Why June 1 Matters.
Every year the US Government spends more money than it takes in. To fund all of that spending, the government borrows money. Only Congress has the power to limit how much debt is taken on. Right now that limit is $31.4 Trillion. To spend more money, Congress must raise or suspend the debt limit.
Flashback to 2011, a political standoff on the debt limit brought the government within days of defaulting on its debt, resulting in a credit downgrade. At the time, the date of default was nebulous.
That year, a policy researcher at the Bipartisan Policy Center, Shai Akabas, coined the X-Date. The X-Date is the last day the US Government can meet its obligations. The day after it will default.
This time, the X-Date is projected to be June 1 by the Treasury. And, the bond market shows signs of worry. 1 Month T- Bills are trading 100 basis points higher than a week ago.
A government default could have a serious impact on insurers, which hold around 3% of the domestic debt holdings.
This situation demonstrates that the insurance industry does not exist in a bubble. We must be regularly vigilant about other adjacent industries like public service, health care, and real estate. To help you stay informed, we are hosting our next event on InsurTech Adjacencies in Palo Alto on May 16th.
Learn more and register: InsurTech Adjacencies
Investing in InsurTech Adjacencies (Bay Area – Palo Alto) – May 16 | 5:30pm – 8:30pm
– Panels Include: Health & Wellness Investment Trends, Spotting PropTech opportunity in a declining market
More info and Join Registration
The Art of Distribution (NYC) – June 8 | 4:30pm – 8:00pm
– Event Highlights: Art Exhibition, Zen & the Art of Insurance, How to Distribute to Underserved Markets (proceeds go to non-profit orgs)
More Info and Join Registration
InsurTech Trails 2023 (Aspen) – June 20-21
-Founder and Investor Event – 2 days of outdoor activities, Programming and Startup Pitches
More Info and Join Registration
InsurTech NY Sponsors
Thank you to our 2023 event sponsors.
If you are interested in sponsoring a future InsurTech event, send us a note at contact@insurtechny.com.
Discover a curated mix of April and May InsurTech financings, exits, partnerships, opportunities, and partner events on the East Coast.
InsurTech News and Deals
The Guarantors ($35M, CIBC Innovation Banking): P&C: Rental coverage for personal and commercial lease guarantees and security deposits.
Marble ($4.2M, Distributed Ventures): Distribution: Policy management and distribution platform integrating loyalty program with a digital wallet and policy comparison.
Novidea ($50M, Battery Ventures): AMS: End to end agency management system using cloud-native, data-driven technology to manage customer and policy data.
Partner Events and Programs
Israeli Wine Tasting and InsurTech (June 6)
Insurtech Insights (June 7-8)
OnRamp Insurance Conference (June 21-22)
Surplus Lines Insurance for InsurTechs Webinar (June 28)
Reuters Future of Insurance USA (June 27-28)
InsurTech Leaders Summit (Sept 20-21)
DFS Exchange – NY Department of Financial Services newly-launched engagement platform to foster the growth of responsible innovation in financial services in New York.
See more information and register via our website: www.insurtechny.com/upcoming-insurtech-conferences
Enterprise Ireland – Senior Market Advisor
TIAA – Director, FW Solutions
Verisk – Actuarial Associate
See more information and apply via our blog: https://www.insurtechny.com/jobs
We open applications for our MGA Lab, a program to help startups become MGAs, in about 2 months. If you want to find out if the program is a fit for you, please reach out to contact@insurtechny.com.
Insurers face a perplexing challenge when forecasting the future – navigating the impact of inflation.
As an insurer, fulfilling the promise of rebuilding lives after a crisis hinges on understanding the cost of repairs. While many keep a watchful eye on the Consumer Price Index (CPI) report, its status as a lagging indicator poses limitations. How can insurers stay ahead of the curve?
The April 12 report summarizing March seasonally adjusted change represented a magic number, an equilibrium: Fed Funds Rate (4.75 – 5.00) ≈ March CPI (5.0). In theory, that means the Fed will act differently moving forward and possibly pause rate hikes.
The latest forecasting data presents a split perspective, revealing an upward trend in healthcare costs while signaling a downturn in real estate. For healthcare costs, Mercer forecasted a 5.4% rise in healthcare benefits costs and AON projected a 6.5% increase in employer healthcare costs (Word & Brown).
In the context of real estate costs, Redfin predicts median home prices will fall 4% for 2023. Data from March showed home prices fell 1% in February, representing the first annual drop since 2012.
These divergent trends are impacting the world of InsurTech, and we’ve assembled a group to explore the implications on healthcare and real estate adjacency. If you’re interested in exploring this topic, we invite you to register for our next InsurTech SF event on May 16th.
Learn more and register: InsurTech Adjacencies
Three weeks behind us, we reflected on the 2023 InsurTech Spring Conference, which was a record year with over 950 registrations. Here are a few things we learned from the sessions:
> Measuring collaboration is a complex issue, as highlighted by the opinions of NFP, CRC, and NYSIF leaders during our Presidents Panel. Despite their insights, there is no universal answer. However, our upcoming book with Bryan Falchuk represents our best attempt to tackle this challenge.
> InsurTech’s global reach was evident in the top finalists from the UK, Mexico, Ireland, and Nigeria, with the ultimate winners hailing from Mexico (Journey Sports) and Ireland (Kayna).
> Despite the emergence of companies like Lemonade, MGAs remain the optimal choice for insurer-insurtech collaboration, as they continue to underwrite more profitable businesses than traditional underwriters. Learn more in our whitepaper with Novidea.
Read the MGA Whitepaper: MGA Whitepaper
Check out the Photos: Flickr Photo Library
Pre-order the Book – FOI Vol III. The Collaborators: future-of-insurance.com
Investing in InsurTech Adjacencies (Bay Area – Palo Alto) – May 16 | 5:30pm – 8:30pm
Panels Include: Health & Wellness Investment Trends, Spotting PropTech opportunity in a declining market
More info and Join Registration
The Art of Distribution (NYC) – June 8 | 4:30pm – 8:00pm
Event Highlights: Art Exhibition, Zen & the Art of Insurance, How to Distribute to Underserved Markets
More Info and Join Registration
InsurTech Trails 2023 (Aspen) – June 20-21
Founder and Investor Event – 2 days of outdoor activities, Programming and Startup Pitches
More Info and Join Registration
InsurTech NY Sponsors
Thank you again to our sponsors of our InsurTech Spring Conference this past March in NYC.
If you are interested in sponsoring a future InsurTech event, send us a note at contact@insurtechny.com.
Discover a curated mix of March and April InsurTech financings, exits, partnerships, opportunities, and partner events on the East Coast.
InsurTech News and Deals
Fairmatic ($46M, Battery Ventures): P&C: Commercial fleet coverage using AI to provide realtime data to fleet owners to reduce risk and premium costs.
SageSure ($50M, Wintrust Financial Corp): P&C: MGU focused catastrophe coverage in underserved coastal markets with proprietary risk modeling and binding.
Zorro ($11.5M, Pitango): Health: End-to-end broker platform for employer-based health coverage using API modeling to provide custom coverage to individual employees.
Axle ($4M, Gradient Ventures): Data: Continuous-access insurance verification platform for consumer and commercial to verify and monitor contractor and employee coverages in real time.
Partner Events and Programs
insureNXT Congress and Expo (April 26 & 27)
InsurTech Hartford Symposium (May 2-3)
OnRamp Insurance Conference (June 21-22)
Reuters Future of Insurance USA (June 27-28)
InsurTech Leaders Summit (Sept 20-21)
DFS Exchange – NY Department of Financial Services newly-launched engagement platform to foster the growth of responsible innovation in financial services in New York.
See more information and register via our website: www.insurtechny.com/upcoming-insurtech-conferences
Enterprise Ireland – Senior Market Advisor
Ethos Life – Director, Actuarial
Starr – Internal Management Consultant
Verisk – Actuarial Associate
See more information and apply via our blog: https://www.insurtechny.com/jobs
We open applications for our MGA Lab, a program to help startups become MGAs, in about 2 months. If you want to find out if the program is a fit for you, please reach out to contact@insurtechny.com.
Substantial analysis has been done on the timeline and actions that crashed Silicon Valley Bank (SVB).
So we will skip the timeline and share our takeaway for insurers.
First, Banking 101 – Banks safeguard customer money. Most money is held as demand deposits able to be withdrawn at any time. Banks leverage customer deposits to originate loans. The yield spread between loans and interest paid on deposits covers operations.
What happens if you have more deposits than you can safely underwrite loans (like SVB)
Some banks do nothing and accept lower profit. Other banks invest the money. Investments can range from short term treasuries to more esoteric options like venture debt and mortgage backed securities. SVB went too long on duration and was too concentrated in esoteric, correlated risk.
Insurers are similar to banks except they receive premiums that are held in reserve for claim payments. Insurers can shield themselves from the risks by:
-Matching duration of risk to duration of investment (e.g. 10 year life policy to 10 year treasury
-Avoiding correlated risk in a single correlated “mega-class” like VC-backed startups
-Not underwriting beyond their capacity and building redundancy in the reinsurance stack
-Protecting their image and reputation with careful PR and communications
For more commentary on the topic, listen to our podcast with Michael Waitze of InsurTech Asia.
This year we received more than 125 applications to our Global InsurTech Competition. More than 25 judges representing carriers, brokers, and investors reviewed the applications and selected the top nine. Then you voted for the wildcard to make the top ten. More than 3,000 votes were cast across 26 companies.
Top ten startups are: Redkik, Otonomi, InsurX, Kayna, Mitigate, Stream Claims, FireBreak Risk, Journey Sports, Futura Genetics, and Octamile (wildcard).
The top ten startups will be pitching live at the InsurTech Spring Conference on March 29-30. Today is your last chance to save 10% on tickets.
More info and Register: https://www.insurtechny.com/insurtech-spring-conference/
InsurTech Spring Conference: Competing on Collaboration
March 29-30 | NYC (Chelsea – Pier 60)
700+ attendees – Parallel tracks for: Life & Health and Property & Casualty
Speakers include: NFP President, Munich Re Head of Innovation, Palomar CLO, & TIAA CIO
More Info and Join Registration
InsurTech NY Sponsors
Thank you to our sponsors of our InsurTech Spring Conference in NY.
If you are interested in sponsoring a future InsurTech event, send us a note at contact@insurtechny.com.
Discover a curated mix of January InsurTech financings, exits, partnerships, opportunities, and partner events on the East Coast.
InsurTech News and Deals
OpenEyes ($18M, Insight Partners): Commercial P&C: Full-stack carrier based on utilizing real-time data capture to mitigate risk and reduce costs for commercial fleets.
Opkit ($1M, Global Founders Capital): Health: Verification platform focused on automated data delivery to virtual and telehealth providers.
Assured Allies ($42.5M, FinTLV Ventures): LTC: Platform for traditional LTC carriers to provide support and preventative measures for clients through machine learning and predictive analysis.
Partner Events and Programs
insureNXT Congress and Expo (April 26 & 27)
InsurTech Hartford Symposium (May 2-3)
InsurTech Leaders Summit (May 24-25)
OnRamp Insurance Accelerator (Applications Due April 10)
OnRamp Insurance Conference (June 21-22)
DFS Exchange – NY Department of Financial Services newly-launched engagement platform to foster the growth of responsible innovation in financial services in New York.
See more information and register via our website: www.insurtechny.com/upcoming-insurtech-conferences
Enterprise Ireland – Senior Market Advisor
Ethos Life – Director, Actuarial
Starr – Internal Management Consultant
Transverse – Program Manager
Verisk – Actuarial Associate
See more information and apply via our blog: https://www.insurtechny.com/jobs
The Super Bowl is an excellent time for family and friends to bond over sports or maybe just an excuse to consume excessive amounts of snacks and yell at the TV (you choose).
Beyond personal experience, it is big business for marketing organizations. According to AdAge, a 30-second spot costs $7 million and is expected to reach 100 million viewers. That translates into $70 for every 1,000 viewers (CPM). AdStage benchmarked the median CPM at $41 in a 2019 study.
So if it is not the most cost-effective, it must certainly expand brand value. Let’s check 7 advertisers from 2022 and their Year-over-Year change in market capitalization to see if that rings true.
Budweiser (CPG) : (4%)
Amazon (Tech) : (35%)
T-Mobile (Telecom) : 19%
General Motors (Auto) : (19%)
Planet Fitness (Fitness) : (7%)
FTX (FinTech) : (100%) / Bankrupt
Rocket Mortgage (Banking) : (16%)
Excluding FTX, the average impact on market cap was (10%). Including FTX, it was (23%). Compared to the S&P 500 at (8%), a Super Bowl ad is not guaranteed to boost your brand.
There is good news in all of this. Zero insurers advertised in the 2022 Super Bowl.
And, if you are a new startup and you are still itching to pitch in a competition our Global InsurTech competition applications are open until February 10th. Best of all, making a video ad is totally optional.
Apply or share with your friends: http://www.insurtechny.com/competition
Embedded Insurance is expected to exceed $70B in GWP by 2030.
The challenge is today most embedded insurance offerings exist for non-complex lines of business like mobile phone warranties or mobility products. For embedded insurance to reach its full potential, it requires the right infrastructure and experience to build a working system.
Learn from Volvo Financial Services and InsureMo on how to build an embedded insurance system that works with more complex lines of business.
More info and Register: https://www.insurtechny.com/event_program/embeddedinsurance/
Embedded Insurance with InsureMO
Feb 16, 2:00pm-2:30pm ET | Webinar
Speakers: Director, Volvo Financial Service; Head of North America Operations, InsureMO
Learn how to build embedded systems for complex lines
More Info and Registration
InsurTech Spring Conference: Competing on Collaboration
March 29-30 | NYC (Chelsea – Pier 60)
700+ attendees – Parallel tracks for: Life & Health and Property & Casualty
Speakers include: NFP President, Munich Re Head of Innovation, Palomar CLO, & TIAA CIO
More Info and Join Registration
InsurTech NY Sponsors
Thank you to our sponsors of our InsurTech Spring Conference in NY.
If you are interested in sponsoring a future InsurTech event, send us a note at contact@insurtechny.com.
Discover a curated mix of January InsurTech financings, exits, partnerships, opportunities, and partner events on the East Coast.
InsurTech News and Deals
Walnut Insurance ($4M, ATB Financial): Life, P&C: API-driven embedded distribution infrastructure providing businesses with streamlined incorporation of insurance products into their products.
Wunderite ($7.2M, Insider Spark Capital): SaaS: Automation platform for agencies to streamline policy issue through a fully digital process.
Dayforward ($25M, AXA Venture Partners): L&H: Full-stack digital carrier driven by automated underwriting and streamlined front-end for customized policies.
Coverdash ($2.5M, Bling Capital): P&C: End-to-end digital broker focused on small businesses offering binding and payment of multiple lines in one transaction.
Partner Events and Programs
insureNXT Congress and Expo (April 26 & 27)
InsurTech Hartford Symposium (May 2-3)
OnRamp Insurance Accelerator (Applications Due April 10)
OnRamp Insurance Conference (June 21-22)
RevTech Labs Class 18 Accelerator (Applications Due Feb 17th)
DFS Exchange – NY Department of Financial Services newly-launched engagement platform to foster the growth of responsible innovation in financial services in New York.
See more information and register via our website: www.insurtechny.com/upcoming-insurtech-conferences
AAA Mid Atlantic – Senior Insurance Analyst – Digital Transformation
Enterprise Ireland – Senior Market Advisor
Ethos Life – Director, Actuarial
Starr – Internal Management Consultant
Transverse – Program Manager
Verisk – Actuarial Associate
See more information and apply via our blog: https://www.insurtechny.com/jobs
Want to Judge our Early-Stage Startup Competition?
Do you run a VC fund, angel syndicate, or corporate venture unit? If so, we are looking for judges who can review the applications for our early-stage startup competition. Judges are required to register for the event. If you would like to be considered as a judge, please reach out at contact@insurtechny.com.
Southwest Airlines made headlines over the holiday season when they canceled 16,700 flights over a 10-day period. The company initially blamed it on weather from the polar vortex. But word got out that the real cause was a computer system outage that snowballed with staff shortages and lost baggage. Total costs are estimated at $825 million to Southwest.
Airlines have a number of parallels to insurers. Both are capital-intensive, manage weather risk, and rely on customer loyalty for profitability.
For airlines, time is of the essence. Every plane must fly full every day to maximize revenue. An empty plane or flight not flown is lost revenue. Similarly, every policy must renew before its expiration date. And, both industries benefit from frequent flyers that stay with their brand for every transaction.
So, if you end up like Southwest and your policy admin or quoting system fails. A lost day is not only lost customers for that day, but lost loyalty. If it can happen to Southwest, it can happen to you. Now is the time, during the quiet period of early January, to look at your systems and do a “Southwest Sanity Check”.
For InsurTech NY, we have our own “Southwest Sanity Check” on innovation. Asking ourselves:
Are we missing any trends?
What technologies will matter for the next 5 to 10 years?
Are there any up-and-coming InsurTechs that we’re overlooking?
To help us answer those questions, we are launching the 2023 early-stage competition. InsurTechs will compete for a pool of $200,000. The competition will be judged by the leading VCs and carriers in the industry.
If you are interested or have friends starting an InsurTech, check out the competition here: http://www.insurtechny.com/competition
Thanks to inspiration by the Global Insurance Symposium, we are bringing the CEO and Presidents Panel to NYC. Get a chance to hear from Mike Goldman, President of NFP and Gaurav Vasisht, CEO of NYSIF discuss collaboration across the value chain as a competitive advantage.
The insurance industry is inherently collaborative. Risk takers need distributors and everyone needs reinsurers to manage Cat risk. When the relationships work, there is a seamless experience and policyholders don’t even know who is in the chain. But, when there is friction everyone feels the pain. Policyholders start to question what they can do themselves and relationships break down.
Learn how you can work more effectively with your brokers, carriers, reinsurers, and InsurTech partners. Find out more about this panel and the InsurTech Spring Conference on March 29-30.
https://www.insurtechny.com/insurtech-spring-conference/
Newsletter subscribers can save 5% if you register by Jan 13 with code: “Subscriber113”
InsurTech Investor & Founders Forum
Jan 30 – Feb 1 | Beaver Creek, CO | 1 Day of Content, 1 Day of Networking
– Investors attend include: Anthemis, Allstate Ventures, AmFam Ventures, FFVC, Munich Re Ventures, QBE Ventures, Sandalphon Capital, and more.
InsurTech Spring Conference: Competing on Collaboration
March 29-30 | NYC (Chelsea – Pier 60)
700+ attendees – Parallel tracks for: Life & Health and Property & Casualty
Speakers include: NFP President, Munich Re Head of Innovation, Palomar CLO, & TIAA CIO
More Info and Join Registration
InsurTech NY Sponsors
Thank you to our sponsors of our InsurTech Spring Conference in NY.
If you are interested in sponsoring a future InsurTech event, send us a note at contact@insurtechny.com.
Discover a curated mix of October InsurTech financings, exits, partnerships, opportunities, and partner events on the East Coast.
InsurTech News and Deals
Oyster ($3.6M, New Stack Ventures): P&C: Digital platform offering both direct to consumer and point of sale coverage offerings for personal property.
Get Covered ($6M, RET Ventures): P&C : White labeled platform for rental property owners to ensure and manage coverage while offering additional options to renters.
Enthea ($2M, Tabula Rasa Ventures): Health: Administrator of health riders and single case services for psychedelic healthcare.
Partner Events and Programs
insureNXT Congress and Expo (April 26 & 27)
InsurTech Hartford Symposium (May 2-3)
InsurLab Germany Accelerator (Applications Due Feb 7)
RevTech Labs Class 18 Accelerator (Applications Due Feb 17th)
DFS Exchange – NY Department of Financial Services newly-launched engagement platform to foster the growth of responsible innovation in financial services in New York.
See more information and register via our website: www.insurtechny.com/upcoming-insurtech-conferences
Employers Ins – Senior Product Manager
Ethos Life – Director, Actuarial
Starr – Internal Management Consultant
Transverse – Program Manager
Verisk – Actuarial Associate
See more information and apply via our blog: https://www.insurtechny.com/jobs
Want to Judge our Early-Stage Startup Competition?
Do you run a VC fund, angel syndicate, or corporate venture unit? If so, we are looking for judges who can review the applications for our early-stage startup competition. Judges are required to register for the event. If you would like to be considered as a judge, please reach out at contact@insurtechny.com.
S&P Global projects 2022 P&C loss ratios to be over 100 with combined ratios to be near 110.
Extrapolating the average, this means some carriers could lose as much as 30 cents on every premium dollar which could result in:
– Brokers and MGAs will not be getting their bonuses.
– 2023 could be an austere year for carriers
– Reinsurers will be bumping premiums (we have heard 40%+ in LatAm)
How can you combat the macro trend for your business?
Collaboration
The biggest challenge for our industry is to get the entire value chain to work as one cohesive unit. That means commercial accounts bringing process reengineering from reinsurer best practices through carrier loss control to policyholders, delivered by brokers (outside or renewal time). It also means brokers and carriers must educate consumers about the risks of construction that marginally meets code, especially in cat exposed areas.
InsurTech NY is here to make collaboration across the value chain easy. We are hosting a two day conference to discuss this topic between reinsurers, carriers, brokers, and InsurTechs.
Learn more and register before 12/12 for the early bird special (20% off): www.insurtechny.com/insurtech-spring-conference/
It might not feel like it, but Ian is projected to be in the top 10 most damaging storms in U.S. history. It is part of a string of storms in the past three years that have made landfall at 150 MPH or more – Ian (2022), Ida (2021), and Laura (2020).
However, in all the devastation, there was a glimmer of hope in Babcock Ranch, FL., America’s first solar powered town. The town essentially survived unscathed through hurricane-force winds.
Insurers must face the reality that risk transfer is not enough in an environment of a changing climate. Insurers must work with their policyholders to harden property and process claims faster to expedite the repair process.
We have decided to discuss the topic of resilience in another Cat exposed state, California. Join us in Palo Alto on Dec 8th to discuss Resilience and Claims.
Learn more and register: https://resilienceclaims.eventbrite.com
Resilience and Claims (InsurTech SF)
Dec 8 | 5:00pm – 8:00pm PT | Bay Area
– Speakers include leaders from: Tokio Marine, Avanta Ventures, and Gigaforce
InsurTech Investor & Founders Forum
Jan 30 – Feb 1 | Beaver Creek, CO | 1 Day of Content, 1 Day of Networking
– Investors attend include: Anthemis, Allstate Ventures, AmFam Ventures, FFVC, Munich Re Ventures, QBE Ventures, Sandalphon Capital, and more.
InsurTech Spring Conference: Competing on Collaboration (Early bird tickets available)
March 29-30 | NYC (Chelsea – Pier 60)
700+ attendees – Parallel tracks for: Life & Health and Property & Casualty
Speakers include: NFP President, Munich Re Head of Innovation, Palomar CLO, & TIAA CIO
More Info and Join Registration
Thank you to our sponsors of our Resilience and Claims event in SF and InsurTech Spring Conference in NY.
If you are interested in sponsoring our events, send us a note at contact@insurtechny.com.
Discover a curated mix of October InsurTech financings, exits, partnerships, opportunities, and partner events on the East Coast.
InsurTech News and Deals
LuckyTruck ($2.4M, Candid Ins. Investors): Commercial Trucking: End-to-end digital platform for the trucking industry providing distribution and management of commercial coverage.
Fursure ($3M, Andreessen Horowitz): Pet Coverage: Online pet coverage, savings, budgeting and education platform to help pet owners plan and prepare for pet care needs.
Cover Genius ($70M, Dawn Capital): E-Commerce: Embedded platform covering e-commerce warranties, purchase protection, and liability across multiple online industry and transaction types.
Surround Insurance ($2.5M, MM Catalyst Fund): P&C: Digital platform marketed to young, urban professionals for shared vehicles, freelancing, rental, and urban travel methods.
Partner Events and Programs
InsurTech Trends (Dec 8) – InsurTech Hartford – Hartford CT – A look at recent InsurTech trends and discuss how they will impact the industry in the year ahead.
2023 Living to 100 Symposium (Jan 15-18) – Society of Actuaries
What the Future of AI-enable Insurance Industry Looks Like – Wisedocs
DFS Exchange – NY Department of Financial Services newly-launched engagement platform to foster the growth of responsible innovation in financial services in New York.
See more information and register via our website: www.insurtechny.com/upcoming-insurtech-conferences
Employers Ins – Senior Product Manager
Ethos Life – Director, Actuarial & Product Actuary
Ethos Life – Product Performance Actuary & Associate Actuary
Nationwide Ventures – Sr Investment Professional (Venture Capital)
Starr – Internal Management Consultant
Transverse – Program Manager
Verisk – Actuarial Associate
See more information and apply via our blog: https://www.insurtechny.com/jobs
Looking for Life & Health Carrier Speakers
We have several open spots for insurance carriers to speak on our Life & Health panels. Some of the topics include: Making Embedded and Affinity Relationships work in Life Insurance, Leveraging Third Party Data to Improve Health and Wellness, and Path to 100% Underwriting without Doctor Visits.
If you have an interest in speaking on a panel reach out at contact@insurtechny.com.
This week marked the release of two major InsurTech Top 100 Lists:
The Sonr InsurTech 100 and FinTech Global 100.
It’s incredible that two sophisticated and thoughtful groups can produce completely different results. In fact, based on our calculations, there are only 5 overlapping companies that appear on both lists.
If you are a carrier or broker, looking for solutions, these lists can be helpful, but they add to the noise of InsurTech. The question remains, which ones are the right partners for me?
On November 15th, we explore that very question for underwriters. Join us as we discuss how to decipher the signal from the noise and identify new alternative data sources for better underwriting.
Learn more: https://uwdata.eventbrite.com
On November 15, we will be hosting our Demo Day in NYC where 40 startups will present.
Presenting startups will be from two programs: (1) InsurTech NY Growth-stage Accelerator and (2) The Digital MGA Lab. The accelerator startups were hand selected by our carrier and broker members based on their ability to address challenges or pursue opportunities for their business units. The MGA lab startups were chosen based on their uniqueness and market potential.
A limited number of spots are open for investors and capacity providers to watch.
Request a spot: https://uwdata.eventbrite.com
Underwriting Data: What Matters?
Nov 15 | 4:30pm – 8:00pm | NYC
– Speakers include executives from: Hippo, Argo, and New York Life
Resilience and Claims (Insurtech SF)
Dec 8 | 5:00pm – 8:00pm PT | Bay Area
– Speakers include leaders from: Tokio Marine, Avanta Ventures, and Gigaforce
InsurTech Spring Conference: Competing on Collaboration
March 29-30 | NYC (Chelsea – Pier 60)
1,000+ attendees – Parallel tracks for: Life & Health and Property & Casualty
Speakers include: NFP, Munich Re, American Family, & Employers
More Info and Join Waitlist
Thank you to our sponsors of our November and December events.
If you are interested in sponsoring our events, send us a note at contact@insurtechny.com.
Discover a curated mix of October InsurTech financings, exits, partnerships, opportunities, and partner events on the East Coast.
InsurTech News and Deals
Stere ($5M, Vida Capital): Solutions: Full stack ecosystem providing capacity partner placement, analytics, and digital tools.
Elpha Secure ($20M, Canapi Ventures): Cyber: Provider of customized cyber coverage and security solutions for small businesses.
Otonomi ($3.4Mm ATX Ventures): Cargo: Digital MGA parametric platform automating logistics coverage and claims in real time.
Partner Events and Programs
InsurTech Hartford Innovation Challenge (Nov 17) – Applications Open: The Innovation Challenge Finals & Awards unveils revolutionary ideas and shines a light on brilliant entrepreneurs, students, and experienced professionals.
Reuter Connect Claims (Nov 2-4): Chicago
DFS Exhcange – NY Department of Financial Services newly-launched engagement platform to foster the growth of responsible innovation in financial services in New York.
The Reuters Insights Report: Overcoming Supply Chain and Inflationary Pressures with Technology
For more information and registration for these events and programs, visit our website: https://www.insurtechny.com/upcoming-insurtech-conferences/
Employers Ins – Senior Product Manager
Ethos Life – Director, Actuarial
Ethos Life – Product Actuary
Ethos Life – Product Performance Actuary
Ethos Life – Product Performance Associate Actuary
Verisk – Actuarial Associate
For more information and applications visit our blog: https://www.insurtechny.com/jobs
Are you looking to find new unique products to distribute? Are you a broker? If so, we have an opportunity for you to meet the startups in our MGA Lab on Nov 14th in NYC. They will be presenting to brokers about their new product offerings to get feedback. Read more about the program: MGA Lab.
For more information reach out at contact@insurtechny.com.
September 15, marked the start of a grand experiment, our MGA Lab.
With the right environment and nurturing can you grow an MGA in a Lab?
Founders of aspiring MGAs met in NYC to learn the essential elements of an MGA business model and how to prepare to present to capacity providers. We are excited to welcome the first MGA Lab Cohort:
Boardwalk Insurance
Fursure
Lynxight
Pablow
Possum Insurance
Quantumerge
SingleKey
Sola
Zenployers
If you are interested in meeting the cohort or are a capacity provider that wants to be involved in the program, please reach out at contact@insurtechny.com.
On September 21st, we connected the rock stars of the Insurtech world with a unique networking happy hour. This invite-only event joined 350+ professionals for a night of music and libations at the Las Vegas House of Blues.
It was a unique chance for insurance carriers, brokers, and startups to network while listening to a Grammy-nominated musician. We enjoyed seeing so many familiar faces and building new connections that will endure long beyond the conference.
Thank you to The Financial Revolutionist & Caliber Corporate Advisers and our sponsors Appian Corporation, Boost, Haven Technologies & Vymo for making Blues Bash Happy Hour a memorable night.
Underwriting Data: What Matters?
Nov 15 | 4:30pm – 8:00pm | NYC
-Speakers include executives from Hippo, Instabase, and Planck
Resilience and Claims (Insurtech SF)
Dec 8 | 5:00pm – 8:00pm PT | Bay Area
– Topics include Property and Climate Change, Single Day Claims Cycle
InsurTech Spring Conference: Competing on Collaboration
March 29-30 | NYC (Chelsea – Pier 60)
1,000+ attendees – Parallel tracks for: Life & Health and Property & Casualty
Speakers include: Grange, Munich Re, American Family, & Employers
More Info and Join Waitlist
Thank you to our sponsors of our November and December events.
If you are interested in sponsoring our events, send us a note at contact@insurtechny.com.
Discover a curated mix of August and September InsurTech financings, exits, partnerships, opportunities, and partner events on the East Coast.
InsurTech News and Deals
Modern Life ($15M, Thrive Capital): Life: Only brokerage supporting life agents with end-to-end capabilities for the sales and support process.
Ledgebrook ($4.2M, Brand Foundry Ventures): Reinsurance: Excess and Surplus MGA using data-driven tech stack to serve the wholesale brokerage market.
Fairmatic ($42M, Foundation Capital): P&C: Fleet insurance using predictive risk model based on mobile phone data and AI gathered in stealth.
Planck ($23M, Vintage Investment Partners): Commercial: Automated underwriting platform designed to provide instant risk insights for commercial insurers.
ProNavigator ($10M, Graphite Ventures): SaaS: Knowledge-sharing platform driven by AI to allow frontline insurance professionals to access detailed data in a simplified format.
Pie Insurance ($315M, Centerbridge Partners): Workers Comp: Carrier for small business coverage using online platform combined with diverse data sets to more accurately assess risk.
Partner Events and Programs
DFS Exhcange – NY Department of Financial Services newly-launched engagement platform to foster the growth of responsible innovation in financial services in New York.
Climate and Insurance Risk Forum – Innsure – October 6th, cambridge, Mass
Chubb Studio Innovation Challenge – Compete for $15k in prizes by designing and developing business proposals, APIs, and solutions with Chubb Studio technology. (Due Oct 7)
The Reuters Insights Report: Overcoming Supply Chain and Inflationary Pressures with Technology
For more information and registration for these events and programs, visit our website: https://www.insurtechny.com/upcoming-insurtech-conferences/
Employers Ins – Senior Product Manager
Employers Ins – IT/Product (SDLC) Roles
Verisk – Actuarial Associate
Verisk – Senior Actuarial Associate Property and Casualty
For more information and applications visit our blog: https://www.insurtechny.com/jobs
Does your organization provide capacity for Digital MGAs? Whether you have a delegated authority program, a fronting business, or provide reinsurance, we are looking for additional capacity providers to join us on Oct 13 for Capacity Day in NYC to meet new Digital MGAs.
For more information reach out at contact@insurtechny.com.
What’s the difference between a startup and a startup carrier?
Simply put: distribution.
Many people remark on the rapid growth of the InsurTech used-to-be Unicorns. And, they attribute that growth to being able to hack direct-to-consumer digital distribution.
However, the real story is the untold story of startup carriers that have grown responsibly.
Palomar – Started in 2014, hit $251M in GWP in first year public (2019) at a 91% combine ratio
Transverse Ins. – Founded in 2019, acquired by MS&AD for an estimated $400M
Convex Ins. – Founded in 2019 by Steven Catlin, reached $2.1B in GWP in 2022
These startup carriers took a different approach. They leveraged long-term relationships from industry veterans like Steven Catlin and Erik Matson to jumpstart new brands optimizing traditional broker distribution.
Curious how you can combine lessons from both startup and legacy carriers / distributors? Then join us on August 25 in NYC at the Digital Distribution program.
Learn more at: https://digitaldistributor.eventbrite.com
Have you picked up your tickets for ITC Vegas?
If not, you can learn more and access discounted registration here.
Also, InsurTech NY is teaming up with The Financial Revolutionist to host a curated, invite-only happy hour on Sep 21. (Note: This is NOT an official ITC Vegas event). Carriers, brokers and investors can request invitations below:
The Digital Distributor
August 25 | 4:30pm – 8:00pm | NYC
– Speakers include: Insuritas CEO, SVP at Marsh, and Head of Growth Offerings at Travelers
Blues Bash Happy Hour Vegas
Sept 21 | 6:00pm – 9:00pm PT | Las Vegas
– Invitation Only Event
Underwriting Data: What Matters?
Nov 15 | 4:30pm – 8:00pm | NYC
-Panels discussing future of underwriting tables and new data
Resilience and Claims (Insurtech SF)
Dec 8 | 5:00pm – 8:00pm PT | Bay Area
– Topics include Property and Climate Change, Single Day Claims Cycle
Sponsored Content (By Amazon)
Gain insights from open finance experts
Open finance enables secure, consent-based sharing of and access to financial capabilities, data, and account information. Listen to Jacob Morgan at Forrester, Shaheen Kanda at Amazon Web Services, Christian Ball at Yapily, and Betty DeVita at FinConecta as they talk about open finance trends, perspectives, and real-world success stories. Register here
Thank you to our sponsors of our August event.
If you are interested in sponsoring our events, send us a note at contact@insurtechny.com.
Discover a curated mix of July InsurTech financings, exits, partnerships, opportunities, and partner events on the East Coast.
InsurTech News and Deals
Bento ($8.1M, Schooner Capital): Health: End-to-end dental coverage platform and provider for the group benefits market.
Reserv ($8M, Altai Ventures): Claims: Digital TPA for Property & Casualty adjusters providing real-time metrics and AI-driven solutions to complex claims.
Koffie Ins ($11M, Anthemis Group): P&C: Digital MGA focused on the trucking industry using machine learning and telematics for risk reduction and accelerated underwriting.
Ranger ($5.25M, Lerer Hippeau Ventures): P&C: Agent-focused platform designed to support accuracy in homeowner policy valuation and cross sales.
Partner Events and Programs
The Digital Insurer – World’s Digital Insurance Awards (Due Sept 1): Now accepting applications from Americas for Insurtech Innovation.
ITC Vegas (Sept 20-22): Use 200ITC787 for 200-off
The World’s Largest Gathering of Insurance Leaders and Innovators
Global Insurance Accelerator (Applications Close Sept 23)
Early stage companies are provided seed funding, networking with our mentors, 100-days of ongoing support and a final presentation to a large audience of insurance professionals.
DFS Exhcange – NY Department of Financial Services newly-launched engagement platform to foster the growth of responsible innovation in financial services in New York.
Columbia University Actuarial Science Career Fair (Employer Registration) (Sept 28)
For more information and registration for these events and programs, visit our website: https://www.insurtechny.com/upcoming-insurtech-conferences/
Employers Ins – Senior Product Manager
Employers Ins – IT/Product (SDLC) Roles
CSAA Insurance Group – Sr. Associate – Venture Capital
InsurTech NY – Copywriter
For more information and applications visit our blog: https://www.insurtechny.com/jobs
Does your organization provide capacity for Digital MGAs? Whether you have a delegated authority program, a fronting business, or provide reinsurance, we are looking for additional capacity providers to join us on Oct 13 for Capacity Day in NYC to meet new Digital MGAs.
For more information reach out at contact@insurtechny.com.
Recent press on Digital MGAs has soured the mood for Venture Capitalists outside of the industry. Everyone is concerned about how the public markets will impact earlier stage funding rounds and the viability of the next crop of Digital MGAs. But the full story remains unwritten.
“It is not in the stars to hold our destiny but in ourselves.”
― William Shakespeare
So we are launching two programs in July to support InsurTechs.
1. Growth Stage Accelerator Program
The InsurTech NY Accelerator is back for the 3rd cohort. Our corporate member driven accelerator is supported by nine insurance carriers eager to work with growth stage startups. The program is designed to help Seed to Series B companies find pilots and partnerships, acquire talent, and access investors.
Results speak for themselves. Over 50% of past cohort members have received follow-on funding for a total of $364 million post program, originated 400+ prospective partner meetings, and reached 4 exits – IXN, Breathe Life, Tower IQ, and Verikai.
Learn more and apply here: www.insurtechny.com/accelerator
2. Digital MGA Lab
Designed from the ground up solely to support the next generation of digital MGAs, we are launching a stage agnostic program focused on helping with actuarial model, finding insurance capacity, and accessing retail distribution.
The program is backed by 20+ fronting carriers, program administrators, and reinsurers including Accelerant, Ambac, AmTrust, Greenlight Re, Hanover Re, Markel, Munich Re, Tokio Marine, Transverse, and more…
Learn more and apply here: www.insurtechfund.com/mga-lab
InsurTech Rapids: Founders and Investors Forum
July 21-22 | 2 Days | Santa Fe, NM
– Investors Attending: Allstate Ventures, Ambrosia Ventures, Blue9 Capital, NM Angels, City Different Ventures, Sun Mountain Capital, Dangerous Ventures, Munich Re Ventures, and more…
The Digital Distributor
August 25 | 5:30pm – 8:00pm | NYC
– Topics include Sales Productivity, Digital MGAs, and Embedded Insurance
InsurTech NY Growth Stage Accelerator
Apply by July 29 | Hybrid Program for Seed to Series B
MGA Lab by InsurTech Fund
Apply by July 27 | Dedicated program for Digital MGAs
Sponsored Content (By Vymo)
Thank you to our sponsors of our August event.
If you are interested in sponsoring, send us a note at contact@insurtechny.com.
Discover a curated mix of July InsurTech financings, exits, partnerships, opportunities, and partner events on the East Coast.
InsurTech News and Deals
Ledger Investing (75M, WestCap): Risk Capital: Broker matching traditional and reinsurance risk securitizations with institutional investors.
Openly (75M, Advance Venture Partners): P&C: Algorithm-based distribution platform streamlining underwriting for premium homeowners coverage.
Pawlicy Advisor (12M, StepStone Group): Pet Coverage: Brokerage using a breed-specific data to quote costs and coverage for pets.
The Digital Insurer – World’s Digital Insurance Awards (Due Sept 1): Now accepting applications from Americas for Insurtech Innovation.
ITC Vegas (Sept 20-22): Use 200ITC787 for 200-off
Reuters Connected Claims (Nov 2-4): Nov 2-4 in Chicago
See more information and register via our website: https://www.insurtechny.com/upcoming-insurtech-conferences/
CSAA Insurance Group – Sr. Associate – Venture Capital
Equal Ventures – InsurTech/FinTech Associate
Global Insurance Accelerator – Program Manager
Starr Insurance Companies – Management Consulting Associate
Voom Insurance – Head of Sales & Customer Success
See more information and apply via our blog: https://www.insurtechny.com/jobs