InsurTech: Execs from AIG and John Hancock talk startups, sensors, more

From left to right: Moderator Deirdre Fernandes, The Boston Globe; Sandy Kreis, John Hancock; Chris Cheatham, RiskGenius; Murli Buluswar, AIG; and Shereen Shermak, Good Growth Capital.

By Kelsey Alpaio, Staff Writer

How can insurance companies be nimbler as innovators — in the face of strict regulatory oversight, customer concerns about privacy, and decades of ingrained thinking about “the way things are done”?

At the Future of InsurTech event at MassChallenge earlier this month, a panel of insurance experts, including innovators from John Hancock and AIG, discussed these challenges and others. Eleven startups also showcased their work.

The panel featured Sandy Kreis, Director of Labs North America at John Hancock; Chris Cheatham, CEO & Founder of RiskGenius; Murli Buluswar, Chief Science Officer at AIG; and Shereen Shermak, Director at Good Growth Capital. Here are some of the highlights from the panel, along with descriptions of the 11 startups featured at the event.