[Tel Aviv, May 22, 2019] – VOOM, the world’s first on-demand, telematics-based insurance platform for specialized mobility, today announced that it has emerged from stealth and closed a $5M Series A funding round. The round was led by Arbor Ventures with participation from returning investors F2 Capital, Verizon Ventures, and Kaedan Capital, as well as new partner Plug and Play Ventures. The funding brings the total amount raised to $7M.
VOOM will build on the success of SkyWatch.AI, the usage-based insurance for commercial drones. In addition to drone insurance, VOOM will offer on-demand insurance for episodic usage mobility including e-scooters, powersports, motor boats, small planes, and other modes of transport.
“With the rise of on-demand mobility services such as e-scooters, we discovered that in most cases, riders are not covered in case of an accident. And much more importantly, they are not aware of this fact,” said Tomer Kashi, CEO and Co-Founder of VOOM. “VOOM will ensure that users of unique mobility platforms can grab insurance on-the-go from their mobile devices whether they ride, fly, or sail.”
With the rising popularity of on-demand mobility around the world, the need for effective on-demand insurance has never been more relevant. Reports show that e-scooter accidents are on the rise across major US cities, with some doctors reporting to see as many as ten severe injuries a week. Yet scooter companies are not known to issue insurance policies that protect riders from liabilities and personal injuries; insurance platforms that do exist for alternate forms of mobility such as boats and motorcycles are largely limited to rigid, annual based plans.
VOOM will build upon SkyWatch.AI’s telemetry-based risk analysis engine for commercial drones, which provides users with a mobile application that sends operators real-time hazard warnings, feedback, and actionable insights on how they fly. VOOM’s new platform will collect mobility data points to analyze potential safety threats, including weather information and hazardous environments. VOOM will use this data to score users’ safety and performance to customize insurance policies.
“Insurance is a given across every traditional mobility category. However, coverage offerings clearly haven’t kept up with shifting consumer behaviors and emerging risks, such as those associated with micro mobility usage,” said Lior Simon, Vice President and Head of Israel at Arbor Ventures. “I believe in the VOOM team’s ability to execute their vision and am thrilled for them to join Arbor’s portfolio.”
“We saw the demand and traction with SkyWatch.AI and are thrilled to support the new funding round with VOOM’s driven, entrepreneurial team to evolve their insurance model and deep technology to the booming micro-mobility market and other mobility verticals in coming years,” said Barak Rabinowitz, Managing Partner at F2 Capital.
VOOM will seek to collaborate with top insurance carriers to offer users on-demand, usage-based insurance policies for multiple modes of transport. Its user-friendly app and web portal, backed by its underlying AI-based risk analytics platform, make it easy for consumers to purchase inclusive and affordable on-demand insurance from their iOS or Android device, or via the web.
About VOOM
VOOM is the world’s first on-demand, telematics-based insurtech platform for specialized mobility products, dedicated to protecting users for anything they ride, fly, or sail. The company’s first product, SkyWatch.AI, leverages the power of machine learning to assess and mitigate risks and provide on-demand insurance for thousands of drone pilots operating across the US. VOOM’s data-driven, usage-based insurance products include multiple high-risk, episodic-usage mobility verticals, including e-scooters, e-bikes, powersports, motor boats, and small planes. Headquartered in Tel Aviv with an office in Palo Alto, CA, VOOM is a licensed insurance broker in all 50 US states.
About Arbor Ventures
Arbor Ventures is a global early-stage venture capital firm focused on shaping the way the world transacts by investing in companies at the intersection of financial services, AI and digital commerce. We partner with extraordinary founders and help accelerate their growth with Arbor’s global strategic network.
About F2 Capital
F2 Capital is the leading seed stage venture capital fund in Israel, backing frontier technology companies at the junction of Big Data, AI, and Connectivity. F2 Capital offers elite mentorship, a global network of multi-national partners and Israel’s top accelerator program to help bold founders build game-changing companies. Established in 2017, F2 Capital is managed by Barak Rabinowitz, Jonny Saacks and Eddy Shalev, a team of highly experienced and founder-friendly investors.
