Lloyd’s picks 12 startups
Lloyd’s announced 12 insurtechs for its 16th Lab Accelerator after Pitch Day — another sign carriers and market utilities are still funding specialized startups for claims, underwriting and market plumbing. The cohort evolution points to continued deal flow between incumbents and niche tech vendors. (x.com)
The 12 companies named for Cohort 16 are Defenza, Elysian, Exona Lab, Elysia (Fortescue), ITUS Protect, Nolana, Phyll, Plain Site, Plastic‑i, PolicyCheck, Resilico and Vera, each pitched against themes spanning operational efficiency, new Lloyd’s market products and an Ireland-focused resilience strand. The accelerator drew roughly 220 global applications, shortlisted 20 teams for Pitch Day on 4 March 2026, and will run as a ten‑week programme with mandatory in‑person weeks at Lloyd’s (welcome week 27 Apr–1 May; week 6: 1–5 Jun; Demo Day mid‑July). Elysian, described as an “AI‑native TPA” for commercial claims, will adapt its Claim Conductor platform in the programme to deliver real‑time claims quality review, coverholder/TPA oversight and syndicate compliance reporting for Lloyd’s specialty lines. Nolana positions itself as an “agentic AI operating system” targeting automation across insurance operations — specifically to reduce manual processes and tackle pressures in claims, delegated authority and financial operations — and was selected under the operational‑efficiency theme. PolicyCheck will focus on delegated‑authority and wording oversight by converting binding authorities and complex endorsements into queryable “digital twins” for pre‑bind clarity, while Exona Lab will supply an AI risk engine to quantify advanced/systemic AI exposures for underwriters. (policycheck.uk/) (exonalab.com/) The Ireland/resilience strand brings flood, infrastructure and water‑risk solutions into the Lab: Plain Site embeds nature‑based flood interventions into commercial property underwriting, Resilico supplies property flood‑resilience compliance tools (used in industry pilots such as Aviva), Phyll delivers real‑time infrastructure monitoring, and Plastic‑i offers environmental intelligence for water‑related underwriting. (plainsite.io/) (resilico.com/) (phyll.ai/) (plastic-i.com/) Lloyd’s frames Cohort 16 around operational efficiency, new product development and Ireland‑specific resilience priorities, and notes its Lab alumni have raised over $1.7 billion, generated $359 million in gross written premium and that 97% remain active in the Lloyd’s market; the programme also does not take equity in participants.
