As mentioned in articles before, there are a plethora of Insurtech conferences throughout the year.
While conferences are extremely valuable to attend, they also cost two things that not everyone has a lot extra of – time and money.
Thankfully, there are a number of ‘hubs’ and ‘meetups’ around the US and world which individuals can attend for free or for a fraction of the cost of the major conferences.
This week, I list some of these and have also included video from a recent meetup in Los Angeles in which I moderated a fireside chat as part of InsurTech LA.
Insurtech hubs in the US and around the world
Below are some of the various hubs that I have found around the US and the world which have regular events, meetups and other activities to promote both Insurtech as well as the local community.
In the US
Insurtech Hartford – Founded by Stacey Brown, Insurtech Hartford has helped to put this city as one of the epicenters of Insurtech here in the US. They host Meetups, hackathons and other community events. Hartford is home to many Insurers too, making it a perfect place to be a buzzing Insurtech community. This is not to be confused with Hartford Insurtech Hub, which is an accelerator powered by world-renowned accelerator Startupbootcamp.
Insurtech LA – Founded by Gilad Shai, InsurTech LA has an event every two months. The events and fireside chat format bring together the SoCal Insurtech community to have the opportunity to share knowledge, collaborate and network.
Insurtech Boston – Hosted by the founders of Ask Kodiak, Insurtech Boston holds events every six months or so in downtown Boston. Insurtech Boston focuses on giving industry participants the chance to network and giving insurance startups – especially those from in and around Boston – the opportunity to tell their story.
Global Insurance Accelerator (GIA) – While they are an accelerator first, they have done an amazing job building an Insurtech community over the past 4 years, connecting startups, mentors and Insurance companies in the US (and internationally). They also host an Insurtech week in October which seems like a great event to attend (I’m hoping to be there myself!).
Plug and Play Tech Center – I’ve listed Plug and Play here as they do host a number of events around the US (and world). These are typically 1-2 day events and also not as expensive as some of the big conferences out there. They are offered multiple times throughout the year.
Insurance Nerds – Insurance Nerds, which I have mentioned before, offers thought leadership, podcasts and other useful information about Insurance through their site. They are also hosting a conference in Chicago this year, which I mention due to the fact that it’s about 1/20th the cost of many of the other conferences out there!
Insurtech NYC – From their website InsurTech NYC is ‘brought to you by American Family Ventures, in partnership with Montoux and supported by InsureTech Connect’. From their website, they have hosted a few events this year.
Insurtech.NYC – Insurtech.NYC is another meetup group in NYC, though they have only hosted one event from what I can see so far.
Insurtech Bay Area – Insurtech Bay Area is a Meetup hosted by the AXA Labs team, with a few events in 2017 and the last event in February of this year.
Outside of the US
Earlier this year, the Global Insurtech Alliance (GITA) was formed. The founding members include Instech London, Insurtech Australia and Insurtech Asia Association.
All 3 of these have done tremendous jobs building their local ecosystems and are hosting regular events and other activities in their respective regions.
The others that look interesting are Insurlab Germany, Insurtech Hub Munich, Fintech NZ and Swiss Finance and Technology Association.
Outside of GITA, Fintech and Insurtech Portugal looks interesting.
What are the regular events/meetups/hubs that you attend? Please comment below if I am missing out on any!
My recent fireside chat at Insurtech LA
A few weeks ago, as part of the Insurtech LA event, I moderated the fireside chat with Mariel Devesa, Global Head of Business Development at Phyn.
Mariel spent her prior 10 years at Farmers Insurance, with her most recent role as Head of Innovation.
We spent time discussing her past roles as well as some of the key projects she worked on/led, including a massive initiative with Uber.
The fireside chat was a little over an hour, and the videos have been split into 4 below. I’ve included a timetable with questions for ease of reference.
Part 1
1:30-5:15 Mariel’s Background
5:20-11:20 ‘Thoughts on starting an innovation journey and the Farmers/Rideshare initiative
11:20-16:30 ‘Innovation journey’ at a legacy company
16:30-20:44 more on the Farmers/Rideshare initiative
Part 2
0:00-4:00 Engaging with regulators on the Farmers/Rideshare initiative
4:15-7:55 The structure of an organization as it relates to innovation
9:00-17:00 The inflection point to say ‘we need an innovation team’. Also, Mariel’s views on autonomous vehicles.
Part 3
0:00-3:30 Tesla’s Insurance program, other enhancements in the auto industry and how to look at macro trends (not just in Insurance)
3:40-6:00 Different approaches for incumbents to go about innovation and key success factors
6:15-12:01 P2P car sharing
Part 4
0:00-4:10 What compelled Mariel to join Phyn
4:10-5:10 Her current role at Phyn
5:20-6:30 What it’s like to be on ‘the other side’
6:40-9:20 What has been the best part, worst part and biggest learning transitioning from an incumbent to a startup
9:30-14:00 A bit on blockchain, because, what’s an innovation talk without blockchain? 🙂
Stephen Goldstein is an experienced Insurance executive and Insurtech dealmaker with a core focus on growing revenue, launching go to market initiatives and advising industry leaders.
Let’s connect through my new Twitter account – @StephenMGoldy
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