The InsurTech Meetup on 02.11.17 in the premises of Wayra ( http://de.wayra.co/ ) was all about the future of mobility. In 2 keynote speeches, 3 start-up pitches, a panel discussion and networking, the topics of mobility, the necessity of change and the interface with the insurance business were hotly debated.
85% of its ecological footprint is due to mobility, explained Sebastian Morgner, Managing Director and co-founder of the FLI - Future of Leadership Initiative(https://www.future-of-leadership.org/ ) in the first keynote speech, making it clear that the social concern, the basis for every innovation, is a given. The solutions to the negative effects of mobility sound simple: avoiding, reducing or enriching them. Solutions that the automotive industry is missing out on due to its currently successful business model. While 22,000 electric cars were sold in Germany in 2016, almost 17 times as many were sold in China. The right time for the future of mobility is now. This is why the FLI has set up a Future Lab, which has set itself the task of improving mobility in urban areas.
Gregor Gimmy, CEO of the BMW Start-Up Garage(https://www.bmwstartupgarage.com/), was able to respond directly to the need for action in the automotive industry. The BMW Start-Up Garage is the BMW Group's venture client. For Gimmy, the future of mobility for BMW and the entire industry lies with start-ups. And for two reasons - start-ups have a higher level of intellectual property on the one hand and a higher level of available capital on the other. BMW, on the other hand, has to invest its capital in a variety of areas of potential technical progress. A start-up is more targeted there and has a knowledge advantage thanks to this focus. To illustrate the relevance of start-ups, he cites an Israeli company whose camera technology was the best on the market a few years ago and, thanks to this, BMW took a pioneering position in camera sensor technology, e.g. for reading signs. The Israeli start-up also benefited from the partnership with BMW and had financing rounds in the multi-digit million range.
In the following start-up pitches, 3 companies were presented: Bleenco(https://www.bleenco.com/), which has developed software to analyze driver behavior to prevent accidents. Keysurance(http://www.keysurance.de/), a provider of low-cost car insurance based on driving experience that traditional insurers overlook. Comutify, which aims to give employees more quality time by optimizing the various routes employees take to work and providing them with minibuses.
In the subsequent panel discussion moderated by Managing Director and founder of the insurance FinTech Treefin AG Andreas Gensch(https://www.treefin.com/ ), Kirstin Hegner-Cordes (Managing Director Mobility Hub https://www.tum.de/die-tum/aktuelles/pressemitteilungen/detail/article/33554/), Ralph Thannheiser (Head of New Mobility @Allianz Worldwide Partners https://www.allianz.com/de/produkte_loesungen/service-assistance/allianz-worldwide-patners/ ), Tom van den Brulle (Global Head of Innovation MunichRe https://www.munichre.com/ and Board Member of the InsurTech Hub https://www.insurtech-munich.com/ ) and Gregor Gimmy discussed the attractiveness of Munich as a location, mobility in 10 years' time, the role of Germany and the interfaces with the insurance sector.
The panel discussion and subsequent networking brought the first joint event between the InsurTech Hub and the mobility sector to a successful close. Enormous synergies between the insurance and mobility sectors can also be expected in the future.
