The Global Rapid Accelerator Heads to Munich July 14-17, 2025

This summer, the most promising insurtech startups from across the globe will gather in Munich for a unique opportunity to connect with insurance leaders, investors, and innovation scouts. Hosted in partnership with InsurTech Israel and InsurTech Hub Munich, the Global Rapid Accelerator (GRA) is more than a traditional startup program—it’s a fast-moving platform for international collaboration, validation, and real-world outcomes.

“The Global Rapid Accelerator is a fast-paced, outcome-driven program designed to connect innovative insurtech startups from around the world with leading insurance companies and investors,” says Kobi Bendelak, CEO of InsurTech Israel and the architect behind the program. “It emphasizes real-world business development and pilot opportunities, enabling startups to scale and validate their solutions in a meaningful and collaborative environment.”

Born From a Global Need

Now in its third year, the GRA was created with a specific mission: to bridge the gap between emerging technology and the evolving needs of the insurance industry—especially in geographies that have historically lacked access to global innovation platforms.

“We recognized that promising solutions were often being developed in regions outside of the traditional insurtech hubs—regions like India, Africa, and South and Central America,” Bendelak explains. “Over the last three years, the program has expanded to include participants from across these underserved geographies, offering them a global stage and direct access to insurance leaders.”

It’s that global stage—and the compressed format—that sets the Global Rapid Accelerator apart. While many accelerators span months, the GRA delivers its value in just four days.

“Unlike traditional accelerators that take place over several months, the GRA delivers concentrated value in just four days,” says Bendelak. “It focuses on intensive, curated meetings between startups and corporate partners, leading to faster validation, decision-making, and often, post-program collaboration.”

This speed and efficiency are by design. The team behind the GRA believes that true value isn’t created by how long a program lasts, but by how impactful the connections are.

A Global Cohort Tackling Regional Challenges

This year’s program will feature 10–12 startups representing diverse sectors, including AI, climate risk, cyber, embedded insurance, and digital health. Startups are arriving from North America, Europe, Latin America, Africa, Israel, and South and Southeast Asia, offering a remarkably international lens on insurtech innovation.

Bendelak notes several key themes emerging from this year’s cohort:

“We’re seeing a strong emphasis on generative AI for underwriting and claims, climate resilience and parametric solutions, distribution innovation through embedded models, and tools for improving cyber readiness and customer engagement.”

These aren’t just buzzwords—they’re technology responses to some of the most pressing challenges in today’s insurance landscape, many of which are deeply rooted in regional needs. According to Bendelak, this gives insurers a powerful opportunity:

“Many of these solutions are deeply tied to regional challenges, offering insurers a chance to explore innovation with a global lens.”

Strategic Partnerships Power the Experience

The GRA thrives on collaboration. In 2023, the program was hosted in Des Moines, Iowa, in partnership with BrokerTech Ventures and the Global Insurance Accelerator—a move that introduced startups to key players in the U.S. market.

This year, the program shifts to Europe, where InsurTech Hub Munich will take the hosting lead, providing local expertise and a strong European network.

“We’ve had a long-standing relationship with both InsurTech Hub Munich and BrokerTech Ventures,” Bendelak says. “InsurTech Hub Munich brings deep access and expertise within the European ecosystem, while BrokerTech Ventures continues to represent a strong connection to the U.S. market. Their engagement ensures our global perspective is maintained.”

“These partnerships not only elevate the quality of the experience for the startups,” he adds, “but also provide tremendous value to our global insurance and innovation community.”

From Introduction to Implementation

While many innovation events end with a handshake and a business card, the GRA is built to extend well beyond the initial meeting.

“Through a combination of curated one-on-one meetings, ecosystem events, and ongoing follow-up support, we focus not just on introductions but on outcomes,” Bendelak says. “Many participating startups secure pilot programs or commercial engagements, and we stay involved beyond the program to nurture these opportunities into lasting partnerships.”

For Bendelak and his team, the measure of success is clear—and refreshingly practical.

“We track measurable business outcomes such as partnerships launched, POCs signed, and capital raised,” he explains. “For the broader insurance ecosystem, success is defined by the access to high-quality, vetted innovation from around the world, and the ability to co-create or adopt solutions that might otherwise remain undiscovered.”

And the program isn’t just about serving startups. It’s designed to create strategic advantages for corporate partners and investors as well.

“An additional goal is to provide meaningful value to our partners—whether through thought leadership visibility, innovation scouting, or deep involvement in shaping the future of insurance.”

Looking Ahead

As the GRA heads to Munich, one thing is clear: the future of insurance innovation is global—and it’s moving fast. With a structure built for efficiency, a pipeline filled with high-potential startups, and a network of committed partners, the Global Rapid Accelerator is redefining what it means to connect innovation with impact.

Those interested in participating as a mentor in this year’s Global Rapid Accelerator can reach out directly to Kobi Bendelak at kobi.bendelak@outlook.com. 

Q&A

1. What is the Global Rapid Accelerator Program?
The Global Rapid Accelerator (GRA) is a fast-paced, outcome-driven program designed to connect innovative insurtech startups from around the world with leading insurance companies and investors. The program emphasizes real-world business development and pilot opportunities, enabling startups to scale and validate their solutions in a meaningful and collaborative environment.

2. What inspired the creation of the Global Rapid Accelerator Program, and how has it evolved over the last three years?
The GRA was created to bridge the gap between emerging insurtech startups and the evolving needs of the insurance industry. We recognized that promising solutions were often being developed in regions outside of the traditional global insurtech hubs—regions like India, Africa, and South and Central America. Over the last three years, the program has expanded to include participants from across these underserved geographies, offering them a global stage and direct access to insurance leaders.

3. What makes this accelerator "rapid" and how does that set it apart from more traditional insurtech programs?
Unlike traditional accelerators that take place over several months, the GRA delivers concentrated value in just four days. It focuses on intensive, curated meetings between startups and corporate partners, leading to faster validation, decision-making, and often, post-program collaboration.

4. What are the goals for this year's program?
This year’s program is about building bridges between global insurance stakeholders and highly promising startups from regions that typically remain under the radar due to geographic and market constraints. Our aim is to:

• Provide a launchpad for startups from overlooked markets
• Help insurers discover new technologies with unique regional insights
• Deliver tangible value to program partners through deal flow, co-development, and thought leadership exposure
• Create long-lasting relationships that extend beyond the event

5. How many startups are participating this year and from what regions/sectors?
We anticipate 10–12 selected startups from diverse sectors including AI, climate risk, cyber, embedded insurance, and digital health. Startups are coming from North America, Europe, Latin America, Africa, Israel, and South and Southeast Asia.

6. Are there any themes or technologies you're seeing emerge among this year's cohort?
Yes—key themes include generative AI for underwriting and claims, climate resilience and parametric solutions, distribution innovation through embedded models, and tools for improving cyber readiness and customer engagement. Many of these solutions are deeply tied to regional challenges, offering insurers a chance to explore innovation with a global lens.

7. What role do your partners—InsurTech Munich and BrokerTech Ventures—play in the program, and how did these collaborations evolve?
We’ve had a long-standing relationship with both InsurTech Munich and BrokerTech Ventures. Last year, the program was hosted in Des Moines, Iowa, in partnership with BrokerTechVentures and Global Insurance Accelerator, where their support was instrumental in shaping and producing a high-quality experience.
This year, we chose to bring the program to Europe, in collaboration with InsurTech Munich, which brings deep access and expertise within the European ecosystem. BrokerTechVentures continues to represent a strong connection to the U.S. market, and their engagement in the overall design and delivery of the program ensures our global perspective is maintained. These partnerships not only elevate the quality of the experience for the startups but also provide tremendous value to our global insurance and innovation community.

8. How does the Global Rapid Accelerator foster long-term collaborations between startups and insurance incumbents?
Through a combination of curated one-on-one meetings, ecosystem events, and ongoing follow-up support, we focus not just on introductions but on outcomes. Many participating startups secure pilot programs or commercial engagements, and we stay involved beyond the program to nurture these opportunities into lasting partnerships.

9. How do you measure the success of the accelerator—for both startups and the larger insurance ecosystem?
We track measurable business outcomes such as partnerships launched, POCs signed, and capital raised. For the broader insurance ecosystem, success is defined by the access to high-quality, vetted innovation from around the world, and the ability to co-create or adopt solutions that might otherwise remain undiscovered. An additional goal is to provide meaningful value to our partners—whether through thought leadership visibility, innovation scouting, or deep involvement in shaping the future of insurance.

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