Insurtech Europe powered by Plug and Play: Batch 3 EXPO Day
By: Plug, Play Tech Center
Tags: Startup Ecosystem, Enterprise Technology, Open Innovation, Insurtech

Munich, Germany, 20 February 2020 — On February 5th, 2020, 14 Insurtech startups pitched during Insurtech Europe’s Batch 3 EXPO Day held at Plug and Play Munich. The audience consisted of over 200 members of the Insurtech ecosystem including corporations, investors, and startups from Germany, France, Israel, Switzerland, Singapore, Spain, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

Insurtech Europe EXPO is the culmination of the three-month program and features a dynamic morning of pitches from startups, where founders share their unique solutions and major milestones reached since joining the accelerator program. Amongst others, one success story was shared by EasySend, who announced today that they were able to negotiate pilot projects in the last three months as an outcome of their participation in our Insurtech Europe program.

Featured speakers included René Schoenauer, Director, Product Marketing, EMEA at Guidewire, Arno Wilke, General Manager at Hannover Re Life & Health, and Greg Yoder, Head of Business Development at Sureify, who shared their viewpoints on corporate innovation and collaboration within the insurance space. “It’s very interesting for us to have one event where we can meet insurance companies but also meet a lot of insurtech startups because it is my core belief and also Guidewire’s core belief that a lot of innovation is going to come out of the insurtech space in the future,” said René Schoenauer.

During the EXPO Day, Plug and Play’s program “Enterprise Tech” was showcased for the first time in Europe with seven startups from the United States, Poland, Germany, Italy, and Switzerland. “We are the only horizontal program within Plug and Play, applicable to all industries, which creates a more inclusive service for our partners. Our focus areas are Cybersecurity, Finance, Operations & Legal, Growth & Customer Experience, Infrastructure & I.T., Human Resources & Talent, and Big Data & Analytics,” said Nate Hinman, Director of Enterprise Tech at Plug and Play.

Plug and Play’s famous Innovation Award for the most innovative members of the ecosystem was handed this time to Versicherungskammer (VKB) due to their engagement and dedication collaborating with startups throughout the Batch 3 program. “Through our partnership with Plug and Play, we gain access to international innovation and evaluate concrete business opportunities. The Plug and Play Insurtech team shares our mindset and supports us in bringing our business to the next level,” said Johannes Wagner, Head of Startup Cooperation at Versicherungskammer and Member of the Board at ITHM. Plug and Play’s People’s Choice Award was given to Fixico who received nearly 50% of the audience’s votes, “Thank you to Plug and Play for all the arrangements and interactions we had, we hope to keep collaborating in the future,” commented Derk Roodhuyzen de Vries, Founder & CEO.

“It is exciting to see how much traction our program and platform receives. We are happy to welcome two new partners, Achmea and Aflac and are looking forward to keeping this momentum by growing our platform even more in Batch 4 starting March 2020,” stated Dr. Xenia-Isabel Gioia Poppe, Director Insurtech Munich & Head of Programs, Insurtech Plug and Play.

About Plug and Play Insurtech

Established in 2016, Plug and Play Insurtech is one of Plug and Play’s largest industry-specific programs. Alongside its headquarters in Silicon Valley, this platform runs programs in five global locations including Beijing, Munich, New York, Singapore, and Tokyo. The program currently has over 100 corporate participants including Farmers Insurance, Nationwide, SOMPO Digital Lab, and Travelers, and has worked with hundreds of international Insurtech startups to date.

For more information, visit http://plugandplaytechcenter.com/insurance/.

Plug and Play Insurtech Contact: insurtech-munich@pnptc.com

About InsurTech Hub Munich

Insurtech Hub Munich is one out of twelve digital hubs initiated by the German Federal Ministry of Economy, in cooperation with Insurtech startups, corporate partners, investors and research institutions, all based in Munich. Our goal is to determine the future of the insurance sector by providing a platform for the everyday exchange between all-important current and future players, building meaningful partnerships across industries and enabling alternative ideas and business models.

For more information, visit https://www.insurtech-munich.com/.

InsurTech Hub Munich Contact: hello@insurtech-munich.com