Cambridge Mobile Telematics powers Branch, HSB expands IoT to Canada: Roundup

November 30, 2020 5:34 AM

di-traffic-stock-061520 — Vehicles sit in rush hour traffic at the interchange between the Interstate 405 and 10 freeways in this aerial photograph taken over Los Angeles, California, U.S. Photographer: Patrick T. Fallon/Bloomberg

HSB is expanding its Sensor Systems program to its Canadian division. HSB Canada’s Applied Technology Solutions will provide devices to help monitor, predict and alert customers of risks such as water leaks, pipe freezing and critical temperature changes. The services offer IoT services through insurers and risk pools and are customized to reflect types of businesses it covers and can focus on the challenging classes of business in its portfolio. For faster communication, HSB analyzes the data and sends alerts to policyholders via email, cell phone, or text when an issue needs attention or could result in a breakdown or property damage.

PEMCO has named Phillip Cole to the new role of director of underwriting operations and analytics. Cole leads the team in advancing the company’s customer-centric solutions and products, and is also charged with bolstering PEMCO’s operational excellence and develop strategies that drive results and meet customer needs. Before PEMCO, he worked at GE Insurance Solutions, Rockhill Insurance Company, State Auto and most recently at Guide One, where he served as senior vice president and chief underwriting officer.

Northwestern Mutual has announced new initiatives to support Black startup founders nationally and locally with a $20 million investment. It also announced the launch of the Northwestern Mutual Black Founder Accelerator powered by gener8tor. John Grogan, Chief product and innovation officer, Northwestern Mutual shares, "Allocating $20 million is only the beginning – we will continue to invest in and provide opportunities for Black founders and are committed to providing access to capital and resources to help them grow their businesses."

Branch Insurance, startup home and auto insurance online company; and Cambridge Mobile Telematics, smartphone telematics company, announce a partnership to create a community of safe drivers and a more affordable pricing for consumers with Community Drive. CMT’s telematics platform, DriveWell, will power the new program, enabling Branch to reward its community members with deeper discounts for safe driving. "CMT's technology equips us with real-time data that not only helps Branch members save, but also encourages safer driving behaviors, which naturally reduces the cost of insurance. Through Community Drive, clients are empowered to be better on the roads, creating safer communities for us all,” shares Branch Co-Founder and CEO Steve Lekas.

SafeButler, YCombinator-funded online brokerage startup, will sell policies from Ladder, a life insurance insurtech. "The partnership with Ladder allows us to provide a similar experience for life insurance with prestigious and convenient choices from trusted brands,” said Vincent Wei, CEO of SafeButler. "The API integration allows us to present accurate quotes from Ladder to our customers in as little as 30 seconds."

AXA XL has added more partners to its Construction Ecosystem, an integrated digital platform to help its contractor clients monitor and aggregate data to help manage risks on their jobsites and across their organizations. The technology library includes auto and casualty claims benchmarking and trends, forecasted weather risks and historical weather data, project specific status and alerts, and integrated data from third-party technologies. "Collaboration has driven the success of our Ecosystem's development and will continue to be an important part of shaping the types of technologies that contractors will adopt to help them solve their most pressing problems on the jobsite, and across their entire operation,” says Gary Kaplan, president of AXA XL's North America Construction.