Insurtech Gateway has once again been named among the Financial Times and Statista’s leading startup hubs in Europe — for the third year in a row. This year’s listing is a powerful external validation of our model as the specialist insurtech investor for early-stage founders reimagining how risk is measured, mitigated, and managed.
Recognised again by the FT
The list is compiled from in‑depth research and founder surveys across 3000 startup hubs in Europe, resulting in a carefully ranked top 180. We are thrilled to be included again in this renowned report and see it as independent confirmation that our focused, specialist approach is delivering results.
Our core belief and thesis
Insurance is society’s original safety net, quietly powering innovation and economic growth. As climate change and emerging markets reshape global risk, we believe insurance has a critical role to play in enabling the green transition and building a more resilient future. Founders, unburdened by legacy systems and bureaucracy, are uniquely placed to innovate, and we exist to help them do it.
We invest in Pre‑Seed and Seed ventures that transform risk, whether through software, data, new products, innovative underwriting or tech‑enabled services. We look for teams solving critical problems, capturing and analysing data to enhance underwriting or distribution and enabling insurance to reach new markets.
What the FT recognition tells founders
Being recognised for a third year shows that early‑stage founders building in complex insurance markets need more than capital — they need a specialist incubation partner. The FT listing highlights our ability to support founders regardless of prior insurance experience, from idea stage through to launch and scale. It also underlines the strength of our global network across carriers, brokers and investors, which we’ve purpose‑built to accelerate ambitious insurtech teams.
“Without the support of the Insurtech Gateway incubator, there might not have been a Bondaval. By sponsoring us as an Appointed Representative under their FCA license, Gateway gave us the regulatory support we needed to start operating immediately: the equivalent of a two-year head start. Now, their guidance has helped us to navigate the process and become directly authorised with the FCA ourselves. They have been invaluable champions of the business.”
Tom Powell, CEO at Bondaval
The power of our platform
Over the last nine years, we have designed a platform that brings together investment capital, underwriting capacity, regulatory permissions, compliance and specialist knowledge — all in one place.
The impact of that model is now visible in our latest data:
- 80% of our portfolio has gone on to raise their next round or achieve acquisition.
- 100% of our Appointed Representatives have successfully graduated to independent FCA authorisation.
These numbers demonstrate that our founders are not only getting to market faster, but are also well‑positioned to raise follow‑on capital and build durable, regulated businesses.
“Insurtech Gateway’s feedback is always incredibly constructive, and allows us to rapidly refine our strategy. They understand the market we’re tackling, the model we’re trying to break, and the plan behind it. They’ve made key introductions, brought in fresh perspectives, and stayed hands-on in the best possible way. We chose them to lead our round because they know this space inside-out — having their voice in our ear has been invaluable.”
Dr Tom Philp, Founder at MaxInfo
Our build and launch platform
Insurtech Gateway is the fastest place to launch an insurtech MGA or SaaS business, even if you are new to insurance. We invest in one company at a time in each incubator, so every founder receives dedicated, hands‑on support tailored to their specific product, market and regulatory needs.
Investment capital
- Direct investment of up to £1m.
- Curated angel network, bringing active, well‑connected investors excited about reshaping the future of risk.
- Global VC network with 100+ co‑investors ready to follow our lead at the next stage.
- Critical investor metrics defined from day one to make future fundraising faster and more efficient.
“When we were fundraising Gateway had our back. They helped refine our messaging, made intros, and kept momentum. It made a difference.”
Andrew Walker, Co-Founder & CEO at Asterias
Distribution: SaaS and MGA launch pads
- SaaS launch pad to co‑develop solutions with innovation‑focused insurers and distribution partners.
- MGA launch pad to partner with progressive brokers ready to distribute new insurance products.
“Gateway’s hands-on approach has been invaluable.”
Haris Khan, Co-Founder at Novee
Regulation and FCA authorisation
- Gateway Appointed Representative status so founders can access the market in weeks, not years.
- Hands‑on support across compliance, product governance, regulatory requirements and risk management.
- Guided journey from Appointed Representative to full, independent FCA authorisation without interrupting trading.
“Gateway gave us the regulatory support we needed to start operating immediately: the equivalent of a two-year head start.”
Natalia Dorfman, Co-Founder at Kita
Insurance product and capacity
- Expert guidance on designing robust insurance product structures.
- Efficient access to the London Market via Lloyd’s broker status.
- Critical insurance metrics and milestones defined on day one, aligning all stakeholders.
- We work closely with 60+ insurers and reinsurers across London, Bermuda, North America, Europe and APAC. Over 75% of our insurer network is focused on specialty or complex risk.
- We work closely with 25+ brokers across the UK, Europe, North America and global specialty markets. Around 60% of our broker network focuses on specialty or complex risk.
‘With Insurtech Gateway’s market connections we were able to secure new underwriting within weeks.’
Benjamin Hay, Co-Founder of Onsi
Operations, insight and PR
- Vetted build partners and third‑party providers to streamline operations and secure preferential terms.
- Access to a Gateway‑backed policy administration system that offers exceptional value for early‑stage teams.
- Collective learning, benchmarks and playbooks to help founders avoid common pitfalls and scale smarter.
- Marketing and PR support to clarify the story, cut through the noise and reach the right audiences via our channels and media network.
“With Gateway it feels like having an extra member of the team, we can move faster.”
Jana, Co-Founder at NeuWave
What we look for in founders
We back brilliant founding teams with exceptional ideas who are ready to reimagine risk. At Pre‑Seed, you do not need insurance experience or a finished product — but you do need perseverance, curiosity and ambition, and we will help with the rest. At Seed, we look for lived experience and deep conviction about the problem, obsession with the customer’s pain point, a technical or data moat, early customer validation, and a roadmap to something defensible and scalable. We also look for clarity on “why now” and “why you,” a willingness to iterate quickly based on customer feedback, and strong technical or product execution.
If this sounds like you, pitch or drop in for a chat.
An evergreen pipeline of innovation
Three years of FT recognition reflect a long journey that started in 2017. We set out to build an independent platform and ecosystem that would attract and support entrepreneurial founders who wanted to change the world by leveraging insurance. That vision has now matured into a sustainable, evergreen pipeline of diverse business and social solutions — from climate and mobility to health and broader risk — with our portfolio live in 100+ countries and counting. For our partners, this means a steady flow of curated, market‑ready concepts that can plug into their strategy and unlock new product lines at scale.
Join us
We are looking for strategic partners and angel investors who want to own the next wave of innovation in insurance and help unlock the next generation of insurance product lines.
Curious? Get in touch.