Nearly 100 startups applied to the 6th edition of HackZone, organized by Allianz Türkiye since 2020; 7 startups were selected. The total investment received by the ventures from the ecosystem rose to more than 17 million dollars, an increase of over 2 million dollars compared with last year.
Applications were submitted in the following categories:
- Financial consulting
- Digital health
- Contact center
- Agentic AI
The “The Future of Insurance with AI” panel held at Demo Day addressed the impact of AI on ways of working, customer experience, data use and the future of insurance. Allianz Türkiye executives Kaan Toker and Onur Kırcı, along with Gartner President Yunus Özdemir, took part in the panel.
Why it matters
The scope of the program shows that the search for innovation in the insurance sector is not limited to policy products alone; it addresses financial consulting, digital health, customer services and AI-based workflows together. The increase in the investment volume reached by the ventures indicates that HackZone should be viewed as more than an idea-stage gathering, and as a platform connected to financing activity within the ecosystem. The fact that the discussion on AI was conducted around ways of working, customer experience and data use shows that technological transformation concerns both company operations and the relationship established with customers. The open question is what concrete applications the selected ventures will develop in these areas and how they will be used in insurance.