InsurTech NY

InsurTech NY functions as North America's largest InsurTech community, dedicated to connecting carriers, brokers, investors, and startups to leverage digital technology for enhanced insurance industry efficiencies and revenue growth. The organization actively operates through a diverse set of programs, including public events, a corporate innovation initiative, industry competitions, a growth-stage accelerator, and an MGA lab. Its accelerator program has successfully graduated 80 portfolio companies, demonstrating its impact on emerging ventures, while its annual conference regularly hosts 1,000 participants. Furthermore, InsurTech NY manages a venture fund, which currently holds investments in five distinct companies. The organization's activities are guided by co-founders and managing directors David Gritz and Tony Lew. InsurTech NY was established in 2019 by David Gritz and Tony Lew.

High-Level Overview

InsurTech NY is the largest insurance innovation community in North America, founded in 2019 as a pre-revenue startup to connect carriers, brokers, investors, and InsurTech startups through bi-monthly events, accelerators, and programs.[1][2][6] Its mission focuses on driving talent to insurance, fostering innovation-friendly regulation, attracting InsurTechs to the New York metro area, and improving access to investment, thereby accelerating the digital transformation of the insurance industry.[1][2][3] Rather than a traditional investment firm, it operates as a hub with a venture fund, offering matchmaking, educational events, market maps, and growth-stage accelerators—such as selecting 41 startups from 155 applicants across 20 countries in 2023—to fuel corporate innovation and startup growth.[2][5][6][8]

Origin Story

InsurTech NY was founded in 2019 in New York City to address gaps in the insurance innovation ecosystem.[1][2][4] Key figures include a Co-Founder & Managing Director and a Senior VP of Risk Strategies & Practice Leader, though specific names are not detailed in available records.[2] From its inception, it evolved from hosting bi-monthly networking and educational events to expanding into accelerators, venture funding, and specialized programs like "Mastering the Pilot" for carrier-broker-startup partnerships and market landscape projects with universities.[1][5] Pivotal moments include wrapping up its fourth growth-stage accelerator cohort in 2023, demonstrating rapid scaling and international reach.[2][8]

Core Differentiators

InsurTech NY stands out in the InsurTech ecosystem through:

• Extensive Network and Events: Hosts 6 major events annually (bi-monthly), including invite-only executive roundtables, "InsurTech Slopes," and themed sessions on agent tech, pilots, and ESG, connecting C-level executives from carriers like Prudential and Swiss Re with startups.[5][6][7]
• Accelerator and Matchmaking Programs: Runs growth-stage accelerators (e.g., 2023 cohort with 41 startups selected), provides 100+ insurance-specific startup market maps, and facilitates pilot partnerships, reinsurance, and fronting opportunities.[5][6][8]
• Innovation Support for Corporates: Offers corporate memberships with peer networking, intelligence gathering via market maps and conferences, and tools to foster internal innovation cultures, including talent development for rising stars.[6]
• Venture and Resource Access: Operates a venture fund linking investors to high-growth startups, while advocating for regulation and talent attraction in the NY metro area.[1][6]

Role in the Broader Tech Landscape

InsurTech NY rides the wave of digital transformation in insurance, capitalizing on trends like AI-driven risk assessment, ESG integration, and agent tech for productivity amid rising climate risks and regulatory shifts.[3][6][7] Its New York focus leverages the metro area's financial hub status, timing perfectly with post-2019 InsurTech funding booms and a push for innovation-friendly policies to counter legacy insurer inertia.[1][2] Market forces favoring it include surging demand for startup-carrier pilots and broker tech stacks to attract younger talent, positioning it as a key influencer that democratizes access to 100+ startup maps and global competitions, ultimately shaping North America's InsurTech ecosystem.[5][6]

Quick Take & Future Outlook

InsurTech NY is poised to expand its accelerator cohorts and venture fund, targeting more pre-IPO startups amid AI and climate tech surges in insurance.[6][8] Trends like agent tech adoption and ESG data integration will amplify its role, potentially evolving it into a full-fledged InsurTech powerhouse with deeper reinsurance ties.[3][7] As the #1 NY resource, its influence will grow by bridging traditional players and innovators, solidifying its mission to transform insurance access and talent flows.[1][2]