InsurtechHub Munich starts fourth edition of W1 Forward InsurTech Accelerator. Startups can apply for the program until 7thMarch 2019.
Starting now, applications are being taken for InsurTech Hub Munich’s W1 Forward InsurTech Accelerator until 7thMarch 2019. Existing since 2015, the eight-weeks program is designed for early-stage cross-industry international startups that want to make an impact on the insurance business with their digital solutions. It includes workshops, one-on-one mentoring and coaching sessions. Startups are assisted in becoming experts in insurance and turning validated entrepreneurial ideas market- and investor-ready, building pilots with InsurTech Hub Munich’s (ITHM) corporate members.
“We’re looking for true disruptors, people who think big and outside the box”, says Manuel Holzhauer, ITHM’s Managing Director. “Established insurance companies are starting to realize their biggest competitors are no longer their industry peers, but rather the Tech Big 5 or Insurtech unicorns. Therefore cross-industry ideas are more than welcome”. He points to the hub’s services for startups: “We can offer access to a huge network of mentors, coaches, investors and allies both within the industry, in universities and with our startup alumni. But our true USP is the unparalleled access we provide startups to our fourteen insurance members.” ITHM’s partners range from international insurance market leaders to local champions and cross-industry players like PwC and Roche.
Strong network of partners and alumni
W1 Forward InsurTech Accelerator is performed in cooperation with WERK1, ‘the most start-up-friendly place in Munich‘, a startup hub funded by the Bavarian ministry for economic affairs promoting the regional startup ecosystem. Funded by both its partners and Bavarian Ministry of Economic Affairs, Regional Development and Energy, ITHM hosts events, networking opportunities, knowledge-sharing workshops or meetups and partners with internationally renowned events like the Digital Insurance Agenda (DIA) Conference.
Once startups have reached a later stage, the second of ITHM’s accelerator programs, InsurTech Europe powered by Plug&Play, assists them in the scaling phase. ITHM works closely with fifteen other digital hubs (de:hubs) in Germany, each focused on their own vertical, aimed at putting Germany on the global digitization heatmap. W1 Forward InsurTech Accelerator alumni include Road Safety startup Kruzr, which has secured a $1.3M seed fundingrecently or Munich-based e-bot7, specializing in Artificial Intelligence solutions for Customer Service.
More info about W1 Forward Accelerator Program: https://fwd.insurtech-munich.com