Here’s To The Crazy Ones

“When we pitched our idea to insurance companies for a fixed fee and that the surplus would be donated for charitable purposes, many of them wondered if we were crazy” – Hedvig’s cofounder and CEO, Lucas Carlsén. This leaves me wondering whether some insurance companies haven’t heard of Lemonade , or do they just think they’re crazy.

Let’s move on. Inter Hannover, the P&C insurer owned by Hannover Re, is betting on “crazy” by providing the licensing and balance sheet for  Hedvig , Sweden’s version of Lemonade.

This is Hedvig:

The startup that launched earlier this month offers Swedes a new type of insurance that’s “based on clever technology, thought and common sense”. It currently offers home insurance via a fully digital mobile experience, specifically for those who live in apartments. The company charges a 20% fee and 80% goes to Inter Hannover for paying claims. Also, it offers insureds the option to select a charity, in the case that there’s leftover cash at the end of the year.

Hedvig, established in 2016 by John Ardelius, Lucas Carlsén and Fredrik Fors, is currently a team of 8 according to LinkedIn.

The company recently raised an undisclosed amount from several angel investors, including: Sophia Bendz, who was involved in building Spotify, Niklas Zennström, Skype cofounder and former CEO, Nicklas Storåkers former CEO of Avanza Bank and Sven Hagström, founder of Avanza Bank.

Eventually, Inter Hannover stepped in and said yes. “They already had the attitude that this development will happen, that startups will challenge this industry. I think they felt they wanted to join the train” – Hedvig’s cofounder and COO, Fredrik Fors.

Speaking of trains, thinking about The Commuter, because only Liam Neeson can save this ride.