FUTURE AMERICAS A carefully curated list of rising insurtechs driving innovation across insurance - Insurtech Insights

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FUTURE AMERICAS A carefully curated list of rising insurtechs driving innovation across insurance - Insurtech Insights
FUTURE

                                            AMERICAS

                               A carefully curated list of rising insurtechs
                                  driving innovation across insurance

Insurtech Insights Future 50                                                   1
FUTURE AMERICAS A carefully curated list of rising insurtechs driving innovation across insurance - Insurtech Insights
In partnership with JobsOhio

                FUTURE

                 AMERICAS

    A carefully curated list of rising insurtechs
       driving innovation across insurance

2
FUTURE AMERICAS A carefully curated list of rising insurtechs driving innovation across insurance - Insurtech Insights
CONTENTS

    T H A N K YO U                       4
    F O R E W O R D BY S Ø N R           5
    HOW WE CHOOSE OUR WINNERS            6
    O U R J U D G I N G PA N E L         7

    1      N AY YA H E A LT H             8   27    SOFÍA                              47
    2      AG E N T S Y N C              12   = 2 8 C I R C U LO H E A LT H            48
    3      J O OYC A R                   14   = 2 8 E V O LU T I O N I Q               49
    4      POLICYME                      16   =30 BRELLA                               50
    5      SAMI                          18   =30 HUCKLEBERRY                          52
    6      ROZIE AI                      20   32    S AYATA L A B S                    53
    7      SAFEKEEP                      22   33    WESTHILL                           54
    8      THIMBLE                       24   34    TENSORFLIGHT                       55
    9      INSPEKT LABS                  26   35    BRIZA                              56
    10     COWBELL CYBER                 28   36    F LY R E E L                       57
                                              37    T H E C L I M AT E S E R V I C E   58
    A WORD FROM JOBSOHIO                 30   38    AV I N E W                         59
                                              =39 ZEGURO                               60
    11     FORESIGHT                     31   = 3 9 S A LT Y                           61
    12     RESILIENCE                    32   41    THE DEMEX GROUP                    62
    = 1 3 I A N AC A R E                 33   42    INSURIFY                           63
    =13 SAIVE                            34   43    BRANCH INSURANCE                   64
    15     UNUM ID                       35   44    VERIKAI                            65
    = 1 6 B E T T E R F LY               36   45    T R U S T L AY E R                 66
    =16 CLAIM GENIUS                     37   =46 HIGH DEFINITION VEHICLE
    18     N E P T U N E F LO O D        38         INSURANCE                          67
    19     THINKSEG                      39   =46 DIGISURE                             68
    =20 FENRIS                           40   48    N U R A LO G I X                   68
    =20 LEDGER INVESTING                 41   49    SPROUTT INSURANCE                  70
    22     B OX X I N S U R A N C E      42   50    W E L LT H                         71
    23     INSHUR                        43
    24     Z E S T Y. A I                44   C O N TAC T  7 6
    25     EDGYBEES                      45
    26     H E A LT H [ AT ] S C A L E
           T E C H N O LO G I E S        46

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FUTURE AMERICAS A carefully curated list of rising insurtechs driving innovation across insurance - Insurtech Insights
T H A N K YO U TO O U R                                                                                           F O R E WO R D
FUTURE50 WINNERS

Since launching Insurtech Insights in 2018,                                                                       We’re about to see more changing in the next 5 to 10
                                                                                                                  years than anything we’ve witnessed in the past few
                                                                                                                                                                            the startups and scaleups reshaping insurance,
                                                                                                                                                                            and intelligence on how other insurers are innovating.

our vision has always been to surface exciting,                                                                   hundred.
                                                                                                                                                                            And that leads me nicely on to the Future50 series.

talented insurtechs who are reimagining the                                                                       The plot twist is this change won’t be coming from
                                                                                                                  the insurtechs. It will be coming from a mix of
                                                                                                                                                                            I truly believe there has never been a more critical
                                                                                                                                                                            time to track and monitor emergent startup activity

future of insurance.                                                                                              BigTech, retail and reinsurers. It’s these new entrants
                                                                                                                  who will start to own the customer relationships,
                                                                                                                                                                            across the world. The Future50 Americas has been
                                                                                                                                                                            carefully curated from tens of thousands of candidate
                                                                                                                  fundamentally re-architect the product of ‘protection’    startups, with input and critical analysis from some
Nothing could epitomise that vision better than the      Insurtech Insights’s global network and mission to       and move incumbents into a back-office function.          of the most experienced and influential names in
winners of our first Future50. This book is a showcase   provide actionable insights makes us the number                                                                    the industry.
of the most innovative examples on the market            one catalyst for innovation in the insurance industry.   So what of the insurtechs?
at the moment. In this edition, we are focusing on       We are already excited to be researching the                                                                       Naturally as the market evolves at such a pace,
the Americas, but we will soon be announcing our         Future50 Europe. Who knows what the landscape            Well, they may well hold the key to ensuring              there will already be updates to these companies
winners in Europe and Asia, too.                         will look like then.                                     incumbent insurers remain relevant and competitive.       by the time you’re reading this. As such we’ve
                                                                                                                  Big insurers recognise the need to innovate. And yet      collated the 50 into a Watchlist which you can
We were blown away by the wealth of insurtechs           We will be integrating the Future50 initiative as        most still struggle to step out of incrementalism when    access and subscribe to within Sønr: sonr.global/
to choose from. Thousands were nominated, and            part of our events in Europe, US and Asia as they        it comes to transformation or innovation activities.      future50americas. If you have any questions on the
whittling them down wasn’t easy. It was only natural     start to return in 2022 – so look out for them there.    What’s become clear is the most effective and rapid       companies selected or would like to subscribe to
that we partnered with Sønr – the world’s leading        I personally look forward to seeing you at one of        route to innovation is through Open Innovation by         Sønr, please do get in touch.
market intelligence platform for the insurance sector    our next events, too.                                    partnerships with innovative startups.
– to rank our Future50. The first big thanks must go                                                                                                                        Best regards,
to them.                                                 Thank you for your continued support.                    Why try to build in-house when a) you’re not set up
                                                                                                                  for it and b) there is already an insurtech in-market     Matt
We are also indebted to our panel of industry-leading    Kristoffer                                               perfectly aligned to your strategy? Plus, depending
judges, all of whom have been so generous with                                                                    on the stage of the startup, there’s a very good          Matt Connolly
their time and expertise. There is more on who our       Kristoffer Lundberg                                      chance it’ll already have product-market fit and be       Founder and CEO at Sønr
judges are and how they rated each company on the        CEO of Insurtech Insights                                looking to partner with an incumbent.                     sonr.global
following pages. On each of our winners’ pages are       insurtechinsights.com
also selected notes from our judges.                                                                              At Sønr we’ve built a business to help insurance
                                                                                                                  companies discover and create new business
This book shows how fertile the insurtech industry                                                                opportunities. It is, by now, the world’s number one
is, and how much change is currently going on in                                                                  insurtech scouting and open innovation management,
insurance. We think these companies will shape the                                                                used by some of the best known insurers globally
insurance landscape for a long time to come. To help                                                              including Allianz, Bupa, Munich Re and Tokio Marine.
you make sense of the winners, we have dived into
their backgrounds and spoken to their founders.                                                                   Sønr tracks millions of companies around the world
                                                                                                                  and provides insight on the latest market trends,

4                                                                                                                 Insurtech Insights Future 50                                                                                       5
FUTURE AMERICAS A carefully curated list of rising insurtechs driving innovation across insurance - Insurtech Insights
HOW WE CHOOSE OUR WINNERS                                                                                         O U R J U D G I N G PA N E L

We thought we’d share some of the methodology for        The Sønr Index evaluates millions of data points                          N AT H A N S H A N AG H Y             EDDIE AHMED
selecting the Future50 Americas.                         across the following criteria:                                            Chief Operating Officer               Chairman, President and CEO
                                                         • People: The key people across the business,                             AON UK                                MassMutual International
Who is included?                                            taking in factors such as where they have studied,
                                                            their past involvement with startups
                                                            or notable companies, their known network,                             B E N LU C K E T T                    J OA N N E S A F O
As we were keen to feature the emergent innovation                                                                                 Chief Innovation Officer              Global Chief Innovation Officer
coming out of the Americas, we limited our selection        and whether they are considered experts in
                                                            their field.                                                           Aviva                                 Digital Partners at Munich Re (Group)
to those that met all of the following three criteria:
• A head office in either North or South America,        • Product: Including the core tech stack of
    with a founded date within the past 10 years            the business, patents they have registered,                            FRANK DESVIGNES                       PAU L T Y L E R
• If the company has raised venture capital then            the customer problem they have overcome                                Global Head of Open Innovation        Chief Marketing Officer
    their latest investment stage must be no later          and any exceptional tech or experience they have                       AXA Next                              Nassau Financial Group
    than Series A at the time of judging                    created.
• They have not been acquired or are a publicly          • Performance: Growth metrics such as downloads,
    listed company                                          partnership, investments and traction. And other                       INJI CHARKANI                         FRANK EIJSINK
                                                            attributes including financials, market sizing and                     Chief Innovation Officer              President and CEO
                                                            performance traction to date.                                          AXA Partners                          NN Life Japan
How did we collect data?
                                                         This allowed us to refine the list down to
To make this the most credible insurtech ranking         100 companies.                                                            DR. ALEXANDER                         W I L L P R I TC H E T T
globally, we needed to start our research with                                                                                     BOCKELMANN                            Group CIO
the most credible data in the market.                                                                                                                                    Royal London Group
                                                         Whose opinion did we seek?                                                Group Chief Transformation Officer
                                                                                                                                   Baloise
And for that, there is only one company –
Sønr Global.                                             We then assembled a group of world class industry                                                               M A S A S H I N A M ATA M E
                                                         experts to act as judges and made sure each startup                       MARK GLENN                            Group Chief Digital Officer,
Sønr is the world’s number one startup scouting and      was critically evaluated and scored by at least four                      Global Chief Transformation Officer   Managing Executive Officer,
open innovation management platform designed             independent experts.                                                      Bupa                                  Tokio Marine Holdings
specifically for insurance. It tracks more than two
million companies globally and has clients across        Ultimately this provided us with a ranked top 50.                                                               DAV I D P R I E S T LY
the Americas using it to source new opportunities                                                                                  R YA N K I M                          Chief Digital Officer
for growth and innovation.                               And finally...                                                            Group Chief Digital Officer           Vitality
                                                                                                                                   FWD
Working with Sønr we were able to evaluate               Ranking the Future50 Americas was a process that
                                                                                                                                                                         M AG DA R A M A DA
thousands upon thousands of insurtechs across            took months to complete and the final 50 were                             STEPHEN RHEE
the Americas.                                            selected on 1 June 2021. Undoubtedly, by the                              Chief Digital Officer                 SARASOLA PhD
                                                         time you read the final report, a number of these                         Gallagher                             InsurTech Innovation Leader (EMEA)
How did we rank them?                                    companies will have already raised a Series B or                                                                Willis Tower Watson
                                                         have been acquired.
                                                                                                                                   S T E V E N Z UA N E L L A
Once we had compiled a longlist of potential
                                                         We’re okay with that. We see it as a validation of the                    Group Chief Digital Officer           STEN SAAR
companies, we scored them using the Sønr Index                                                                                                                           Chief Executive Officer
– a technology developed by Sønr which scores            quality we’ve selected!                                                   Generali
                                                                                                                                                                         Zego
startups on their propensity to succeed.
                                                         To make sure you’re included in the Future50
                                                         Amerias 2022 or have any questions on the                                 MORGAN SPILLANE
                                                         methodology please contact future50@sonr.global.                          IT & Change Mgmt Director
                                                                                                                                   Legal & General

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FUTURE AMERICAS A carefully curated list of rising insurtechs driving innovation across insurance - Insurtech Insights
Founded in 2019, Nayya is a software                         TOTAL DIS CLO S E D F U N D I N G

                                                             $13.7m*
and data infrastructure company focused
on decision support and engagement for                       LO C AT I O N

                                                             New York, USA
employee benefits.
                                                             FOUNDER

It offers tailored guidance on selecting different           Sina Chehrazi,
health insurance options, HSA/401(K) education,              Akash Magoon
and finding cost-effective healthcare.

Nayya states it uses over three billion external
data points, including around 200 million rows of
claims data, and thousands of data integrations
to simplify the customer journey for employees
choosing and using a personalised benefits plan.

Its employee engagement product tracks
spending to guide consumers when filing claims,
manage spending accounts, and helps users find
the best prescription locations.

Nayya’s customers and partners include
Guardian Life, Unum and American Public Life,
and it has alliances with seven of the 15 largest
national benefit firms in the US, including Acrisure
and NFP. It reaches tens of millions of people
through its various partners and integrations,         FUTURE50
and, since 2020, has tripled its team size.             SCORE:

Nayya raised $11m (£7.8m) in Series A funding in
January 2021 led by Felicis Ventures, with other
participating investors including Guardian Life
and Unum Group.

In Q1 2021, Nayya achieved its strongest
quarter to date, tripling its recurring revenues
in three months.

                                                             *Total disclosed funding following
                                                             Series B: $50.7m
                                                             Pictured: Sina Chehrazi

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FUTURE AMERICAS A carefully curated list of rising insurtechs driving innovation across insurance - Insurtech Insights
FOUNDER Q&A                                                                                                                          “Get comfortable with the unknown and don’t worry
                                                                                                                                      about the noise. As a founder and CEO, you will
                                                                                                                                      always be forced to make a decision without fully
                                                                                                                                      understanding what may come next.”

Why is now an exciting time to be                       The funding also represents a shift in the entire        Name one mistake that you have                          What problem did you see in the
a rising insurtech?                                     ecosystem. The future of insurance started 15 months     made, and what you learned from it?                     market that led you to create Nayya?
                                                        ago in Covid and will continue for four to five years.
It’s such an exciting time to be a rising insurtech     It will be a painful shift towards the consumerisation   As a CEO, you need to make sure that you are open       Beyond just the natural confusion and stress that
because the stakes have never been higher –             of insurance. It will affect brands and how they are     to feedback and to different perspectives. At the       comes along with choosing your benefits during open
and what I mean by that is, we have the ability to      created, products and how they are constructed –         end of the day, it means that you aren’t just asking    enrollment, the financial burden associated with our
solve real problems that everyday Americans face        we will sit between you as the consumer and the          for feedback but are willing to take the time to        healthcare is just mind boggling. With over 600,000
when it comes to their healthcare and benefits.         insurance world and make it less painful.                absorb it. A huge part of our success at Nayya is our   Americans filing for bankruptcy every year due to
                                                                                                                 commitment to feedback as a company, embracing it,      medical bills, we knew there was an obvious problem
                                                                                                                 so we can continue to execute on diversity of thought   and we wanted to solve it immediately. That’s what
What has been the highlight of your                     If you could meet yourself on the                        to achieve our goals.                                   led to the creation of Nayya and what is driving our

career to date?                                         day you started your business,                                                                                   efforts moving forward.
                                                                                                                 At the end of every quarter I ask the entire company
                                                        what would you tell yourself?                            to share feedback on the work that I am doing.
We just raised a $37m (£26.6m) series B round, co-led
by ICONIQ Growth and SVB Capital. While it was          Get comfortable with the unknown and don’t worry
                                                                                                                 What should I start doing? What should I stop doing?    How will the product evolve
                                                                                                                 What should I continue doing? I literally post
extremely satisfying to be able to raise such a round   about the noise. As a founder and CEO, you will          everyone’s feedback on me to the whole company.         from here?
with these types of leading investors, I’d say that     always be forced to make a decision without fully        The mentality culturally here is that everyone
the highlight of my career has been working with so     understanding what may come next. And at the             including me is a masterpiece in progress and           At Nayya our northstar is, and always will be, the
many talented people here at Nayya. Our success         same time, you need to remain focused on the             through open discussion through what is working         consumer – and that guiding principle will lead our
is a testament not only to our commitment to growth     task at hand. Building a company is hard enough,         we can all improve.                                     product innovation efforts. Our mission at Nayya is
but in driving innovation forward on behalf of the      but remaining comfortable and focused is key to                                                                  to give all consumers financial peace on their best
consumer.                                               being successful.                                        I got feedback early on about the sales process.        days, and confidence on their worst. But our vision
                                                                                                                 Sometimes you spend so much time recruiting sales       is to make sure that everyone’s healthcare is simple,
This series B funding will help us to mobilise. Most    I hope in 10 years time I can look back on now           people that are “full stack” – when you treat them      personalised and stress-free. And we will continue
people when they see our product their response is      and say “We built a great place to work”. If Nayya       just as salespeople they are perceived only as          to evolve and enhance our product to improve the
something synonymous with “Wow”. That’s because         continues at this rate of growth it will be a very big   salespeople. Sometimes what they need is space.         healthcare experience and journey for everyone.
our close to 70 customers and counting think of         company. If you don’t build a great place to work,       One thing I love, if you work in business development
Nayya as the best kept secret in the world.             would it have been worth it? I would like for our        at Nayya, people don’t see you as a salesperson,
The secret is becoming less of a secret, and the        legacy to be that this is a place that people came,      they see you as a consultant.
funding was a reaction of people who saw what was       spend a chapter of their careers and were motivated
going on and said “How can that still be a secret?”.    to overcome challenges and move onto bigger and
                                                        better things. We are doing a good job so far.
                                                        But it is always a work in progress.

10                                                                                                               Insurtech Insights Future 50                                                                                    11
FUTURE AMERICAS A carefully curated list of rising insurtechs driving innovation across insurance - Insurtech Insights
FOUNDER Q&A                         “Never underestimate, or be intimidated
                                                                                                                                              by, the complexity of the industry.”

                                                                                                         Why is now an exciting time to be                      What has been the highlight of your
Founded in 2018, AgentSync provides a                        TOTA L D I S C LO S E D F U N D I N G
                                                                                                         a rising insurtech?                                    career to date?
                                                             $36.1m
digital platform to contract and onboard                                                                 At AgentSync, we believe that technology will          Niji: In 2018, I decided to take the leap to found
new insurance agents for agencies,                           LO C AT I O N                               enable scaled innovation across a massive,             AgentSync, which was a fairly radical departure

carriers and managing general agents                         Colorado, USA                               fragmented industry. We’re tackling one segment
                                                                                                         of the industry – the broker ecosystem – enabling
                                                                                                                                                                from my prior roles in Sales Operations. Making
                                                                                                                                                                this massive life decision is a highlight Jenn and
                                                                                                         the seamless adoption of modern systems that           I share as we made the decision together over
(MGAs).                                                      FOUNDER                                     enable interconnectivity, increase efficiency,         dinner in the kitchen that became AgentSync’s
                                                                                                         remove barriers to entry for newcomers and             first office.
                                                             Niranjan Sabharwal,                         unlock growth for incumbents.
AgentSync integrates directly with the National              Jenn Knight                                 Insurance as an industry is over 300 years old,
                                                                                                                                                                If you could meet yourself on the day you started
                                                                                                                                                                your business, what would you tell yourself?
Insurance Producer Registry as well as Salesforce,
which drastically reduces the amount of time spent                                                       and the massive US insurance market is valued
onboarding new agents as well as centralising data                                                       at over $1.32tr (£950bn). The insurance industry       Jenn: Never underestimate, or be intimidated by,
and submissions for licensing.                                                                           has remained much the same for decades and is          the complexity of the industry. The most fun build
                                                                                                         deeply fragmented and entrenched in antiquated         is the one you didn’t think could possibly happen.
They have a monthly subscription model, with clients                                                     systems, manual processes, and mind-boggling
including Hippo, Lemonade, The Zebra as well as                                                          complexities. The task of delivering an insurance      Niji: Hire more engineers.
corporates such as Centene.                                                                              product is rife with dozens of steps which, with the
                                                                                                         existing systems and processes, require tedious        Name one mistake that you have
AgentSync has seen significant growth in recent                                                          manual management. Every step of the process
years. The founders say their revenue grew six-                                                          is slow-moving, manually handled and prone to
                                                                                                                                                                made, and what you learned from it.
fold in 2020, and ten-fold in 2019. The venture also                                                     human error which can lead to lost revenue and
                                                                                                                                                                At the beginning we over-indexed on “exciting”
multiplied their valuation 10 times to $220m (£155m)                                                     pose compliance risks.
in the space of eight months: raising a $25m (£17.6m)                                                                                                           automation, which overlooked some very
Series A round in March 2021, less than a year                                                                                                                  real considerations our customers have when
                                                                                                         Recently, insurtechs have focused on truly solving
after raising a ‘Seed-Extension’ of $6.7m (£4.7m) in                                                                                                            determining how to move forward with agent
                                                                                                         insurance problems and have gained enough
December 2020 and a $4.4m (£3.1m) seed round                                                                                                                    onboarding at scale. While we know that
                                                                                                         traction to make real change, to raise the bar.
in August 2020.                                                                                                                                                 automation has a role to play, we had to take a
                                                                                                         Systems have never been more integrated and
                                                        FUTURE50                                                                                                step back and map out a more practical approach
                                                                                                         have never been more connected.
                                                         SCORE:                                                                                                 for reducing manual touches while preserving
                                                                                                                                                                the need for strong oversight in the flow. It was
                                                                                                         AgentSync is one piece of this broader evolution.
                                                                                                                                                                a powerful reminder that in order to truly solve
                                                                                                         We’re modernising one very specific, very
                                                                                                                                                                the customer’s problem, you have to deeply
                                                                                                         antiquated piece of the insurance process:
                                                                                                                                                                understand where they are today.
                                                                                                         how brokers and insurers connect.

                                                             Pictured: Niranjan Sabharwal, Jenn Knight

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FUTURE AMERICAS A carefully curated list of rising insurtechs driving innovation across insurance - Insurtech Insights
FOUNDER Q&A                         “Every time that we chose the secure
                                                                                                                                          and comfortable path, we should
                                                                                                                                          have turned instead to the bold
                                                                                                                                          and transformative option.”

                                                                                                     Why is now an exciting time to be
Founded in 2014, Jooycar has developed                      TOTA L D I S C LO S E D F U N D I N G                                                           turned instead to the bold and transformative
                                                                                                                                                            option. When we follow the path of innovation
                                                            $3.9m                                    a rising insurtech?
a B2B2C connected car platform, offering                                                             Insurtech companies are delivering growth and
                                                                                                                                                            we succeed.

customised insurance services for both                      LO C AT I O N                            innovation into the industry. Moreover, they are
                                                                                                                                                            What problem did you see in the
personal and commercial lines customers.                    Santiago, Chile                          redefining the role that insurance plays in society.
                                                                                                                                                            market that led you to create
                                                                                                     By changing the playing field from risk transfer       Jooycar?
                                                            FOUNDER                                  to risk prevention, insurtechs,in collaboration
                                                                                                     with incumbents, are making the world safer
It’s a telematics-based offering – comprising device
and app, enabling them to offer both pay-per-mile
                                                            Maria Gillet,                            and expanding insurance coverage to
                                                                                                                                                            Our founders, Maria Paz Gillet and Emilio
                                                                                                                                                            Figueroa, identified a market inefficiency in that
and behaviour-based policies.                               Emilio Figueroa                          underserved segments.                                  two out of three safe auto insurance customers
                                                                                                                                                            overpay and subsidize one-third of risky drivers.
The device and app also provide information on                                                       We are excited to be a rising insurtech within the     Therefore a usage-based insurance platform could
maintenance needs as well as proactive guidance                                                      automotive insurance industry, improving driving       provide access to better prices, more transparency
on how to improve driving style. Jooycar has also                                                    behaviour, reducing CO2 footprint, and providing       and trust by changing the paradigm of the
developed a fleet-focused offering, Fleetr, designed                                                 access to new options for insurance.                   traditional way of pricing auto insurance products.
for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs)                                                                                                               It would also provide access to insurance to safe
with light-vehicle fleets.                                                                                                                                  drivers who could not afford it before.
                                                                                                     What has been the highlight of your
At time of publication, they have processed over
63.5m miles, and insured over 17.5m trips. Jooycar
                                                                                                     career to date?                                        As we grew, with HCS capital as our strategic
                                                                                                                                                            investors, we discovered that small fleet owners
has partnerships with multiple insurers, including                                                                                                          are another underserved segment that is often
Consorcio, Quálitas, and Sura. The Chilean insurtech
                                                                                                     The most important achievement in my career has
                                                                                                     been the execution of a bold strategy at Jooycar,      overcharged for auto insurance due to losses of
has also expanded to Mexico and Peru, and launched
                                                                                                     leading to 300% growth per year, expansion of our      the larger fleet segment.
in the United States in 2021.
                                                                                                     footprint to four countries and the development of
                                                                                                     a top notch and diverse management team.
                                                                                                                                                            How will the product evolve
                                                                                                     If you could meet yourself on the                      from here?
                                                                                                     day you started your business,
                                                                                                                                                            The product will evolve to provide tools and
                                                       FUTURE50                                      what would you tell yourself?                          incentives for personal drivers and fleet owners to
                                                        SCORE:                                                                                              reduce their total cost of ownership and increase
                                                                                                     Keep believing in people and maintain a passion
                                                                                                                                                            safety. We will use rewards and scoring to report
                                                                                                     for winning and scaling a business.
                                                                                                                                                            on drivers’ behaviours and suggest ways to
                                                                                                                                                            improve it. In addition, we are moving to offer more
                                                                                                                                                            products and services to drivers and fleet owners,
                                                                                                     Name one mistake that you have                         such as re-sale data, insurance payback and auto-
                                                                                                     made, and what you learned from it.                    parts discounts.

                                                                                                     Looking back, every time that we chose the
                                                            Pictured: Maria Gillet, Rodrigo Labbe,
                                                                                                     secure and comfortable path we should have
                                                            Emilio Figueroa

14                                                                                                   Insurtech Insights Future 50                                                                                  15
FUTURE AMERICAS A carefully curated list of rising insurtechs driving innovation across insurance - Insurtech Insights
FOUNDER Q&A                          “It’s important to get something out
                                                                                                                                              there for your users to test and give
                                                                                                                                              you feedback on.”

                                                                                                        Why is now an exciting time to be                        Name one mistake that you have
Founded in 2018, PolicyMe offers                                TOTA L D I S C LO S E D F U N D I N G
                                                                                                        a rising insurtech?                                      made, and what you learned from it.
                                                                $3.3m
Canadians a digital life insurance product,                                                             The landscape for insurtech startups has never           I would say we have really learned to divide
enabling users to purchase up to $5m                            LO C AT I O N                           been better. B2C offerings are still in their infancy    and conquer. At the beginning, you want every

(£3.5m) in coverage.                                            Toronto, Canada                         and make up a very small share of the insurance
                                                                                                        market. However, given the willingness of
                                                                                                                                                                 aspect of the business to be perfect and you want
                                                                                                                                                                 consensus on everything. Nowadays, we trust
                                                                                                        millennials to trust fintech products, we can only       the product and technology owners and focus on
                                                                FOUNDER                                 expect this market to become more mainstream             moving forward as quickly as possible.
                                                                                                        in the coming years. We’re excited to see what
Initially starting its journey as an online distributor,
the company has since launched its own fully digital
                                                                Andrew Ostro,                           innovation comes next – both from us and from
insurance product.                                              Jeff McKay,                             our peers.                                               What problem did you see in the
                                                                Laura McKay                                                                                      market that led you to create
The startup helps consumers understand how
much coverage they require and what policy length                                                       What has been the highlight of your                      PolicyMe?
they should purchase by taking them through a
                                                                                                        career to date?                                          In a world where almost anything can be bought
short, simple quiz assessing their lifestyle and
financial status.                                                                                                                                                with a few taps of a smartphone, we noticed that
                                                                                                        Launching our exclusive insurance product this           this simply wasn’t happening with one of the most
                                                                                                        year! This new offering allows Canadians to buy          important products – life insurance. If the industry
The company focuses on transparency – in 2020,
                                                                                                        up to $5m (£3.6m) in life insurance coverage             doesn’t meet the changing expectations of newer
PolicyMe revealed it had advised 26% of its 30,000
                                                                                                        quickly and entirely online. When we started             generations, everyone loses out.
users to not buy a product as they didn’t require
                                                                                                        PolicyMe in 2018, we knew we wanted to
life insurance coverage.
                                                                                                        revolutionise a decades-old industry by making           We know that our customers are busy, and buying
Once they understand what level of coverage                                                             easy-to-understand, affordable products that             life insurance is only one to-do on a long list of
is necessary, users receive an estimated rate                                                           didn’t take weeks to buy. Watching that come             priorities. They are new homeowners, parents of
within seconds of entering their details,                                                               to life has been extremely rewarding.                    toddlers, or in a rush to replace a policy that’s
and get an instant decision.                                                                                                                                     about to expire. Our purpose is to make this
                                                                                                                                                                 traditional and entrenched industry easier,
PolicyMe raised a $3.3m (£2.3m) seed round in                                                           If you could meet yourself on the                        more transparent, and more affordable for
March 2020.                                                                                                                                                      anyone who needs it.
                                                                                                        day you started your business,
                                                                                                        what would you tell yourself?
                                                           FUTURE50
                                                                                                        I once had someone tell me, “If you are proud            How will the product evolve
                                                            SCORE:                                      of your minimum viable product, you waited too           from here?
                                                                                                        long to launch it”. We had so many hypotheses
                                                                                                        early on that were completely wrong about. But           Today, we’re focused on pushing life insurance
                                                                                                        just starting is the hard part – it’s important to get   into the digital age right here in Canada.
                                                                                                        something out there for your users to test and give
                                                                                                        you feedback on. The earlier you can get that
                                                                                                        feedback the better, even if it means that all the
                                                                                                        bells and whistles aren’t ready yet.
                                                                Pictured: Andrew Ostro, Laura McKay,
                                                                Jeff McKay

16                                                                                                      Insurtech Insights Future 50                                                                                    17
FOUNDER Q&A                        “Healthcare is getting impossible to afford
                                                                                                                                            and no-one can assess the quality of what
                                                                                                                                            they are paying for.”

                                                                                                        Why is now an exciting time to be                  Name one mistake that you have
Founded in 2018, Sami is a health                             TOTA L D I S C LO S E D F U N D I N G
                                                                                                        a rising insurtech?                                made, and what you learned from it.
                                                              $16.8m
insurtech offering users access to a                                                                    In the past, venture capital funds were more       We underestimate the impact the pandemic would
full health platform in addition to                           LO C AT I O N                             focused on non-regulated or less regulated         have on our team at the beginning. We should

their coverage.                                               São Paulo, Brazil                         markets. At the same time, customers were
                                                                                                        more afraid of buying a traditional product from
                                                                                                                                                           have invested in more frequent online gatherings
                                                                                                                                                           and relationships.
                                                                                                        a company they never heard of. Times have
                                                              FOUNDER                                   changed and the environment is now much
This includes access to a dedicated team of
                                                              Vitor Asseituno,
                                                                                                        more friendly for us to create and deliver truly   What problem did you see in the
                                                                                                        innovative products.
medical professionals and 24/7 text, audio or video                                                                                                        market that led you to create Sami?
telemedicine access.                                          Luiz Berardo
                                                                                                                                                           Healthcare is getting impossible to afford and
The Brazilian startup also provides free access                                                         What has been the highlight of your                no-one can assess the quality of what they are
to thousands of gyms as well as access to an                                                            career to date?                                    paying for.
ecosystem of 27 apps that focus on physical, mental
and nutritional health. It pushes a preventative
                                                                                                        Sami for sure. It’s a dream coming true to use
narrative, proactively encouraging healthy habits.
                                                                                                        technology to improve the lives of so many         How will the product evolve
                                                                                                        people. When I think that 66% of our members
Sami raised $15.5m (£10.9m) Series A funding in
                                                                                                        didn’t have a health plan before, I see how
                                                                                                                                                           from here?
2020, with the startup revealing that four of the five
                                                                                                        much value we are creating to people around
most active funds in the country participated.                                                                                                             We expect data will have a growing role each day
                                                                                                        us. When I see them using our plan to go to the
                                                                                                                                                           at Sami, as membership and usage keep growing
                                                                                                        gym, I see how much we are contributing to
                                                                                                                                                           and leveraging our understanding about our
                                                                                                        change a purchase behaviour and the customer’s
                                                                                                                                                           members and our own operation.
                                                                                                        understanding of what a health plan is.

                                                                                                        If you could meet yourself on the
                                                                                                        day you started your business,
                                                                                                        what would you tell yourself?
                                                         FUTURE50                                       Keep looking for the best people you can find.
                                                          SCORE:                                        It’s totally worth it.

                                                              Pictured: Vitor Asseituno, Luiz Berardo

18                                                                                                      Insurtech Insights Future 50                                                                          19
FOUNDER Q&A                        “Envision your service offerings if you
                                                                                                                                          could scale the performance of your
                                                                                                                                          organisation’s best agent for all of your
                                                                                                                                          policyholders.”

                                                                                                      Why is now an exciting time to be
Founded in 2016, Rozie AI is an                               TOTA L D I S C LO S E D F U N D I N G
                                                                                                      a rising insurtech?
                                                                                                                                                            partners and clients that we serve. Alignment of
                                                              –                                                                                             values is essential as you select companies to
artificial intelligence-powered customer                                                              The culture of customer engagement has become
                                                                                                                                                            work and grow with over time.

engagement platform that enables                              LO C AT I O N                           increasingly focused on personalisation and           Name one mistake that you have
enterprises to design, deliver and                            North Carolina, USA                     on-demand service, and insurance is a critical
                                                                                                      industry on this landscape. As agents and
                                                                                                                                                            made, and what you learned from it.
                                                                                                      service teams strive to establish their competitive
manage more human interactions                                FOUNDER                                 offerings, Rozie enables organisations to create
                                                                                                                                                            Working alongside a client, the details of a specific
                                                                                                                                                            problem can consume the field of vision. It is
                                                                                                      their own interactive experiences. Envision
for their customers across all of                             Sudha Meghan                            your service offerings if you could scale the
                                                                                                                                                            imperative to remember that we are on a journey
                                                                                                                                                            to solve the problem for many. Perspective is
                                                                                                      performance of your organisation’s best agent,
their engagement channels.                                                                            for all of your policyholders, with continuity
                                                                                                                                                            critical, and it is helpful to zoom out when working
                                                                                                                                                            on specific deployments to consider the patterns
                                                                                                      across departments, from billing to claims and        of challenges we are addressing.
                                                                                                      consultative sales.
This includes both a concierge service to provide
                                                                                                                                                            What problem did you see in
support and guidance directly to end-customers as        FUTURE50
well real-time intelligence and coaching to front-line                                                What has been the highlight of your                   the market that led you to create
                                                          SCORE:
staff such as contact centres.
                                                                                                      career to date?                                       Rozie.ai?
The startup, which was part of Hartford Insurtech                                                                                                           Customer experiences in insurance are
                                                                                                      In 2018, Rozie won the ACORD Global Innovation
Hub’s first cohort, works across insurance and                                                                                                              fragmented and siloed, leading to interactions that
                                                                                                      Prize and it was a springboard to meet with
benefits, health, travel and financial services.                                                                                                            are disjointed and generic, often when people are
Within insurance, it offers educational marketing and
                                                                                                      insurance leaders relating to best practices of
                                                                                                      customer advisory and engagement.                     at their most vulnerable moments. We reimagined
pre-claim consultation, guided shopping and lead                                                                                                            the canvas of customer care, where you did not
qualification experiences. Rozie AI can also offer                                                                                                          have to repeat your story every time you were
insights based on customer sentiment, engagement                                                      During the pandemic, Rozie was able to quickly
                                                                                                      mobilise to serve individuals in an interactive and   transferred to a different department, or spoke to
and adoption.                                                                                                                                               a different agent. By remembering a customer,
                                                                                                      supportive manner, and it has certainly been the
                                                                                                      highlight of our contributions to date.               from their preferences to their journey, Rozie has
Rozie AI has over 15 clients and engagement partners
                                                                                                                                                            demonstrated how customer relationships and
– including Fortune 50 and Global 2000 companies –
                                                                                                                                                            loyalty can be nurtured. Our clients, from Fortune
and a global daily user audience of over five million.
                                                                                                                                                            100 to Global 2000 companies, have recognised
                                                                                                      If you could meet yourself on the                     over $10m (£7.3m) in annual savings or revenue
                                                                                                      day you started your business,                        growth. Rozie enables organisations to create
                                                                                                      what would you tell yourself?                         personalised customer engagements in a scalable
                                                                                                                                                            manner, by enabling intelligent self-service as
                                                                                                      The team that you assemble is pivotal to the          well as guided advisory for agents and support
                                                                                                      success of the firm. We are grateful for an           personnel. Business growth and competitive
                                                                                                      incredible team, where our collective expertise,      success can be realised by better delivering on
                                                                                                      intelligence, and skill is rivaled only by our        the insurance promise.
                                                                                                      kindness and dedication to our mission. While the
                                                                                                      importance of the team is a principle traditionally
                                                                                                      applied to the company, also important are the
                                                              Pictured: Vijay Dheap, Sudha Meghan

20                                                                                                    Insurtech Insights Future 50                                                                                  21
FOUNDER Q&A                            “Early in our customer interactions, we
                                                                                                                                              used to mistake a “No” as final. But when
                                                                                                                                              we spoke to the business, we’d discover a
                                                                                                                                              different story.”

                                                                                                      Why is now an exciting time to be
Founded in 2019, Safekeep helps carriers                      TOTA L D I S C LO S E D F U N D I N G
                                                                                                      a rising insurtech?
                                                                                                                                                                  of building subrogation units. Our chief data
                                                              –                                                                                                   scientist is Tom, a trained medical doctor who did
maximise net recovery through the                                                                     I’m most excited about the plethora of challenges
                                                                                                                                                                  his post-doc research at Harvard Medical School
                                                                                                                                                                  and spent his career applying machine learning
subrogation process with their cloud-                         LO C AT I O N                           insurers still face in driving growth and profitability     in healthcare. And Gabriel, Safekeep’s chief
                                                                                                                                                                  customer officer, is masterful at empathising
based Claimflo platform.                                      New York, USA                           while simultaneously improving policyholder
                                                                                                      experiences. As an insurtech, if you carefully look         with customer needs and spotting talent.
                                                                                                      for points of friction in the value chain, there is still
                                                              FOUNDER                                 room to be the best-of-breed solution. Our journey
                                                                                                      began by co-designing a subrogation solution with           Name one mistake that you have
Claimflo provides a range of support for claims teams,
by enriching claims data and extracting valuable
                                                              Tom Korach,                             an innovative insurer. We then found repeatable             made, and what you learned from it.
data from claims notes using semantic search built            Jeffery To,                             ways to increase recovery potential up to 37%
                                                                                                      with other insurers. That was when we became
on patent-pending sentence encoding. It can also                                                                                                                  Early in our customer interactions, we used to
run predictive models for each line of business, and          Valerio Zhang                           a real company… almost by serendipity.                      mistake a “No” as final. For example, a CIO might
monitor regulatory rules across all the US states.                                                                                                                say, “We’re already great at NLP and predictive
Finally, it enables effective management of the claims                                                                                                            models. Our data scientists outnumber you. We
process with triage and workflow tools. It plugs into                                                 What has been the highlight of your                         don’t need you. Go away.” But when we spoke to
carrier’s in-house systems as well as third party
solutions like AWS, Duck Creek and ServiceNow.
                                                                                                      career to date?                                             the business, we’d discover a different story.

                                                                                                      The highlight of my career was when I left my day
The startup claims growth in recoveries inside
carriers by more than 30%, increase recovery
                                                                                                      job as the global head of insurance at Salesforce.          How will the product evolve
                                                                                                      My family thought I was crazy. Things were going            from here?
potential by more than 20%, and accelerate
payback by three months.
                                                                                                      great. But I had a persistent itch to scratch. Since
                                                                                                      then, Safekeep won the Global Gold Award in                 We are continuously improving our predictive
In 2020, Safekeep took part in the 2020                                                               Zurich’s Innovation Championship, won the Global            models, rules, workflows and subrogation services
MassChallenge Fintech program and Plug and Play                                                       Silver Award from Efma & Accenture, and has                 unit. The goal of “Subro for everyone” is about
Silicon Valley, while in 2021 the venture announced                                                   worked with over nine co-design insurers globally           helping insurers and insurtechs who are not
it was joining the sixth cohort of the Lloyd’s Lab                                                    through the Fintech Innovation Lab, Lloyd’s Lab,            maximising their net recoveries with their existing
accelerator and the Fintech Innovation Lab.              FUTURE50                                     MassChallenge, and Plug and Play Tech.                      third-party administrators and internal subrogation
They also partnered with Root in 2021.                    SCORE:                                                                                                  functions. They don’t have the time or resources
                                                                                                                                                                  to maintain subrogation centres of excellence.
                                                                                                      If you could meet yourself on the                           Safekeep is the quickest way to increase
                                                                                                      day you started your business, what                         recoveries with minimal hassle and cost.
                                                                                                                                                                  Safekeep will evolve, not as a software company,
                                                                                                      would you tell yourself?                                    but as a movement. Leave no dollar behind. It’s
                                                                                                                                                                  good for insurers. And it’s good for policyholders.
                                                                                                      I’d say, “Be the best at one thing, find the best
                                                                                                      talent, hire and fire fast.” I’ve kissed a lot of frogs,
                                                                                                      but I’m super lucky. Kevin, our chief claims officer
                                                                                                      came from Allianz and was the former president
                                                                                                      of the National Association of Subrogation
                                                                                                      Professionals. Our head of products, Andrew,
                                                                                                      spent over 15 years at Liberty with a track record
                                                              Pictured: Jeffery To

22                                                                                                    Insurtech Insights Future 50                                                                                      23
FOUNDER Q&A                         “When you can remain calm in a highly
                                                                                                                                          stressful situation, you’re more likely to
                                                                                                                                          see the situation for what it is and you
                                                                                                                                          can act accordingly.”

                                                                                                     Why is now an exciting time to be                        What problem did you see in
Founded in 2015, Thimble offers on-                          TOTA L D I S C LO S E D F U N D I N G
                                                                                                     a rising insurtech?                                      the market that led you to
                                                             $28.9m
demand small business insurance for                                                                  Now is an exciting time to be a rising insurtech
                                                                                                                                                              create Thimble?
over 120 professions.                                        LO C AT I O N                           because the space is growing at a rapid pace.            I have a passion for improving spaces that are
                                                             New York, USA                           The pandemic greatly accelerated digital
                                                                                                     transformation, and also spurred more on-demand
                                                                                                                                                              highly regulated by making them more consumer-
                                                                                                                                                              friendly. My previous startup, Hailo, connected taxi
                                                                                                     and convenient solutions like ours. For example,         drivers with passengers through a virtual platform
Potential customers need only answer three
questions online, and can have their Certificate of          FOUNDER                                 this past year we saw a huge explosion in our new        (so it was similar to what Uber is now). There
                                                                                                     month-to-month service, Thimble Monthly. Clearly,
Insurance within 60 seconds.
                                                             Jay Bregman,                            there’s a strong demand for our type of solution.
                                                                                                                                                              were plenty of regulations that made it difficult
                                                                                                                                                              for us to build and scale Hailo, but we were
It has sold over 100,000 policies, which can last            Eugene Hertz                            Throughout the pandemic, we were also able to
                                                                                                                                                              eventually able to break through to make the app
an hour, day or week (depending on the type of                                                                                                                successful. It was a very similar experience with
insurance), or can be purchased via a monthly or                                                     introduce a string of products to support small          Thimble, but to an even greater extent. Insurance
annual subscription. Insurance can be managed via                                                    businesses during a critical time, including Thimble     is consistently slow to innovate because it’s simply
a mobile app.                                                                                        Monthly and Thimble Pause. It’s been exciting            set up that way. There are hundreds of regulatory
                                                                                                     to be able to play a critical role in helping to put     barriers that make it hard for companies like
They also launched a Partner API in mid-2020,                                                        control back into the hands of business owners.          ours to introduce new, innovative products to
enabling automatic quotes through any platform.                                                                                                               the market. But at Thimble, with the help of our
It has sold over $175bn (£123bn) in insurance                                                                                                                 incredible team, we’ve been able to bring down
coverage since its inception, and is used by                                                         If you could meet yourself on the                        those barriers to ensure our customers have
more than 30,000 small businesses.                                                                                                                            access to flexible insurance coverage for their
                                                                                                     day you started your business, what
                                                                                                                                                              business, when and how they need it.
Their partners also include Hiscox (since June 2020)                                                 would you tell yourself?
as well as more recent agreements with London
Underwriters and Bold Penguin.                                                                       I would tell myself to always remain calm in the
                                                                                                     face of adversity. This is a lesson I’ve learned         How will the product evolve
Thimble raised $22m (£15.5) Series A funding in 2019,                                                throughout my career. Being the founder of two           from here?
led by IAC and with participation from AXA Venture                                                   previous startups, it’s easy to get stressed out
Partners, among others and was part of the Lloyd’s                                                   when something doesn’t go your way. I was                We plan to continue finding ways to improve
Lab in 2020.                                                                                         actually the founder of a company when the 2008          our products in a way that makes the insurance
                                                                                                     financial crisis hit and it completely brought my        buying process as quick and easy as possible
                                                        FUTURE50                                     business down. I lost a lot of sleep over it.            for business owners.
                                                         SCORE:                                      This past year during the pandemic paralleled that
                                                                                                     experience in the way that it felt like everything
                                                                                                     changed overnight. But now, having more
                                                                                                     experience under my belt, I’ve realised that when
                                                                                                     you can remain calm in a highly stressful situation,
                                                                                                     you’re more likely to see the situation for what it is
                                                                                                     and you can act accordingly. This has helped me
                                                                                                     immeasurably in the way that I’ve been able
                                                                                                     to manage the rest of my team in the past year.

                                                             Pictured: Jay Bregman, Eugene Hertz

24                                                                                                   Insurtech Insights Future 50                                                                                    25
FOUNDER Q&A                        “Any customer can capture a 360 degree
                                                                                                                              video of a car using a smartphone, and
                                                                                                                              within a few seconds, we respond back
                                                                                                                              with an inspection report.”

                                                                                          What would being named a Future50                      What problem did you see in the
Founded in 2019, Inspektlabs is a platform TOTA L D I S C LO S E D F U N D I N G          insurtech mean for you?                                market that led you to create
                                           $0.72m
leveraging patent-pending computer                                                        Insurtech Insight’s Future50 is the most credible
                                                                                                                                                 Inspektlabs?
vision technology to automate inspections LO C AT I O N                                   rankings of insurtech startups in the world. Being a   Insurers collect a large quantity of images through

of any physical assets – initially for the Delaware, USA                                  part of Future50 would mean a lot to Inspektlabs
                                                                                          in terms of industry recognition.
                                                                                                                                                 assessors and customer apps. However, they don’t
                                                                                                                                                 have the capability to process the inspections in
                                                                                                                                                 an automated manner.
auto and insurance industries.             FOUNDER

                                                               Devesh Trivedi,            Why is now an exciting time to be
                                                                                          a rising insurtech?                                    How will the product evolve
End-users are guided through capturing a 360                   Sanchit                                                                           from here?
degree video of a car on their smartphone, and                                            Insurtech is transforming the insurance industry,
Inspektlabs can then offer a damage assessment,                                           reducing costs and improving customer service.
car valuation, claim value estimation, fraud analysis
                                                                                                                                                 Inspektlabs is a computer vision platform focused
                                                                                          Historically, the insurance industry has been          on automation of inspections using photos and
and more within 15 seconds and over 98% accuracy.
                                                                                          largely conservative, but is now opening up to         videos. Our key capabilities include damage
By doing this they claim they can reduce the time
                                                                                          technological innovation across the world. This        assessment, car valuation, claim value estimation,
required for inspections by 95%.
                                                                                          decade is the most exciting time to be an Insurtech.   hygiene check and odometer-VIN readings.
The US-based startup has development centres
in Delhi and Jaipur, and is currently working with                                                                                               Any customer can capture a 360 degree video
multiple companies in the US, Japan and India.                                            If you could meet yourself on the                      of a car using a smartphone, and within a few
This includes partnering with Liberty General                                             day you started your business,                         seconds, we respond back with an inspection
Insurance in March 2021 to help automate auto                                                                                                    report. Currently, it takes two to three minutes for
policy renewals and claim assessments.
                                                                                          what would you tell yourself?                          us to process a car inspection. We want to move to
                                                                                                                                                 real-time damage and claim assessment of a car.
                                                                                          Focus on the business problem rather than
Inspektlabs took part in the 2020 Barclays
Accelerator, powered by Techstars, as well as the
                                                                                          the technology.
Chiratae Ventures Innovators Program. That same
year the company raised a $600,000 (£423,000) pre-
Series A round led by Better Capital and Titan Capital.
                                                          FUTURE50
                                                           SCORE:

                                                               Pictured: Devesh Trivedi

26                                                                                        Insurtech Insights Future 50                                                                                  27
FOUNDER Q&A                        “Being the vanguard of progress
                                                                                                                                         creates challenges that are both
                                                                                                                                         exciting and rewarding.”

                                                                                                     Why is now an exciting time to be
Founded in 2019, Powered by data,                            TOTA L D I S C LO S E D F U N D I N G
                                                                                                     a rising insurtech?
                                                                                                                                                          address the challenges faced by organisations
                                                                                                                                                          when they search for relevant cyber coverage.
                                                             $23.6m
AI and continuous risk assessment,                                                                   Every minute of every day, organisations
                                                                                                                                                          However, managing our growth while retaining our
                                                                                                                                                          organisation core values of product excellence,
Cowbell Cyber is an insurance MGA                            LO C AT I O N                           of every size have to contend with new and           innovation and speed in responding to customer
                                                                                                                                                          demand is challenging. Our team and our corporate
dedicated to cyber risks.                                    California, USA                         innovative cyber threats. It has become clear
                                                                                                     that a comprehensive approach to cyber risk          culture that emphasises diversity, inclusion, quality
                                                                                                     management must include cybersecurity and            and urgency are our greatest strengths.
                                                             FOUNDER                                 cyber insurance as equal partners to mitigate
                                                                                                     the consequences of cyber attacks. Insurtech
Founded in 2019, the company maps insurable
threats and risk exposures using AI against a scoring
                                                             Trent Cooksley,                         companies are rising to this challenge by offering   Name one mistake that you have
index – its Cowbell Factor. It assesses insurable            Jack Kudale,                            new and original approaches not previously seen
                                                                                                     from traditional insurance companies. Being the
                                                                                                                                                          made, and what you learned from it
threats and maps them to risk exposures on a
continuous basis, using both internal and external           Rajeev Gupta                            vanguard of progress creates challenges that         Nobody could have anticipated the pandemic.
data sources enabling more accurate underwriting                                                     are both exciting and rewarding.                     We adjusted our outlook for a conservative and
and proof of loss to an insurer.                                                                                                                          challenging year in 2021 while we experienced
                                                                                                                                                          exponential demand for cyber coverage as cyber
In January 2020, it launched Cowbell Prime 100,                                                      What has been the highlight of your                  criminals doubled down on their efforts to infiltrate
a tool to enable insurance agents to issue                                                                                                                businesses or lock them through ransomware
personalised cyber policies. They have since
                                                                                                     career to date?
                                                                                                                                                          attacks. My advice is stay on top of the market;
partnered with Benchmark and Obsidian to launch                                                                                                           the market will often dictate your pace of growth.
                                                                                                     While my career has offered me the opportunity to
Prime 250 – a standalone cyber insurance product
                                                                                                     lead multiple organisations that have had positive
to address the diversity of cyber incidents.
The Californian company raised a $20.3m
                                                                                                     impacts on their customers, I believe that Cowbell
(£14.3m) Series A in March 2021.                                                                     Cyber has the potential to change the insurance      How will the product evolve
                                                                                                     market in regards to how cyber risks are perceived   from here?
                                                                                                     and accounted for. Starting such a business with a
                                                                                                     small team of founders growing rapidly, and now      Cowbell Cyber envisions the day when cyber
                                                                                                     being recognised for our thought leadership in two   insurance coverage and premiums can be matched to
                                                                                                     years in such a dynamic marketplace has been         an organisation’s cyber risk in near real-time. Imagine
                                                                                                     fulfilling and extremely satisfying.                 a world where cyber risks are quantified as soon as
                                                                                                                                                          they are identified and a policyholder is financially
                                                                                                                                                          incentivised to remediate such threats as soon as
                                                        FUTURE50
                                                         SCORE:                                      If you could meet yourself on the                    possible by their insurer. We refer to this as a closed-
                                                                                                                                                          loop management approach to cyber risk with a
                                                                                                     day you started your business,                       virtuous cycle: assess, insure, and improve, then repeat.
                                                                                                     what would you tell yourself?                        This requires tight collaboration between policyholders,
                                                                                                                                                          security vendors and cyber insurance providers.
                                                                                                     Don’t underestimate the demand for relevant
                                                                                                     solutions to complex problems – or the challenges    Forward looking policyholders are already engaging
                                                                                                     of growing a company founded on the concept          us to provide risk visibility to their cybersecurity staff
                                                                                                     of closing insurability gaps. Cowbell Cyber’s        with the goal to improve the company risk profile
                                                                                                     phenomenal growth has demonstrated that              on a continuous basis and at all levels: technology,
                                                                                                     we have the right approach at the right time to      process, and people.
                                                             Pictured: Jack Kudale

28                                                                                                   Insurtech Insights Future 50                                                                                      29
A WO R D F R O M J O B S O H I O

                                                                                                                   Founded in 2020, this Californian startup                                                       TOTA L D I S C LO S E D F U N D I N G

                                                                                                                                                                                                                   $20.5m
                                                                                                                   provides state-of-the-art risk management
                                                                                                                   technology to incentivise companies                                                             LO C AT I O N

                                                                                                                   to achieve better safety results.                                                               California, USA
As a leader in the financial services sector at
JobsOhio focusing specifically on insurance and                                                                                                                                                                    FOUNDER
                                                                                                                   Targeting tricky-to-insure industries, such as                                                  David Fontain,
Insurtech, my role is to create and oversee the                                                                    construction, light industrial, manufacturing and
                                                                                                                   agriculture, Foresight’s innovative platform ties safety                                        Peter Grant
strategy for growing existing Ohio businesses                                                                      engagement to insurance savings. Proactive companies
                                                                                                                   can save on their premiums within just one policy
and attracting new businesses to the State.                                                                        term. The Foresight platform supports easy claims
                                                                                                                   reporting and management and includes the ability
                                                                                                                   to contact medical professionals at the point of FNoL.                                     FUTURE50
JobsOhio is Ohio’s economic development                 We are all probably familiar with the phrase                                                                                                           SCORE:
                                                                                                                   Foresight uses data from its sister company, Safesite,
organisation with a mission to create a place where     “It takes a village”. I believe there is strength in the
                                                                                                                   to predict incidents, highlight risks and inform
companies thrive and where individuals can enjoy        community. Many components go into a financial
                                                                                                                   underwriting. Safesite has been evaluated by a third-
a higher standard of living. We serve as a catalyst     services ecosystem – incumbents, technology,
                                                                                                                   party actuarial firm and found to reduce workplace
to accelerate growth by investing in communities,       workforce, capital – and each play a significant role.
                                                                                                                   incidents by up to 57%. Founded in California in
helping businesses expand within Ohio and attracting    While Ohio has strength in each component, my job
                                                                                                                   2020, total funding stands at $20.5m (£14.6m).
other businesses to Ohio.                               is to further improve our position as the fifth largest
                                                        ecosystem in the United States.
The partnership between Insurtech Insights and
JobsOhio makes sense because our strategies are         I am extremely ambitious but I cannot pursue my goal
focused on connecting the large number of innovators    alone. A strategic partnership with Insurtech Insights         FOUNDER Q&A
out there to challenge the industry’s status quo.       was on my radar immediately and I am impressed
Insurance is one of the oldest financial businesses     with the professionalism as well as the quality of             Why is now an exciting time to be             actually able to thrive in the places
with historically little propensity to change.          content. I look forward to the upcoming year and               a rising insurtech?                           where legacy carriers experience their
This has led to a hesitation to partner with startups   I am positive great things are ahead for Insurtech.                                                          worst pain points.
even though the industry is ripe for disruption.                                                                       I think now is actually the most exciting
                                                        Best regards,                                                  time to be a rising insurtech. Our
The insurance industry is going through exciting                                                                       predecessors proved the necessity             How will the product evolve from here?
changes. Witnessing the adoption of tech driven         Ron                                                            and validity of insurtech; now we get
solutions to innovate is certainly energising.                                                                         to roll up our sleeves and do the work        We’ll bring our safety-driven pricing
With a strong incumbent presence, availability          Ron Rock                                                       of honing in on each function of the          model to more businesses through
of venture capital funds, and robust tech talent,       Senior Director of Insurance at JobsOhio                       insurance transaction, using data to          expansion and of course, through
Ohio is the place to be.                                                                                               make the process smarter. At Foresight,       the appointment of broker partners
                                                                                                                       where Workers Compensation is our             eager to have a lasting impact on
There is a place in the market for both larger                                                                         bread and butter, we find that we are         their clients’ companies.
incumbents and startups alike so partnering
together for the greater good, makes total sense.                                                                                                                                                                  Pictured: David Fontain

30                                                                                                                 Insurtech Insights Future 50                                                                                                     31
Founded in 2016, this AI-based risk                                                             TOTA L D I S C LO S E D F U N D I N G
                                                                                                                                        Founded in 2017, Ianacare is a healthcare                       TOTA L D I S C LO S E D F U N D I N G

                                                                                                $37m                                                                                                    $3.0m
analytics platform combines cyber                                                                                                       platform, specifically for the 50 million
insurance with security measures to                                                             LO C AT I O N                           US caregivers – providing them with                             LO C AT I O N

reduce risk for large companies with pre-                                                       California, USA                         practical and emotional support to help                         Massachusetts,
                                                                                                                                                                                                        USA
breach, hardening and claims services.                                                          FOUNDER                                 care for their loved ones.
                                                                                                Vishaal Hariprasad,                                                                                     FOUNDER

Their proactive approach of assessing an                                                        Raj Shah,                               This includes the ability to update family, seek                Jessica Kim,
organisation’s information security prior to writing                                                                                    advice on medical care, accessing benefits or local
coverage enables them to work with clients to mitigate                                          Davis Hake                              services, help with practical tasks like collecting             Steven Lee
vulnerabilities before they can be exploited. This helps                                                                                groceries or prescriptions to coaching and support
tackle the full range of cyber exposures from spear                                                                                     from professional caregivers. It is also available as an
phishing attacks to ransomware and data breaches.                                                                                       employee benefit and partnered with Anthem in 2020
                                                                                                                                        as well as raising $3m (£2.1) in seed capital.
Company president Mario Vitale says: “Combining                                            FUTURE50                                                                                                FUTURE50
cyber security technology with senior underwriting                                          SCORE:                                                                                                  SCORE:
talent mitigates risk prior to policy issuance and
encourages insured companies to maintain a vigilant
security posture.” Set up in 2016 in California, the
company raised $37m (£26m) venture funding in 2019,
with investors including Founders Fund.

     FOUNDER Q&A

     What has been the highlight of your          If you could meet yourself on the day
     career to date?                              you started your business, what would
                                                  you tell yourself?
     We have proactively seen changes in
     our clients throughout the lifecycle of      I would tell myself that you never
     their policy. It’s wonderful to see that     know when the market will shift from
     our value is helping our clients defend      a soft market to a hard market, and
     against threats with an offering that we     back again to a soft market. So stay
     have created.                                true to your vision and take advantage
                                                  of opportunities as they present
                                                  themselves each time.
                                                                                                Pictured: Vishaal Hariprasad

32                                                                                                                                      Insurtech Insights Future 50                                                                    33
Founded in 2017, Saive is helping tackle                                                        TOTA L D I S C LO S E D F U N D I N G
                                                                                                                                        Founded in 2018, Unum ID enables users                                                      TOTA L D I S C LO S E D F U N D I N G

                                                                                                $0.15m                                                                                                                              $2.9m
one of Latin America’s biggest problems:                                                                                                to securely access and share verified
road safety.                                                                                    LO C AT I O N                           identity data.                                                                              LO C AT I O N

                                                                                                Mexico City, Mexico                                                                                                                 California, USA
In Mexico alone, 32 people die a day on average in                                                                                      Once encrypted, the user’s details can be used to
traffic accidents, while the 500,000 yearly incidents                                           FOUNDER                                 automatically verify identity across channels within                                        FOUNDER
equate to $5bn (£3.5bn) in annual losses.
                                                                                                Moses Maislim,                          a single or among multiple companies in seconds.
                                                                                                                                        As well as powering KYC processes it helps eliminate
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Aidan McCarty,
Saive created a free mobile driver score that                                                   Salvador Rochin                         behavioural fraud and provides its users with                                               Liam McCarty
measures driver behaviour in order to provide low-                                                                                      unmatched privacy and security. Crucially, the user
cost insurance. Potential users have their driving                                                                                      stays in control of their personal information.
analysed and are scored on acceleration, braking,
speed, cornering as well as distracted driving such                                                                                     The company raised undisclosed seed funding in
as texting or looking at the phone.                                                                                                     April 2021 from Franklin Templeton, was accepted for
                                                                                                                                        Plug and Play in 2021 as well as receiving backing
Good behaviours translate into premium savings as                                                                                       from Samsung Next and Draper Associates.
well as discounts and benefits from online stores and
restaurants through the duration of the policy.

Founded in Mexico City in 2017, Saive is now                                               FUTURE50                                                                                                                            FUTURE50
targeting the hispanic market in the USA, with total                                        SCORE:                                                                                                                              SCORE:
funding standing at $150,000 (£106,000).

                                                                                                                                            FOUNDER Q&A
     FOUNDER Q&A
                                                                                                                                            What would being named a Future50            Why is now an exciting time to be a
     Name one mistake that you have made,         What problem did you see in the market                                                    insurtech mean for you?                      rising insurtech?
     and what you learned from it.                that led you to create Saive?
                                                                                                                                            Insurance is the hidden glue that holds      The biggest missing piece in our digital
     When I first became a Director, I tried to   More than 70% of the car insurance                                                        our market economy together, and new         world is trusted human identity. How do
     take on everything myself, from the day-     price goes directly to pay for collisions.                                                identity technology has the potential to     you know with confidence who someone
     to-day operations to making all of the       In Mexico insurers pay more than $5bn                                                     make it dramatically more effective.         is online? Enabled with new technology,
     big decisions. I learned the hard way that   (£3.6bn) annually due to material                                                         We are thrilled to play a part in bringing   insurance is the perfect vehicle to
     the best leaders know how to delegate        damages. This is why we are introducing                                                   that technology to market.                   establish real human identity on the
     and trust their team. Since then, we have    car telematics to improve people’s                                                                                                     web. Never has the need for verifiable
     better progress letting smart people help    driving behaviour to reduce collision rate.                                                                                            digital identity been higher, and never
     me make the best decisions.                                                                                                                                                         has the time been more ripe.
                                                                                                Pictured: Moses Maislin,
                                                                                                Salvador Rochin-Saive                                                                                                               Pictured: Liam McCarty, Aidan McCarty

34                                                                                                                                      Insurtech Insights Future 50                                                                                                    35
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