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HackZone by Allianz, the First Open Innovation Program in the Turkish Insurance Sector, Turns 5

Allianz Türkiye’s HackZone Program, launched to support and
promote innovation in the insurance sector, has successfully
completed its fifth cycle. As the first open innovation program in the
Turkish insurance industry, HackZone by Allianz focused this year
on fields such as artificial intelligence, digital health, and climate
change. Participating startups had the opportunity to present their
innovative projects at the HackZone by Allianz Demo Day event.
Startups that joined the program have attracted attention from
investors and, to date, have secured over 15.5 million USD in
external funding.

As one of the leading companies in the insurance sector, Allianz
Türkiye has been organizing its open innovation program HackZone
annually since 2020, co-developing innovative business models with
startups and fostering innovation across the industry. As part of the
HackZone Program, organized for five years in collaboration with Turkish insurance sector: “Through HackZone, 26 startups have
Tenity, more than 590 startups have been evaluated to date. A total so far collaborated with the insurance sector for the first time.
of 46 innovative startups have participated in the program, and 34 Many of these ventures have contributed significant value to the
of them have collaborated with Allianz Türkiye, receiving support industry by offering innovative solutions in a sector like insurance,
to accelerate their projects. Startups that took part in the program which is heavily regulated and complex. HackZone is not only about
have so far attracted over 15.5 million USD in investment from the developing technology; it also supports core objectives such as
ecosystem. This year’s participants were Alon Health, Branchsight, improving customer experience, ensuring operational excellence,
Ingosa, Prowth, Text2Test, and Werover. The startups worked on and accelerating the digital transformation of business partners.
insurance solutions within the main themes of this year: artificial With more than 5,000 registered developers connected to our open
intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML), combating the climate APIs, we aim to further grow this ecosystem and produce impactful
crisis, and digital health. At the HackZone by Allianz Demo Day solutions in the insurance sector in collaboration with even more
event, the startups had the opportunity to present their ventures startups,” he said.
and innovative projects to investors, innovation leaders from top
industry companies, and Allianz Türkiye Executive Committee As part of the HackZone by Allianz Demo Day, a panel discussion
members Onur Kırcı, Fahri Kaan Toker, and Evren Ayorak. titled “The Future and Opportunities of the Insurtech Ecosystem”
was also held. Moderated by Startups Watch founder Serkan
“We aim to advance innovation in the insurance sector through Ünsal, the panel featured Arın Özkula from e2VC, Netmera General
the HackZone Program” Manager Hasan Emre Özgür, and Allianz Türkiye Assistant General
Manager of Operations Fahri Kaan Toker, who shared their insights
and experiences on the entrepreneurial ecosystem in the insurance
Allianz Türkiye Assistant General Manager of Marketing and
Digital Insurance Onur Kırcı stated that with the establishment of sector.
their Innovation Office in 2017—marking a first in the sector—
they placed innovation at the heart of their corporate culture. “As Startups Featured at HackZone by Allianz 5th Term Demo Day
Allianz Türkiye, a company that has been leading the way in the Alon Health: Provides biometric data security and integration
journey of digitalization for many years with the goal of pioneering through a B2B annual licensing model.
next-generation insurance, we highly value collaboration with
startups and ventures developing innovative business models. Branchsight: A digital marketing platform designed for multi-
Through these collaborations, we bring to life innovations that location brands. It helps increase physical store visits by enhancing
create value for our ecosystem. The HackZone program, through brand visibility at local points of sale such as dealerships, stores,
which we aim to advance innovation in the insurance sector by and agencies through regional digital advertising.
forming innovative partnerships and utilizing technologies such as
AI and ML, has continued uninterrupted for five years. In addition Ingosa: An innovative advertising platform that transforms digital
to grants and project funding, the HackZone process is also advertising through generative artificial intelligence and voice-
supported by knowledge and experience sharing from more than 50 based AI technologies. Compared to traditional banner ads, Ingosa
expert mentors at Allianz. This support facilitates the adaptation achieves 10 times more engagement and 150 times higher attention
of startups to the insurance sector and enables them to develop from users. It also enables the collection of first-party data such
solutions focused on real-world needs,” he said. as names, emails, and phone numbers with user consent. Actively
working with 46 brands, Ingosa is expanding in global markets,
26 Startups Collaborated with the Insurance Sector for the especially in the UK, North America, Canada, and Europe, while
First Time forming strategic partnerships. A recent graduate of the Allianz
Onur Kırcı stated that they act with the responsibility of being the HackZone program, Ingosa aims to develop projects with Allianz
first company to introduce the concept of open insurance to the Türkiye to enhance customer engagement.