Hippo Insurance was founded in 2015, started selling homeowners insurance policies online in 2017, and in October 2018, during its first policy year, faced one of the worst wildfire seasons in California history. In the aftermath of the destruction, Carrier Management asked the startup home insurer’s CEO and co-founder Assaf Wand how the company and its insureds fared.

“Rather than waiting for claims to emerge, we monitored the homes we covered in California,” Wand said. “We implemented active maps, artificial intelligence technology and partnered with aerial imagery providers to leverage unique data sources that allowed us to identify all of our policyholders living in fire watch areas. We then contacted them personally to ask if they needed help securing alternative accommodations for themselves and their pets, as their properties quickly became active fire areas. Before they reached out to us, we were able to preemptively file claims for 80 percent of our customers.”