INSURTECH ISRAEL

JVP FUNDS

INSURTECH ISRAEL

 WINNING STARTUP WILL RECEIVE $1 MILLION INVESTMENT FROM JERUSALEM VENTURE PARTNERS (JVP), A POTENTIAL INVESTMENT FROM AXA STRATEGIC VENTURES, AN OPTION TO PARTICIPATE IN THE KAMET EARLY-STAGE PROGRAM, AND AN OPPORTUNITY TO LIAISE WITH THE WORLD’S LEADING INSURANCE COMPANIES

 

Tel Aviv. Nov. 22nd, 2016 – Internationally renowned VC fund Jerusalem Venture Partners (JVP) together with AXA Strategic Ventures, the venture capital platform backed by AXA, one of the leading insurance companies in the world, and Kamet, the start-up incubator and studio of AXA dedicated to disruptive innovation, announced today the launch of the InsurTech Israel Competition, a first-of-its-kind contest in Israel for startups in the world of Insurance Technologies. 

 

The aim of the competition is to discover, build and lead the next wave of groundbreaking companies in the field of InsurTech and identify the most promising innovations for the evolving insurance world. The competition is being led by JVP, AXA Strategic Ventures and Kamet, in collaboration with Deloitte, Earnix, Herzog Fox & Neeman (HFN) and Start-Up Nation Central.

The competition is open to early-stage startups with insurance related technologies in the fields of Big Data & Analytics, Risk Management, Customer Engagement/Management, IOT & Wearables, Blockchain, Cyber-security and Health IT.

 

The winner will secure a spot in JVP’s early-stage portfolio with a $1M investment as well as access to the AXA Insurance Group, including a potential investment from AXA Strategic Ventures. Kamet ventures, AXA’s early-stage arm, will offer the winning entrepreneurs the possibility to join their program. The competition also gives the Israeli startups the opportunity to gain significant exposure to market leaders, connect with potential investors, secure design partners and open potential marketing channels. 

Companies entering the competition must meet the following criteria: they must have a groundbreaking idea, unique innovative technology, a validated market need and relevant solution approach, a competitive advantage in their field, an experienced, talented team, the ability to develop MVP within 12 months, and no more than $1M in previous investments.

 

“The insurance industry is ripe for disruption through the introduction of new technologies and innovative business models,” said Gadi Tirosh, Managing Partner at JVP. “Our strategic partnership with a global player like AXA will give Israeli startups the opportunity to validate their innovative products in dialog with incumbent industry leaders.”

 

“”We are proud to lead together with JVP and Kamet the first InsurTech competition in Israel. At AXA Strategic Ventures, we are investing in startups with a relevant technology that will transform insurance and asset-management. Israel is in this respect a promising innovation ecosystem and we are convinced that with this competition, we will be able to identify and work closely with talented entrepreneurs that will reinvent the future of our industry,” commented Francois Robinet, Managing Partner at AXA Strategic Ventures. “Partnering on this event with JVP, a leader of the local ecosystem, was critical for us and we are very honored to work with them.” 

 

“We at Kamet are constantly looking for great teams, great ideas and great technologies that can expand the reach of insurance, protection and assistance or disrupt the industry. We know of the vitality of the Israeli innovation platform. We could not dream of a better move for us than partnering with JVP and ASV in this competition,” said Michael Niddam, Executive Partner at Kamet.

According to Deloitte Israel, global insurance is a $4.8 trillion industry (Net Premiums). In 2015, $1.4 billion was invested in InsurTech companies. Q1 of 2016 alone broke records with 45 new deals worth a total of $650 million. 

Competition Timeline:

Deadline for submission is January 23rd, 2017. Participating companies will be reviewed by the professional staff of JVP, ASV and Kamet along with their partners in the competition. Following a stringent selection process, eight to ten startups will be chosen to advance to the finals. The winner of the competition will be announced during February, 2017.   

 

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About Jerusalem Venture Partners (JVP) 

Jerusalem Venture Partners (“JVP”) is an internationally renowned venture capital fund based in Israel. Established in 1993, JVP has raised to date over $1 billion and has been ranked as one of the top-ten consistently performing VC firms in the world. JVP has built over 120 companies, leveraging a broad network of partners and market expertise to help companies become global market leaders. JVP has enjoyed 31 notable exits – 12 IPOs and 19 M&As.  JVP’s investment focus includes cyber-security, big data, enterprise software, storage, mobile, media, Fintech and IoT. JVP invests in all stages, from seed to late-stage transactions, and is renowned for its hands-on approach in supporting and mentoring its companies through every phase as well as its strong ties to a host of industry leading companies. JVP’s early-stage vehicles are based in the excellence centers in the growing Jerusalem hi-tech scene as well as the new advanced technologies park of Be’er Sheva.

About AXA Strategic Ventures (ASV) 

 

AXA Strategic Ventures (ASV) is the venture capital platform backed by AXA, the leading global insurer and asset manager. ASV manages €230m ($260m) and can invest up to €15m ($17m) equity across both early and growth stages. ASV invests in technologies relevant to the insurance and asset management industries such as enterprise software, Fintech as well as consumer technologies and marketplaces ( i.e travel, health, auto and property related businesses, …). With local teams in San Francisco, New York, London and Paris, ASV has invested so far in 24 early-stage start-ups.

 

About Kamet

Kamet is the InsurTech start-up studio and incubator of AXA. It is dedicated to create new disruptive companies in the $5 trillion insurance, protection, asset management and assistance space. Kamet dedicates its €100m funding to seed very early stage teams, and support them through a profound and structured incubation program to go successfully though each stage of their development. Since its inception in January 2016, Kamet has been supporting multiple teams in France, in the UK and in Israel.

 

For More Information: Pnina Ben-Ami | Senior Director, Business Development & Marketing, pnina@jvpvc.com

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