The first investment in a social enterprise led by Dubai based investment fund Jabbar and London based Eos Venture Partners 

Dubai, UAE, 22 October, 2017 — Democrance, a UAE based insurance technology startup with a mission to enable partnerships that make insurance accessible and affordable for those who need it most, raised USD 800,000 during its first round of funding.

Leading regional and global individual and institutional investors participated in this round, including Jabbar Internet Group, one of the most prominent investors in internet and technology companies in the Arab World and Eos Venture Partners, a global InsurTech (Insurance-Technology) Venture Capital investor based in London.

Other investors included Turn8 from the UAE, F-Horizon Group from Saudi Arabia, Seedstars from Switzerland and several angel investors from the UAE and broader MENA region, Europe, South Asia and the United States.

Michele Grosso, Co-Founder and CEO of Democrance, said: “We are excited to implement ground breaking technology through a social enterprise model and provide insurance to income groups that need it, but face numerous barriers in attaining it. Democrance is the first regional insurance technology platform of its kind, and this important first investment will enable us to further develop our technology and broaden our reach.”

Democrance is set to pave the way in developing the InsurTech industry along with educating the public about its usages and benefits. The digital platform brings together insurance and telecommunication companies, allowing users to get access to insurance through their mobile phone, without even having access to a bank account.

Samih Toukan, Chairman of Jabbar, said: “Investing in Democrance aligns with our vision to embrace entrepreneurs in the Arab World who are willing to innovate and take risks to create something great. The technological advancement that Democrance has brought to the market is not only pivotal in terms of developing the insurance industry but critical to society’s welfare as it is inclusive and covers the working class that would typically not have easy access to insurance.”

Sam Evans, Founder and General Partner of Eos Venture Partners said: ” At Eos we have a strong focus on developing markets where we believe the impact of new technology, like Democrance, can have a profound impact. Our focus as a global InsurTech specialized fund is to bridge the ‘digital chasm’ between InsurTech start-ups and traditional insurance companies. Democrance embodies this principle perfectly.”

Worldwide insurance penetration stands at 6%, while emerging markets reach only half of that figure. In the MENA region, only 1% of the lower-income population can access and afford microinsurance. Democrance has set itself a target to provide access to basic life and health insurance to 15 million low-income people across the MENA region by the year 2020 – a population segment in which majority have never been insured before.

Ends

About Democrance

Democrance, founded in 2015, is an insurance technology start-up with a mission to enable partnerships that make insurance accessible and affordable for those who need it most. Democrance has created a digital platform that brings together two key industries  – insurance and telecommunications companies.

By forging new partnerships, we unlock new markets for businesses, while at the same time creating social value for those populations, which have previously been excluded from the benefits, and protection insurance can provide.

Through tapping into technology, we aim to restore insurance to its original purpose of providing mutual aid for those who need it most but can afford it least.

For media enquiries, please contact:
Magdalena Stepien
Email: media@democrance.com