Northwestern Mutual Future Ventures

Northwestern Mutual Future Ventures Managing Director, Craig Schedler, recently shared his predictions in Digital Insurance latest article, titled, Gen AI and IoT: Insurtech predictions for 2025. He provides an overview of the venture capital opportunities within the #insurtech space as we move into the next year: "I am cautiously optimistic about venture capital opportunities within the insurtech space next year. In particular, VC investors will be attracted to companies leveraging GenAI with clearly identified use cases that solve real pain points. With GenAI, specifically, it will be important for startups to quickly demonstrate actual return on investment. Within Northwestern Mutual Future Ventures, we’re working with our portfolio companies to apply emerging technology to deliver the increasingly exceptional and seamless experience our clients are looking for." http://spr.ly/6040Q4SG8 #Insurtech #GenAI #IoT #Innovation #VentureCapital #EmergingTech #DigitalInsurance

We’re thrilled to announce that Vestwell has been invited to join the World Economic Forum's (WEF) exclusive Unicorn Community. WEF unites leaders from government, businesses, and civil society to make strategic progress toward improving the state of the world. This membership aligns with Vestwell’s mission of closing the savings gap and fostering a global culture of saving. Through our award-winning technology and industry-leading services, Vestwell aims to deliver an accessible and enhanced savings experience, creating a secure financial future for everyone. As part of this community, our founder and CEO, Aaron Schumm, has been invited to speak at the WEF’s Annual Meeting in Davos, Switzerland, this January. During the event, Aaron will engage with leaders shaping global and regional agendas who are driving progress toward a brighter future worldwide. Learn more: https://hubs.ly/Q0301Fzl0 #WEF25

Welcome to our December newsletter! The holiday season is just around the corner, and we’re excited to share our 2024 wrap-up along with the key highlights from this year. In this newsletter, you’ll find:   📊 Market Commentary: #2024 Wrap-Up 🌱 Recent Investments 🎙️ Interview with a Founder: Char Hu from The Helper Bees 🚀Portfolio News     Enjoy your reading! #insurtech #fintech #innovation #startups #NorthwesternMutualFutureVentures #venturecapital #vc #wealthtech #advisortech

This month, we had the opportunity to interview Char Hu, the founder and CEO of The Helper Bees. Char shares the story behind his inspiration to start The Helper Bees, the key business lessons he’s learned along the way, and what’s next for the company🐝🐝 #founder #entrepreneurship #startups #NorthwesternMutualFutureVentures #venturecapital #vcfunding #VC

Northwestern Mutual Future Ventures is thrilled to announce our latest investment in Sandbox Wealth!🚀 Sandbox Wealth is a banking solution for non-bank financial institutions. The company provides RIAs and Family Offices access to deposits, lending, and enterprise-grade analytics through its open architecture banking platform. Congratulations to Ray Denis and the whole Sandbox Wealth team! 👏👏👏 http://spr.ly/6048tCs4K #wealthtech #fintech #innovation #vcfunding #VC #NorthwesternMutualFutureVentures #banking

Our portfolio company Goalsetter founder and CEO, Tanya Van Court, joined Northwestern Mutual A Better Way to Money Podcast, where she discussed how to talk to kids about money and establish healthy financial habits early on 🎯🪴 👉Listen to the full episode: https://lnkd.in/gUM8FfMK

Congratulations to our portfolio company Levitate! 🚀

👋 Meet Jameel Ahmed, an analyst at Northwestern Mutual Future Ventures. He focuses on portfolio management, sourcing startups, and performing due diligence on prospective investments. This month we interviewed Jameel to learn more about him, his journey to VC, and his work with startups. 👨💻Your career transitioned from software engineering to venture capital. Can you share your story and what drove you to make this change? I’ve always been fascinated by engineering and business. And with software driving nearly everything today, becoming a software engineer made sense – I loved building products! But deep down, I was drawn to building and growing businesses. Naturally, my passion for investments grew as well. That’s when VC became the perfect blend – identifying, investing in, and working with innovative startups powered by software. I started business school, landed an internship in corporate VC, and soon enough, Northwestern Mutual Future Ventures was hiring for its VC team. And here I am! 🏆You meet a lot of founders – what do you think are the key characteristics that set successful founders apart? Successful founders often share distinct traits that set them apart. First, founders with experience in their respective sectors understand industry-specific challenges, driving execution success. Investors prefer founders who, along with their management teams, excel in both technical and financial management – particularly in raising and conserving capital. Additionally, founders with proven track records in highly competitive markets where execution is key are especially commendable. Lastly, those who have led successful, venture-backed companies and delivered strong returns to investors are highly sought after, as their prior success inspires confidence in future performance. 📚 Is there a book you’d recommend that you enjoy or find particularly insightful? The book I’d like to recommend sat unread on my shelf for several years before I finally picked it up. Stephen King's 11/22/63 is a gripping blend of historical fiction and time travel, centered on a high school teacher who discovers a portal to 1958. He's tasked with preventing the assassination of JFK on November 22, 1963, in hopes of altering the course of history. As he navigates the past, he grapples with the complexities of time, fate, and unintended consequences. Spoiler alert: it’s actually a romantic novel at heart – an interesting surprise King embeds in the story. #wealthtech #insurtech #fintech #advisortech #innovation #startups #NorthwesternMutualFutureVentures #venturecapital #vcfunding #VC #SaaS

Our Managing Director, Craig Schedler, will be joining Insurtech Insights webinar "From Idea to Impact: Accelerating Innovation Through Insurtech”. 👉 Don’t miss the opportunity to hear expert insights! 📅 Date: November 21st 🕚 Time: 11 AM EST #insurtech #innovation #insurance