Some spot on predictive analysis here from Matt Miller, the CEO of Embroker. I have seen all the same signs from my own activities. In particular
1. That the VC's investing in the sector invest more in the quality of the people than in the quality of their idea (ideally both) and there is no shortage of ideas, but there is a serious shortage of investable talent.
2. Every well run insurer or broker over a a certain size is considering what it needs to do by way of investing in and engaging with the innovation community. The big composites have set up their funds and facilities, but for next tier down the trend is increasingly towards partnerships rather than go it alone. That's partnerships either with well known tech accelerators/incubators, or direct with the innovators themselves. Expect several announcements along these lines in the coming months.
3. It's cool to work in innovation, but at the moment you don't get paid very well. As soon as there is more money in it (and there will be) and strong partnerships with incumbents to provide firmer foundations, there will be a lot of talented people from the industry who will be tempted into startups. As Matt says "seasoned execs that are dynamic enough to thrive in the fast-moving startup environment will be in short supply, creating great opportunities for the available free agents and new entrants alike".
There's life in some of us old dogs yet!
Carriers will start more meaningful partnerships with startups to drive innovation You can bet that all carriers are already having discussions about this in their boardrooms right now, it’s reflected in strategic VC investments even if not yet in meaningful operating partnerships, but over the next year we’ll see which carriers will actually pull the trigger on deals – be it acquisitions or partnerships – that lean on startups to help them jumpstart the pace of innovation inside the company.
https://embroker.com/blog/the-road-ahead-3-big-insurance-trends-for-the-next-12-months
