Dave DeCapp, FMH Senior Vice President – Marketing, represented FMH at the recent Global Insurance Symposium (GIS) and had the opportunity to introduce one of the ten startups that make up the 2019 Global Insurance Accelerator (GIA) cohort. The three-day event, held annually in Des Moines, Iowa, gathered together state insurance commissioners, industry leaders, entrepreneurs, and regulatory representatives from various states, national offices, and international organizations.

As part of the GIS event, all ten GIA startups gave pitch presentations to showcase their innovative insurance products and service solutions. DeCapp introduced Jake Tamarkin, founder of Everyday Life, a life insurance decision-making platform.

DeCapp’s introduction focused on FMH’s commitment to innovation. “Innovation is a critical part of our corporate strategy at FMH and as such we are very proud to be a founding investor in the Global Insurance Accelerator,” he said. “It has helped both reinforce our commitment to supporting future innovation as well as how we fit innovation into our current day-to-day execution of our strategy across the company.”

Other presentations included demonstrations on mapping insurable threats for coverage, underwriting automation, artificial intelligence (AI), apps, and more. Presenting at the GIS marks the completion of the cohort’s 100-day program.

The GIA helps insurance-based technology startups grow by providing them with seed funding, company mentors, and 100 days of on-site support at the GIA office in Des Moines.

In addition to being a founding member, FMH has also supported the GIA startups through mentorship provided by individual employees in their area of expertise. FMH supports innovation in agriculture and insurance not only as part of its business strategy, but also to promote central Iowa’s already strong reputation as an insurance hub and fertile ground for startups to build their businesses.

DeCapp noted that investing in the GIA also provides opportunities to build strategic business relationships at FMH, like the recently announced FindBob collaboration. FMH’s relationship with FindBob has resulted in the release of FMH Bridge, an online agency tool that provides FMH agencies a forum to anonymously discuss and identify growth and succession opportunities.