Weekly News Roundup
Top InsurTech Headlines from October 19–25, 2026
Curated by InsurTech NY • Sources: company announcements, original research and industry reporting
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$27MSlingshot seed financing
$3.1MDelegance pre-seed funding
27%Year-on-year decline in Q3 agency deal count
Funding
Slingshot launches with $27 million for embedded insurance infrastructure
Slingshot Insurance launched publicly on October 22, announcing $27 million in seed financing co-led by Rally Ventures and Skyward Group.
Co-founded by former Palomar chief actuarial officer Ethan Genteman, the company develops infrastructure for insurance products distributed through software platforms, managing general agents and other partners. Its target markets include amateur sports, travel and independent work. Vertical Insure has joined as an early customer and design partner.
Slingshot was operating as a technology provider at launch while pursuing an insurance carrier acquisition, Genteman told Crunchbase News.
Sources: Slingshot announcement; Crunchbase News
Acquisition
Experian acquires eInsights to identify insurance coverage missed after treatment
Experian Health announced its acquisition of eInsights on October 20, extending its ability to identify patients’ insurance coverage after care has been delivered.
Experian said eInsights serves more than 200 US healthcare organizations and has helped clients recover over $225 million in reimbursements. Its technology searches for coverage missed during earlier checks, including retroactive Medicaid eligibility and secondary insurance.
Experian plans to combine the technology with its existing insurance discovery services to help providers recover payments and prevent patients receiving bills for insured treatment. Financial terms were not disclosed in the announcement.
Sources: Experian acquisition announcement
Commercial broking
Delegance raises $3.1 million to expand brokerage charging a disclosed 5% fee
New York-based Delegance Brokerage announced $3.1 million in pre-seed funding on October 20, led by Grit Capital Partners, with participation from Core VC, Gilgamesh Ventures and Outside VC.
The commercial insurance brokerage offers a disclosed 5% fee in place of traditional brokerage commissions. Its software handles quoting and policy servicing, while licensed brokers remain responsible for complex placements, claims and coverage decisions.
Delegance said it holds direct appointments with 25 carriers, including Chubb, Travelers and The Hartford. The funding will support recruitment of brokers and engineers and expansion of distribution partnerships.
Sources: Delegance funding announcement via PR Newswire; Delegance Brokerage
Industry research
US property insurance rates fall 10% while casualty rises 6%, Marsh reports
US commercial property insurance rates fell 10% in the third quarter, while casualty rates increased 6%, according to Marsh’s Global Insurance Market Index, released October 21.
Overall US commercial rates declined 1%. Globally, rates fell 5%, marking the ninth consecutive quarter of decreases.
Marsh attributed the broader reductions to available capacity and insurer competition. US casualty remained an exception, with selective capacity, higher attachment points and smaller insurer commitments. Cyber insurance rates were flat in the United States, compared with a 4% decline globally.
Sources: Marsh third-quarter pricing report announcement
Claims technology
GEICO partners with Entegral to connect auto claims and repair coordination
GEICO announced a partnership with Entegral on October 22 to improve claim routing, repair coordination and customer communications.
Entegral, a claims technology subsidiary of Enterprise Mobility, will supply technology supporting repair-provider selection and clearer information about repair appointments.
The companies said the collaboration would connect data and workflows across GEICO, repair facilities and mobility services, giving customers and repair partners greater visibility from claim reporting through vehicle repair. The announcement did not disclose financial terms or a detailed deployment schedule.
Sources: GEICO partnership announcement
M&A research
Insurance agency acquisitions fall 27% in third quarter
Announced insurance agency acquisitions in the United States and Canada fell to 144 in the third quarter, down 27% from 197 a year earlier, according to OPTIS Partners’ latest report, covered by Insurance Journal on October 22.
The first nine months produced 439 transactions, a 19% annual decline. Private-equity-backed and hybrid buyers accounted for approximately 76% of third-quarter activity.
OPTIS said acquisition platforms faced pressure to prioritize debt reduction, integration and investor exits over transaction volume. Broadstreet Partners led buyers through September with 57 transactions, followed by Inszone with 48 and HUB International with 22.
Sources: OPTIS Partners report and download; Insurance Journal
Underwriting partnership
Donegal expands ZestyAI partnership across personal property portfolio
Donegal Insurance Group has expanded its partnership with ZestyAI, adding property analytics covering roof condition, roof complexity, debris and other characteristics used to assess insurance risk.
ZestyAI’s October 22 announcement said Donegal would add its Z-PROPERTY product across its personal lines property portfolio, broadening an existing relationship focused on roof age information.
Donegal chief underwriting officer Jeffery Hay said the additional information would support the insurer’s evaluation, management and reinsurance of property risk. The announcement did not disclose financial terms or quantified results from the expanded deployment.
Sources: ZestyAI Donegal announcement
