IoT Infrastructure Investments to be Covered By First-of-a-Kind Industrial Insurance

IoT Infrastructure Investments to be Covered By First-of-a-Kind Industrial Insurance

Relayr, HSB Team Up to Insure that IoT Returns Match a Company’s Projections.

Companies making substantial investments in the “Internet of Things” (IoT) will be able to protect their return on those investments through an innovative new breed of “IoT-enabled” insurance products, relayr, the industry leader in IoT platforms, said today.

Relayr announced it is partnering with HSB, part of Munich Re, to craft customized insurance products to provide financial confidence for relayr’s customers making IoT investments. HSB has 150 years of experience insuring the equipment and technology used by businesses; its work with relayr represents the insurance industry’s first industrial IoT-specific set of offerings.

Relayr co-founder Josef Brunner said the collaboration with HSB will transform the entire IoT landscape.

“People have long talked about the potential savings and increased efficiencies that are going to be possible with the Internet of Things,” Brunner said. “But now, we are doing much more than talking about it. We are literally going to do it.”

Brunner said HSB decided to partner with relayr after becoming a customer and seeing for itself the advantages of the company’s IoT hardware, software and consulting services.

In addition to joining forces on the innovative new line of insurance products, Munich Re/HSB Ventures is also leading a $23 million financing round for relayr, in which it is being joined by legendary Silicon Valley venture firm Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, as well as Munich Venture Partners.

Greg Barats, president and chief executive officer of HSB, said the relayr partnership is only possible because of the IoT itself, notably the way it provides non-stop, real-time information that HSB can use to inform its underwriting decisions.

“We’re excited about collaborating with relayr to combine insurance solutions with their IoT applications,” Barats said.

“HSB can help relayr’s clients have confidence in their IoT investments by creating financial assurance that they will benefit, whether it involves increasing output, decreasing downtime, developing new revenue streams or reducing maintenance costs.”

Brunner said the partnership with HSB will not only benefit the companies that work with relayr directly, but also has the potential to, in turn, help the customers of those companies. For example, one of relayr’s first industrial customers in IoT is Schindler, a leading global elevator and escalator provider.

“As a customer of relayr from the early days, I am very pleased with their strategic eco-system development,” said Michael Nilles, Schindler Chief Digital Officer. “The new partnerships will allow relayr to further expand their business scope from technology towards comprehensive IoT based business model offerings for the benefit of existing and new customers.”

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