Collaboration continues to be the name of the game as witnessed by the latest insurtech news from in and around the Massachusetts insurance industry.
TrustedChoice.com Agents Can Now “Ask Kodiak”
A new insurtech integration for independent agents
TrustedChoice.com and Boston-based Ask Kodiak have announced a new collaboration which will see Ask Kodiak’s API integrated directly into the TrustedChoice.com platform.
“The integration of Ask Kodiak technology via API into our digital marketing platform further builds on the strength of our proprietary consumer-to-agent-to-carrier Appetite Engine,” said Chip Bacciocco, CEO of TrustedChoice.com. “The new Market Finder takes our agent experience to the next level, completing a convenience loop that offers one-click access to real-time appetite data to make sourcing insurance coverage as fast and simple as online shopping.”
The new Advantage Market Finder allows independent agents, who are part of TrustedChoice.com’s Advantage digital marketing platform, to have a real-time insurance marketplace search engine at their fingertips greatly simplifying the commercial lines insurance placement process.
“For Ask Kodiak, the API integration powering TrustedChoice.com’s Market Finder feature harnesses what we do best, helping agents and carriers to write more of the risks they want to write, faster,” said Michael Albert, co-founder of Ask Kodiak. “From day one, we’ve built our business through the eyes of our customers, and we couldn’t be more pleased to be extending the value of our platform to the Trusted Choice agency network.”
MA Insurtech Lawyer Joins Cooley
Heidi Lawson and Greg Hoffnagle add litigation, regulatory and insurtech advisory strengths on US East Coast
Cooley is strengthening its global insurance capabilities by adding East Coast-based counsels Heidi Lawson and Greg Hoffnagle. Formerly members of Mintz Levin’s insurance, reinsurance, investigations & risk management practice, Lawson will join Cooley’s insurance & reinsurance practice as of counsel and Hoffnagle will join as special counsel.
“Heidi and Greg add another arm and greater depth to our cross-border insurance practice, including in insurtech,” said Cooley London-based partner and head of the firm’s insurance & reinsurance group, Mark Everiss. “It is rare to find such well-developed litigation, regulatory and advisory practices sitting side by side. It’s even rarer to find insurance lawyers who are so focused on Cooley’s client base of young and emerging companies. Heidi and Greg are a perfect fit for the firm, and we’re thrilled to have them on our team.”
Lawson is a globally recognized insurance lawyer sought for her uncommon international business perspective as an industry insider and her reputation as a trusted legal advisor. She believes in partnering with clients to find strategic solutions and identify ways to advance their business objectives. She leads global insurers, capital providers, insurtech innovators, brokers, businesses and major sports franchises through insurance product innovation, coverage dispute resolution, strategic policy creation and investigation management. Lawson is based in Boston.
Hoffnagle’s practice focuses on complex insurance and reinsurance disputes as well as international commercial arbitration and litigation. Additionally, he counsels on regulatory and transactional matters, and works with insurtech startups, VC firms and insurance carriers to create innovative products and bring them to market. Hoffnagle is based in New York.
“Greg and I believe it’s critical to be part of a culture and platform that is best suited to serve our unique client set,” said Lawson. “We’re eager to leverage Cooley’s deep relationships with emerging companies, and we look forward to helping broaden the firm’s overall insurance offering.”
MetLife Joins MIT Media Lab
MetLife and MIT announced a new multi-year collaboration focusing on creating and accelerating innovative technologies within the insurance industry.
“Every industry is impacted by the exponential growth in technology, the rise in globalization, and changing consumer demographics,” said Marty Lippert, executive vice president and head of MetLife Global Technology & Operations. “Our collaboration with MIT is the latest proof point of a strategic approach that is providing MetLife first-mover advantage in identifying and capitalizing on emerging consumer and technology trends.”
Joining the MIT Media Lab as a Consortium Lab Member, MetLife’s collaboration will focus on helping create “disruptive application” of transformative technological innovations like the touch screen, GPS and wearables.
This latest announcement adds to MetLife’s growing insurtech innovation efforts. In January of this year, MetLife announced two new Insurtech investment programs for start-ups: MetLife Digital Ventures and MetLife Digital Accelerator powered by Techstars. As for the MIT Media Lab, it now boasts 26 research labs and approximately 450 active projects.
