Our big study is powering ahead, set to launch atITC Vegasin October 🚀🚀
We’re well in the thick of interviewing some of the brightest minds around the world, and every chat reminds me just how much brilliance there is in this industry.
Signal50 – a signal of what and who will shape the industry over the next 3-5 years.
Scale50 – I’m loving seeing who is included, as much as who isn’t. It’s been a rollercoaster few years of IPOs, down rounds, paths to profitability (for some), and plenty of M&A action.
💥 A MASSIVE thanks to everyone who joined us on the judging panels – your time and insight make these rankings what they are.
📍 Exclusive reveals: October 15th, ITC Vegas. Be there.
Sønr 2.0 💡
On the platform side, I’m obsessed with what we’re working on.
We’re building Enterprise General Intelligence (EGI) models across Sønr’s datasets + public data + secure client data repositories. The result: market intelligence, venture clienting, and investment scouting like never before 🤯.
Honestly, nobody’s close to what’s about to land.
This is a proper game-changer for innovation, strategy, and investment teams.
On the business side, we’re also shaping a series of accelerators/observatories/communities (naming TBD 😅) to help teams across insurers. Think: low-cost, high-value intelligence, curated connections with peers and innovators, and super deep-dives into specialist subject areas 🧠.
Clients: you’ll be hearing from me in the coming weeks. Be warned. I want to test and refine all of the above and would love your help to do this 🙏.
Non clients: get in touch if you’d like to know more or you fancy helping create some of the most amazing new tech and initiatives in the market.
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Right, let’s get into what you came for:
Health & Life Opening Doors
Naluri has extended its Series B with another $5m, taking the total to $14m.
Based in Malaysia, they’re pushing hard on AI-powered coaching for mental health and chronic conditions. Corporate-backed wellness is booming across Asia, and Naluri is positioning itself nicely at the centre of that wave. Nice.
This next one I think is fascinating.
Inclined has raised a $8m Series B to expand its lending platform for whole life insurance.
Historically a tool for the wealthy, policy loans are now being digitised and opened up to the mainstream. It’s smart – unlocking value in a market most of us overlook.
And a fun one from the UK.
Aviva and Tesco have teamed up to launch a new life cover offer for Clubcard members. Simple, digital, affordable. It makes sense. Tesco gets to reward loyalty, Aviva gets reach into 20m+ households.
Meshed in Nine Minutes
Whilst on the Aviva train, UK-based Meshedhas pulled in £950k pre-seed, with Aviva backing them through Founders Factory.
The Meshed pitch? An AI-powered brokerage for SMEs that cuts the quoting process from an hour to nine minutes. Love it. With agreements already in place with 51 insurers, it’s getting some decent traction.
Underwriting – Research On Tap
Sixfold has unveiled its new Research Agent, designed to kill off manual research bottlenecks.
I’m a big fan of Sixfold and look forward to getting into this one a little deeper. They reckon the Research Agent boosts underwriters’ ability to answer 30% more critical questions before quoting.
Just like the work we’re doing with Sønr, this kind of behind-the-scenes shift changes productivity at scale. It’s a very good thing.
From Cyber to Wildfire
Big move from Coalition, which has launched in France 🥐.
SMEs with up to €1bn revenue can now get coverage plus tools to help prevent cyberattacks. As threats grow, this is just the kind of proactive approach the market needs.
Sharper pricing and less guesswork in a market being rocked by climate volatility. Good stuff.
And still on climate – SiriusPoint and Arden have launched a wildfire parametric product in California. Embedded triggers = faster payouts.
This isn’t just innovation for show; it’s solving a very real availability crisis in wildfire-exposed markets.
And finally, another much-loved Sønr client, Atrium is entering Credit & Political Risk, bringing across a team from Axis Capital.
Given today’s geopolitical climate, CPR expertise is well and truly in demand.
M&A: Buying Scale
Private equity giant Advent has agreed to buy Sapiens for $2.5bn.
It’s a pure cash deal designed to accelerate SaaS, AI and global reach. One of the bigger tech transactions of the year, and a strong signal of where investors see value.
Meanwhile, CarTrawler has picked up Paris-based Koala, expanding its services into travel insurance.
Travel-tech meets travel cover. Makes sense.
Lloyds, Mobility and Incubation
Roamly has launched an AI-driven insurance platform for car-sharing fleets, now with the seal of Lloyd’s coverholder approval.
The tech dynamically underwrites shared mobility, scooping a Celent Innovation Award in the process. Another sign that AI + gig economy = serious traction.
And Insurtech Gateway has secured a Lloyd’s broker licence. I like this one and congrats to the team over there.
Now the startups it nurtures can place risks directly in the market.
It’s a big move – not just for Gateway, but for the model of incubators working hand-in-hand with incumbents to scale innovation globally.
Fully Autonomous AI Insurance Agent
Yup, you read that right.
Superagent AI has announced plans to launch the world’s first fully autonomous AI insurance agent by late 2025. A subscription service, 24/7, no humans.
Whether it’s augmentation or competition for brokers remains to be seen, but it’s a bold bet. I genuinely can’t wait to see this one land.
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Right, it’s time to pack a tent.
Bank holiday weekend + camping. What could possibly go wrong.
