The excitement around technology’s potential to transform the insurance industry has grown to a fever pitch, as 2015 saw investors deploy more than $2.6 billion globally to insurance tech startups. I compiled six trends to look out for in 2016 in the insurance tech space.
In each of the past three years, more than half of all U.S.-based deal activity in the insurance tech space has gone to health insurance start-ups. However, 2015 saw non-health insurance tech start-ups nearly reach parity in terms of U.S. deal activity (49% to 51%). As early-stage U.S. investments move beyond health coverage to other lines including commercial, P&C and life (recent deals here include Lemonade, PolicyGenius, Ladder and Embroker), 2016 could see an about-face in U.S. deal share, with health deals in the minority.
The continued rise of insurance corporate venture arms
2015 saw the launch of corporate venture arms by insurers including AXA, MunichRe/Hartford Steam Boiler, Aviva and Transamerica. Aviva, for example, said it intends to commit nearly £20 million per year over the next five years to private tech investments. Not only do we expect the current crop of corporate VCs in the insurance industry to become more active, we also expect to see new active corporate VCs in the space as more insurance firms move from smaller-scale efforts — such as innovation labs, hackathons and accelerator partnerships — to formal venture investing arms.
Majority of insurance tech dealflow in U.S. moves beyond health coverage
Insurance tech funding soared in 2015 on the back of Q2'15 mega-rounds to online benefits software and health insurance brokerage Zenefits as well as online P&C insurance seller Zhong An. More importantly, year-over-year deal activity in the growing insurance tech space increased 45% and hit a multi-year quarterly high in Q4’15, which saw an average of 11 insurance tech startup financings per month.
In each of the past three years, more than half of all U.S.-based deal activity in the insurance tech space has gone to health insurance start-ups. However, 2015 saw non-health insurance tech start-ups nearly reach parity in terms of U.S. deal activity (49% to 51%). As early-stage U.S. investments move beyond health coverage to other lines including commercial, P&C and life (recent deals here include Lemonade, PolicyGenius, Ladder and Embroker), 2016 could see an about-face in U.S. deal share, with health deals in the minority.
Investments to just-in-time insurance start-ups grow
The on-demand economy has connected mobile users to services including food delivery, roadside assistance, laundry and house calls with the click of a button. While not new, the unbundling of an insurance policy into financial protection for specific risks, just-in-time delivery of coverage or micro-duration insurance has already attracted venture investments to mobile-first start-ups including Sure, Trov and Cuvva. Whether or not consumers ultimately want the engagement or interfaces these apps offer, the host of start-ups working in just-in-time insurance means one area is primed for investment growth in the insurance tech space.Will insurers get serious about blockchain investments?
Thus far, insurance firms have largely pursued exploratory investments in blockchain and bitcoin startups. New York Life and Transamerica Ventures participated in a strategic investment with Digital Currency Group, gaining the ability to monitor the space through DCG’s portfolio of blockchain investments. More recently, Allianz France accepted Everledger, which uses blockchain as a diamond verification registry, into its latest accelerator class. As more insurers test blockchain technologies for possible applications, it will be interesting to monitor whether more insurance firms join the growing list of financial services giants investing in blockchain startups.
Fintech start-ups adding insurance applications
In an interview with Business Insider, SoFi CEO Mike Cagney said he believes there’s a lot more room for its origination platform to grow, adding,“We’re looking at the entire landscape of financial services, like life insurance, for example.”A day later, an article on European neobank Number26, which is backed by Peter Thiel’s Valar Ventures, mentioned the company would like to act as a fintech hub integrating other financial products, including insurance, into its app. We should expect to see more existing fintech start-ups in non-insurance verticals not only talk publicly but also execute strategic moves into insurance.
