Hippo : Ernst and Young Announces Assaf Wand of Hippo as an Entrepreneur Of The Year 2021

I'm excited about what's ahead, for myself and Hippo, as we work to bring the focus back to the customer and further our vision of protecting the joy of homeownership through innovation within the home.

PALO ALTO, Calif. (PRWEB)August 13, 2021

Ernst & Young LLP (EY US) today announced that Assaf Wand, co-founder & CEO of Hippo, the home insurance group that created a new standard of care and protection for homeowners, was named an Entrepreneur Of The Year® 2021 Northern California Award winner. The Entrepreneur Of The Year Awards program is one of the preeminent competitive awards for entrepreneurs and leaders of high-growth companies. The award recognizes those who are unstoppable entrepreneurial leaders, excelling in talent management; degree of difficulty; financial performance; societal impact and building a values-based company; and originality, innovation and future plans. Wand was selected by an independent panel of judges, and the award was announced during the program's virtual awards gala on August 4.

'One of the most relevant things you can do as an entrepreneur is to solve interesting problems within massive industries,' said Assaf Wand, co-founder & CEO of Hippo. 'I learned early in my career that building the right team and culture to attack these big problems is the best way to grow, personally and professionally. I'm excited about what's ahead, for myself and Hippo, as we work to bring the focus back to the customer and further our vision of protecting the joy of homeownership through innovation within the home.'

Founded in 2015, Hippo's goal is to make homes safer and better protected by taking a proactive approach designed to prevent losses. Harnessing real-time data, smart home technology, and a growing suite of home services, the company is creating the first vertically integrated, end-to-end home protection and insurance platform.

Hippo's licensed property casualty agency, Hippo Insurance Services, is a leader in the transformation of the $105 billion U.S. home insurance industry, digitizing the entire home insurance process in order to create lasting advantages and efficiencies across the customer lifecycle. The company built an insurance experience that is simple, modern, and proactive. Its proprietary underwriting engine leverages augmented intelligence and machine learning to prefill customer applications and accurately assess and price a property's risk at the point of purchase, enabling accurate quotes in under a minute and completed purchases in just five minutes on average.

Hippo's omni-channel distribution allows customers to buy policies however and wherever they want: online, through an agent, or with one of the company's growing number of partners. Hippo's coverage is designed for today's homeowners, replacing coverage for items such as fur coats and china sets with more protection of crucial items such as home office equipment and water back-up. This modern coverage lowers the chance of its customers encountering unexpected gaps in coverage in the event of a loss.

In addition, Hippo's industry-leading Smart Home program is designed to help prevent events such as water damage, fires, and break-ins. The company also uses live data to anticipate and track major weather events, enabling its claims team to reach out in advance to help protect homeowners. For example, ahead of winter storm Uri in Texas that impacted millions, Hippo reached out to customers to help them prepare for frozen pipes or water damage, offering Hippo Home Care support for live video calls to prevent and resolve any immediate DIY issues. Hippo's intuitive and proactive protection platform is designed to reduce the likelihood of loss, while deepening its customer relationships and improving loyalty and retention. Home insurance products offered through Hippo Insurance Services are currently available in 37 states, covering more than 80% of the U.S. population, and the company expects its products to be available to 90% of the U.S. population by the end of 2021.

For 35 years, EY US has honored entrepreneurs whose ambition, courage and ingenuity have driven their companies' success, transformed their industries and made a positive impact on their communities. Wand will go on to become a lifetime member of the esteemed multi-industry community of award winners, with exclusive, ongoing access to the experience, insight and wisdom of fellow alumni and other ecosystem members in over 60 countries - all supported by vast EY resources.

As a Northern California award winner, Wand is now eligible for consideration for the Entrepreneur Of The Year 2021 National Awards. Award winners in several national categories, as well as the Entrepreneur Of The Year National Overall Award winner, will be announced in November at the Strategic Growth Forum®, one of the nation's most prestigious gatherings of high-growth, market-leading companies.

The Entrepreneur Of The Year program has honored the inspirational leadership of entrepreneurs such as:

• Brian Niccol of Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc.
• Saeju Jeong of Noom
• Joe DeSimone of Carbon, Inc.
• Howard Schultz of Starbucks Corporation
• Jodi Berg of Vitamix
• Reid Hoffman and Jeff Weiner of LinkedIn
• Hamdi Ulukaya of Chobani
• Kendra Scott of Kendra Scott LLC
• Andreas Bechtolsheim and Jayshree Ullal of Arista Networks
• James Park of Fitbit
• Daymond John of Fubu

Sponsors

Founded and produced by Ernst & Young LLP, the Entrepreneur Of The Year Awards are nationally sponsored by SAP America and the Kauffman Foundation. In Northern California, sponsors also include SolomonEdwards and Woodruff Sawyer.

About Entrepreneur Of The Year®
Entrepreneur Of The Year® is the world's most prestigious business awards program for unstoppable entrepreneurs. These visionary leaders deliver innovation, growth and prosperity that transform our world. The program engages entrepreneurs with insights and experiences that foster growth. It connects them with their peers to strengthen entrepreneurship around the world. Entrepreneur Of The Year is the first and only truly global awards program of its kind. It celebrates entrepreneurs through regional and national awards programs in more than 145 cities in over 60 countries. National overall winners go on to compete for the EY World Entrepreneur Of The Year™ title. ey.com/us/eoy

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About Hippo
Hippo offers a different kind of home insurance, built from the ground up to provide a new standard of care and protection for homeowners. Our goal is to make homes safer and better protected so customers spend less time worrying about the burdens of homeownership and more time enjoying their homes and the life within. Harnessing real-time data, smart home technology, and a growing suite of home services, we are creating the first integrated home protection platform. Hippo is headquartered in Palo Alto, California with offices in Austin and Dallas, Texas, and insurance products available to more than 80 percent of U.S. homeowners in 37 states. Hippo Insurance Services is a licensed property casualty insurance agent with products underwritten by various insurance companies. For more information, including licensing information, visit http://www.hippo.com.