gener8tor will host the fourth annual OnRamp Insurance Conference on April 11, 2019 at the Target Center in Minneapolis-St.Paul.
As the leading conference for insurance innovation, the curated one-day event includes three programming tracks for attendees – a Conference Track, a Startup Track and a Networking Track. Each track is designed to facilitate deal making and the formation of partnerships among startups, corporations and investors in the insurance industry.
Minne Inno chatted with the conference organizers to learn more about the move to Minneapolis-St. Paul and what to expect in the packed day of thought leadership, deal making and networking.
This year’s conference will feature a Keynote by Walter White, CEO of Allianz Life, and Chris Hilger, CEO of Securian Financial, moderated by Paul Carroll, Editor in Chief of Insurance Thought Leadership.
Q: Wait a second, Chicago is a great city to host an insurtech conference. Why did you move the event Minneapolis this year?
We are thrilled to host the conference in the Twin Cities this year! The greater MSP region is a diverse and thriving community with a highly-talented workforce. It’s filled with some of the world’s largest and best businesses, especially within the insurtech industry.
We have a greater vision to amplify the region’s insurtech scene by bringing the OnRamp Insurance Conference to the Twin Cities. Our vision will extend beyond the Conference to include the launch of the brand-new OnRamp Insurance Accelerator in partnership with Allianz Life and Securian Financial. Through this new insurance technology accelerator, we will accelerate disruption in the insurance industry by investing in the next generation of insurance technology and innovation. Five startups will be accepted into the three-month, concierge accelerator program in Minneapolis-St. Paul. Each will receive a cash investment of $100,000, office space and access to gener8tor’s global network of mentors and investors.
Applications are now open and due on April 28th for the first OnRamp Insurance Accelerator cohort. Unlike most accelerators, we are investing $100,000 on the same terms as a startup’s current round (if raising) or via an uncapped convertible note (if not currently raising). As a result, we look to partner with insurtech startups that are beginning their journey to scale and who want to partner with strategic industry players along that journey.
Learn more at https://www.onrampinsuranceaccelerator.com.
Q: Startups, investors and corporations all under one roof. Can you share a bit more about the genesis story and how the conference has expanded over the past four years?
The OnRamp Conference Series grew out of a desire to provide entrepreneurs at various stages of growth with access to high-level corporate leaders and later-stage investors. We wanted to connect our growing network of startups to leading corporations, venture capitalists and investors in an efficient and sizeable fashion. We wanted to create an “onramp,”, if you will, for consequential deals.
OnRamp started in 2013 as an industry-agnostic event featuring corporations and startups from manufacturing to financial services to healthcare to retail. OnRamp has since evolved into vertical-specific events, starting with insurance in 2016. We started with insurance because of our corporate relationships we had with more than a dozen insurance carriers in our Project North corporate venture capital and innovation membership group.
The goal is a more purposeful gathering of corporations, investors and startups that subsequently enables more deal making. One of the unique and fastest-growing components is our Startup Track featuring curated, one-on-one pitch sessions between selected startups and corporate venture capital and innovation executives from participating insurance companies to discuss potential customer relationships, strategic partnerships, and if appropriate, investment opportunities.
We saw the opportunity in insurtech and created the first, industry-specific 1-day event that featured thought leadership, networking and deal making. The event grew from 250 attendees to 500 and then to 800. Today, we see more than 1,000 attendees, 30+ corporations, 300+ pitch sessions and 150+ startups participating.
Q: What else can we expect at the conference?
This year, nearly $1.3 billion of funding was raised by startups that applied for one-on-one meetings with participating corporations at our conference. As one of the premier gatherings of corporate venture capital and innovation executives, we’re highlighting new ways for startups to collaborate with insurance carriers, gain additional funding and attract new customers to grow their businesses.
New this year, the OnRamp Insurance Conference will feature a partnership stage to showcase corporate-startup collaboration and how the OnRamp Insurance Conference has made such partnerships possible. Additionally, many industry experts and leading startups will be unveiling groundbreaking technologies, new products and partnerships at the conference. The OnRamp Insurance Conference will also provide breakout sessions, VC Office Hours and an expanded exhibition space across the arena concourse this year.
TRACKS
Conference Track: This track will feature keynotes, panel discussions, fireside chats and product demos. Topics include:
- Blockchain in Reinsurance
- Growing Concern of Climate Change
- Twin Cities: the New Startup Frontier
- Corporate Venture Capital Lessons Learned
- Seize the Data: Underwriting Elements of the Future
Key speakers include Walter White, CEO of Allianz Life; Chris Hilger, CEO of Securian Financial; Haley Smith, Director of State Auto Labs; Martha Notaras, Partner at XL Innovate; Clarence Bethea, Founder & CEO of Upsie; Kyle Nakatsuji, Founder & CEO of Clearcover, and Assaf Wand, CEO of Hippo Insurance.
Startup Track: This track will feature curated, one-on-one pitch sessions between selected startups and corporate venture capital and innovation executives from participating insurance companies to discuss potential customer relationships, strategic partnership, and if appropriate, investment opportunities. Each participating corporation receives their own private, box-level suite at the Target Center and up to ten one-on-one startup meetings.
Networking Track: This track will facilitate one-on-one networking between conference attendees in a dedicated networking space facilitated by the Brella app. In addition, participating investors will also host one-on-one pitch sessions with entrepreneurs in attendance during “VC Office Hours.”
Interested in attending the conference? Please visit onrampinsuranceconference.com and follow @OnRampInsure on Twitter. All registration, ticketing information and sponsorship details can also be found at onrampinsuranceconference.com.
