Elephants are strong, wise, and noble. In some cultures they also are a source of good fortune. However, they generally are not flexible, lithe, or quick.
Processing Content
My Insuretech Connect experience last week reinforces a central Celent hypothesis about insurtech: that its most significant value lies in enabling insurers to become faster, cheaper, and better able to serve their customers. In other words, to teach elephants to dance.
The Progressive Corp. headquarters is seen in Mayfield Village, Ohio on Wednesday, January 18, 2006.
John Quinn/Bloomberg News
A new agreement between Progressive Insurance and Slice Labs is an example of marrying insurer power and startup innovation. Later this month, Progressive Homeshare by Slice Labs will launch. Progressive prospects will use the Slice homesharing platform to apply for coverage and obtain policies. The combination of Progressive’s marketing might and the unique Slice product will be interesting to track and may represent a new model for insurtech startups and insurers to partner. (For more on insurtech partnerships, see the Celent report Insurer-Startup Partnerships: How to Maximize Insurtech Investments).
The market will have the ultimate say in the outcome. Meanwhile, strike up the band and let the dancing begin!
Mike Fitzgerald is a senior analyst with Celent's Insurance practice based in Cary, North Carolina. His career includes leadership positions in... Read full bio
For reprint and licensing requests for this article, click here.
Predicting natural disasters is becoming more important for banks and insurers as climate change increases their occurrence. Last year's wildfires in Los Angeles killed 31 people, destroyed more than 16,000 structures and caused as much as $131 billion in economic and property losses.
Prosecutors said the man they charged with starting the deadly 2025 Palisades Fire in Los Angeles was upset about a failed relationship and not having New Year's Eve plans just before he set a small blaze which rekindled six days later.
Fewer consumers want life insurance since the pandemic, but sales are still growing, with digital tools keeping sales high among the 38% of Americans who are still buying, according to new research.
