.
Over a 10-year period Kurt was at the forefront of the insurance industry, serving on the Board of the Underwriting Agencies Council of Australia (UAC), including three years as Chairman.
With a genuine love for the insurance industry and its importance to our everyday life, Kurt was always keen on mentoring and investing in the right people to take the industry to the next level.
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Nathan Hepple
Background: Claims, Insurance Litigation, Business Management
In 2011, after a number of years practising in big name law firms, Nathan co-founded defendant...Nathan Hepple
Background: Claims, Insurance Litigation, Business Management
In 2011, after a number of years practising in big name law firms, Nathan co-founded defendant insurance law firm HBA Legal. He was driven to challenge the traditional law firm model and instead bring clients fast, efficient, and commercially savvy legal solutions.
Nathan later went on to co-create Paratus Claims (third party administration) and Pillion (legal technology solutions). In 2020, the HBA Group was acquired by USA headquartered Crawford & Company, the world's largest publicly listed independent provider of claims management solutions operating across 70+ countries. Nathan remains with Crawford and has held various local and global roles since selling his business.
His legal experience lies in litigation, representing major insurers, self-insureds and large Australian companies with significant deductibles. Nathan and the HBA team are valued business partners to various stakeholders placing risk into the Lloyd’s market in London and their underwriters.
Nathan is always thinking outside the box; his broad leadership experience has equipped him to be a keen listener and problem solver, working with people in a supportive and candid way to bring out their best. Nathan is committed to supporting entrepreneurs who are invested to build world class team cultures.
With Big 5's backing, could you be the next big thing in the urban jungle?
Big 5 can either come on board as a passive investor, or our support can extend beyond simply providing capital. The choice is yours.