Research & Advisory
Research you can act on
Every part of insurance is being touched by new technology and new businesses. Our research team shows you which ones matter, what your competitors are doing and where the real opportunities are. Then we help you act: finding the right partners, running proofs of concept and building the case your leadership will back.
Two things we do
Most clients start with one and end up using both.
Understand the market
Much of our work starts here: building the full picture of a market before anyone commits to it, with the depth to stand up in a board paper.
- Trend and market scanning
- Competitor and ecosystem analysis
- Capability benchmarking
- Strategy and board support
Act on it
Once the picture is clear, we help you move: from a sharp brief to the right partner, and from a proof of concept to a decision on what to scale.
- Framing the challenge
- Startup and vendor scouting
- Proofs of concept
- Dealflow, venture building and accelerators
How an engagement works
It starts with a conversation, not a scoping form. One of our researchers sits down with you to understand the decision you’re facing and what you already know.
We build the picture you’re missing: a landscape of a space you’re watching, a deep dive on a technology, or a map of what your competitors are doing. Then we walk you through it, in person or on a call: what we found, what it means and what we’d do.
Work is scoped up front and priced in research days. Some clients keep us on monthly as their outside research desk.
Who we work with
Innovation and strategy leaders at insurers, reinsurers and brokers. More and more, the people running claims, underwriting and distribution. Venture teams building a thesis, and the owners of programmes such as Lloyd’s Lab.
Ten years inside insurance
We’ve tracked the companies, technologies and trends changing insurance since 2016, for more than 50 tier-one insurers, reinsurers, brokers and investors. You don’t spend the first month teaching us your industry.
See it in practice
How Aviva, MSIG, WTW and Chaucer work with our researchers.
Aviva: clearer options, confident decisions
Aviva's Central Innovation Team uses Sønr to understand what's really changing, test proposed directions and decide whether and how to move, before committing.
MSIG: global visibility, regional progress
MSIG uses Sønr to see how innovation is evolving across insurance globally, and to help its teams in the US and Europe turn that visibility into progress.
WTW: independent context, sharper positioning
WTW uses Sønr's independent view of how its markets are evolving, and how competitors frame their offers, to position new propositions with confidence.
Chaucer: early signals in specialty risk
Chaucer uses Sønr to spot meaningful shifts in complex and emerging risks early, and to turn the relevant ones into credible opportunities for the business.
Questions we often get
How is research and advisory charged?
On time and materials, at a day rate. We agree the scope and the number of research days before we start, so there are no surprises.
What do we get at the end?
Whatever the decision needs: a market landscape, a scored shortlist, a board-ready paper, a workshop with your team or a monthly briefing. We always walk you through it.
Is our work kept confidential?
Yes. What you share with us, and what we produce for you, stays with you.
Do you look beyond insurance?
Yes. Many of the best ideas for insurers come from other industries, and we scout across all of them.
What are you working on?
Tell us, and one of our researchers will come back to you directly to talk it through.
