We’re about five years into the insurtech boom, but we’re also in the middle of a pandemic. Excitement around emerging technology and startup innovation has taken a backseat as the insurance industry shifted its focus to COVID-19.
Yet startups have not failed as quickly as the industry might have predicted. It’s possible that some startups will begin to outrun their funding and close their doors in the next year or two. But for the time being, the insurtech market and funding remain relatively stable. What’s driving this?
COVID-19 and Insurtech Partnerships
The pandemic has altered insurers’ approach to insurtech investment. Insurers appear to be focused on tactical initiatives that can produce more immediate results. This contrasts with the R&D that was more prominent pre-pandemic.
Yet it turns out that startup activity and the global pandemic are not necessarily mutually exclusive. Insurer priorities most notably changed focus to cloud computing and digital strategy — with digital covering both external channels and internal workflows. Cloud and digital are two areas in which almost every insurtech excels and have led to additional opportunities in many cases. Insurers expect that these areas will continue to be prioritized even when the pandemic is over.
Lemonade’s IPO and What It Means for Insurtech
Lemonade’s IPO cemented one of the most notable insurtech players as a certified unicorn. IPOs validate the potential returns of insurtech and will help attract more investment dollars into the space, whether from venture capitalists or insurer investment arms. Few other startups have gained the investment attention that Lemonade has, but others — like life insurance startup Ethos or property insurer Hippo — have received funding over $100 million. Each of these startups’ successes helps attract dollars for the rest of the insurtech ecosystem.
See also: How Startups Will Save Insurance
New Growth Paths
Many insurtechs, especially startup MGAs, are exploring new revenue streams. For some, this means selling a wider variety of coverages directly online or embedding at different points of sale. Some MGAS are also moving to become full-stack carriers, like Buckle and Clearcover. Still other startup carriers, like Slice, Trov and Metromile, have gotten into the software business and are licensing their platforms out to other insurers.
Platform and analytics players are also finding success proving value to insurers in the current environment. Atidot, for example, partnered with Pacific Life to analyze product and pricing changes to help optimize market penetration for the insurer. In addition, Principal is licensing Human API’s medical records platform to circumvent paramedical exams for disability insurance during the pandemic.
Many startups have interesting ideas but haven’t thought through long-term financial or regulatory hurdles. The goal of many startups is to validate a business model first, then work out the details later. It’s possible that some startups will start to outrun their funding and eventually close their doors. But it will be interesting to see how insurtech evolves in a post-pandemic world, especially as new realities cause insurers to rethink processes that were manually intensive. For startups that can show value to insurers, this new normal may be an opportunity.
