Vienna Insurance Group launches its first corporate start-up, the ‘viesure innovation center’

Vienna Insurance Group (VIG) has launched its first internal corporate start-up, the “viesure innovation center” (viesure). Managed by VIG’s largest Group company, Wiener Städtische Versicherung, the new company will focus on emerging trends in customer service. The start-up will be based at the “Talent Garden Vienna”, the city’s newest innovation hotspot, and will also collaborate with the startup300 network.

Digitalisation is one of the leading priorities in VIG’s “Agenda 2020” work programme.

“Our Group companies are keeping close track of the digital transformation. Some of our insurance companies are already collaborating with start-ups and benefiting from the combination of the experience of an established business with new innovative drive and an unconventional approach. I’m delighted that we have now launched a new start-up of our own under the management of Wiener Städtische and can begin positioning it in Austria. The creative outputs will then also be put to use within the Group,” explained Elisabeth Stadler, CEO of the Vienna Insurance Group.

The aim of the new start-up is to help make purely digital interaction with insurance customers easier, faster and more transparent. This involves creating a digital ecosystem, digitalising internal customer-facing processes and designing innovative services that deliver added value.

“We are bundling our digital focuses in this new company, and at the same time capitalising on external know-how and the innovative spirit of the start-up environment. This will enable us to respond even quicker to evolving customer needs, cultural change and shifts in the market. viesure will play a part in consolidating Wiener Städtische’s position as an innovation leader on the Austrian market,” emphasised Wiener Städtische Versicherung CEO Robert Lasshofer.

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The new company will be headquartered at the “Talent Garden Vienna”, an innovation hotspot on Liechtensteinstrasse in the city’s ninth district. Detailed collaboration with the start-up scene is being driven forward by means of the Corporate Ecosystem partnership between Wiener Städtische and Talent Garden Vienna. Close cooperation with the startup300 network also opens up the opportunity to test and fine-tune business models against the backdrop of the digital transformation. Future trends, new digital services and innovative technologies are being trialled and given added impetus under the hashtag #creatingtomorrow. The new company can be reached at www.viesure.io.

Management of the new start-up is part of Wiener Städtische’s broad-based digital offensive, which is headed by Roland Gröll, Member of the Managing Board and responsible for IT. viesure will begin operations with a young, creative team of highly qualified IT and insurance experts. The viesure management team comprises Karin Kafesie and Dieter König, both of whom have been involved in developing and implementing innovation projects at Wiener Städtische. Karin Kafesie has extensive industry experience, and oversees strategic marketing and customer communication at Wiener Städtische. viesure will also benefit from her in-depth expertise in customer centricity and customer experience. Dieter König has specialised in digitalisation and the use of cutting-edge technologies for 20 years. He has wide-ranging international expertise in innovation projects, which he headed up for a global IT player in a range of managerial positions.