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From Day 1, we set out to provide drivers with a new type of car insurance. Traditional car insurance doesn’t meet drivers’ needs: high rates, mediocre service, and policies that don’t consider how people’s lifestyles and driving behaviors can change. 

Today’s news is the start of a fundamental shift: Metromile is teaming up with Ford to provide owners of eligible Ford vehicles with built-in connectivity with personalized car insurance that will be more affordable and fairer. 

This is an important milestone for Metromile, and it’s even more important for drivers. That’s why I’m so excited about it. It’s a tangible example of how car insurance can adapt more closely to how our lives are changing — where we live and work (for many of us, that’s the same place right now), how we drive, and where we drive. Connecting your car directly to your insurance is a big step toward making insurance much more personalized to your driving habits. We’ll see more convenience, customization, and savings than ever before.

On the surface, Metromile and Ford might seem like an odd couple. Ford, founded in 1903, is among the top 15 largest corporations in the U.S. by revenue, and Metromile is a VC-backed startup launched less than ten years ago. Still, both companies share several things in common. We’re both fiercely passionate about the future of mobility. We’re both committed to delivering meaningful experiences to vehicle owners, and we’re both eager to use connected vehicles to create new ways to save on insurance and reduce the cost of ownership.

For us, Ford will help us rapidly evolve how we price insurance, measure real-time risk, and put drivers in control of an individualized pay per mile rate based on how and how much you drive. Connected vehicles like Ford’s — packed with sensors and safety features — open up myriad opportunities for us to leapfrog ahead in each of these areas.

For Metromile customers: know that we’re relentlessly striving to make car insurance as fair, personalized, and advanced as we possibly can. Ford is just one example of how we’re making that happen (for example, we invented fractional insurance so that vehicle owners can avoid overpaying for too much coverage). 

I, and many Metromilers, are customers ourselves. Our parents, friends, and families are also Metromile customers. We’re proud of what we’re building, but for us, that’s not enough. We want to save you money and make you smile when you open the Metromile app. We want to be the kind of company that you tell your friends and family about. You have enough companies in your life that feel like an obligation, or like you chose the lesser of two evils. That’s not the company we’re building, and it never will be. We’re continually exploring ways to set the bar higher and finding ways to improve your savings and experience. You have my word. 
As we progress — both with our work with Ford and more broadly in our march for fairer insurance — I’ll be sharing more of my thoughts on the Metromile blog and LinkedIn.

—

Dan Preston, CEO

Meet Mark Gundacker, Metromile’s new Chief People Officer. Mark joins us from Salesforce.org, the non-profit arm of Salesforce, where he led its growth from 350 to 1,100 employees — and prior to that brings decades of Human Resources leadership experience.

As we continue to grow our team (now more than 320!) across multiple offices and geographies, we’re excited to have Mark’s steady hand ensure we’re finding and keeping the best talent and remaining a best place to work.

What attracted you to Metromile?

I liked that Metromile is a disrupter. Creating an innovative model in a traditional industry is exciting. After working for a number of different organizations, including in the non-profit space, I wanted to work somewhere that I felt I could be innovative and make an impact. After meeting with Metromile leadership, I felt strongly that this was the right place.

What People philosophy do you bring coming from a nonprofit environment?

After working with passionate team members in the non-profit space, I had a new appreciation for the importance of having team members aligned to a strong organizational mission. If the team shares a common objective and vision it is much easier to work through any inevitable challenges — and this is as true in insurtech as it is anywhere else.

What’s something you wish people knew about People Ops?

Once people get to know me well they always tell me, “I can’t believe you are in HR”. And I always want to say “Take an HR person out to dinner and see how much fun you have!” Without a doubt, some of the most passionate, creative and amazingly fun people I have ever been with have been my HR colleagues.

Your background includes a pretty diverse set of industries. What perspective does that give you?

The big thing it’s given me is insight into how different types of organizations and people solve problems. I find this varied background helpful in being able to look at issues from a number of different angles.

What are your interests outside of work?

I’m on a number of non-profit boards including the Contra Costa Child Abuse Prevention Council, Food Bank of Contra Costa and Solano, and CISV — a program promoting peace education for children. Giving back has always been a big interest.

* * *

Welcome, Mark! We’re excited to have you.

Dan Preston is the CEO of Metromile.
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When Elon Musk announced that he was getting into car insurance, I wasn’t surprised — this is an industry full of opportunities for fresh thinking. I also wasn’t surprised he ran into some glitches on launch day.

I understand why Musk is frustrated: Tesla cars are packed with pioneering safety technology, but they are comparatively expensive to insure. We know firsthand; Metromile insures many Tesla owners (up 200% in the past year alone). Our data shows they are no more accident-prone than drivers of other cars, while their claims run about twice as much as other cars due to the high cost of repairing the on-board technology. 

From the expansion of autonomous navigation to the explosion of ride- and car-sharing platforms, technology is transforming both cars and car ownership. Insurance is ripe for disruption, too, which is why Metromile was founded eight years ago with a pay-per-mile model based on someone’s actual driving.

But drivers also value the service itself — beyond savings — whether that means a feature that monitors the car’s condition or an intuitive, design-first claims system. Consumers may be attracted to low prices, but how long they remain a customer depends on their experience.

The long-term opportunity lies in reducing the conflict and distrust between insurance companies and their customers. Right now, the relationship can be very transactional and full of tension. Insurers worry about risky drivers and fraudulent claims, while customers worry about being short-changed by obscure policy loopholes. It’s an adversarial process, and it can be grueling.

Technology offers massive opportunities for personalized insurance that can lower rates. We save many of our customers hundreds of dollars a year. Likewise, we recently partnered with Turo, a leading car-sharing company, to create fractional insurance to help reduce the costs of car ownership. 
And we’re on the cusp of even larger changes. Sooner or later, self-driving cars will become mainstream. As a result, cars will be safer and experience fewer accidents. While some accidents like a falling tree will happen no matter how advanced a car may be, we understand fundamentally that no two miles driven are the same; a mile driven autonomously could and should be insured differently than one driven by a human.

In the meantime, technology can reduce the tension between insurers and their customers. One way is by enabling personalized insurance customized to individual needs. Another is to make the claims process smoother and easier. Through AVA, our AI-powered claims system, we see the power of using a car’s telematics data to reconstruct an accident and assess the damage quickly — enabling us to pay some claims within minutes.   

That said, irresponsible technology can create traps. Just imagine how fast a fully-automated AI system could alienate customers by spitting out instant decisions they don’t like, or not being able to be guided by an experienced, empathetic claims-professional after a stressful accident. These are very nuanced issues; they require employees with exceptional insurance experience who can bring out the best of the technology while avoiding the roadside ditches.  

Without a doubt, I love Musk’s challenge to the status quo. But as Tesla pauses for an “algorithm update,” I hope they take my advice: insurance is about more than low prices. We need fresh thinking from carmakers and insurers alike.

 
We’re planning to partner with Turo to offer a brand new fractional insurance policy for shared mobility. Turo hosts will pay an affordable monthly base rate plus a per mile rate only on the miles they drive themselves.

As personal mobility evolves from traditional car ownership to shared mobility, auto insurance must evolve to provide car owners with fractional insurance — and we’re proud to be leading the way. We’re delighted to team up with Turo, one of the world’s leading car sharing marketplaces, to offer a new fractional insurance policy specifically designed for flexible car ownership. With this partnership, Turo hosts with Metromile insurance will pay a base rate plus pennies-per-mile for the personal miles they drive. Turo Insurance Agency ensures coverage for hosts’ cars while they’re booked, and hosts can save money on auto insurance by not doubling up.

Innovating auto insurance

Turo has changed the economics of car ownership by allowing hosts to offset the cost of their vehicles, and, for many hosts, auto insurance is a significant portion of that cost. As the leader in pay-per-mile auto insurance, we’re constantly striving to make coverage fair, flexible, and affordable. We’re very excited to begin integrating our innovative approach to insurance with Turo’s protection plans, resulting in a holistic and adaptable policy that is well suited to the different ways that Turo hosts use their cars.

How it will work

To track miles, Turo hosts will plug the Metromile Pulse device into their car’s diagnostic port. We’ll use data from the Pulse and the Turo host’s calendar to separate personal miles from miles driven on Turo guest trips. Hosts will pay a per-mile rate for the miles they drive themselves plus an affordable base rate. We expect to first launch in Illinois, and then roll out across California, Washington, Oregon, Virginia, New Jersey, Arizona, and Pennsylvania. These eight states collectively represent where more than 40% of Turo hosts are currently located.
 
Turo hosts who become Metromilers will join our growing community of drivers who come for substantive savings and stay for an unmatched experience — with mobile app features like street sweeping alerts, engine code analysis, and fuel tracking — that engage drivers all along their journey.
 
This is just one example of our commitment to addressing mobility’s rapid evolution. We’ll keep you posted as this partnership launches around the country.

Metromile VP Sathish Koteshwar recently spoke at Gartner’s Data and Analytics conference in Orlando. With several insurance-focused tracks and more than 4000 attendees, he came back even more pumped about what we’re doing at Metromile and our opportunity ahead. He shared some highlights with us.

What piqued your interest at the conference?

SK: For starters, I’d say Gartner’s own research struck the biggest chord. For example, Gartner predicts that by 2025 AI will become a requirement, not a competitive advantage. It made me realize we have a huge leg up at Metromile.

Gartner described the “Intelligent Insurer” as having four fundamental requirements:

1) A clear and innovative vision for the organization  

2) A strong data and analytics foundation

3) Industry leading leadership/people/culture

4) Cutting-edge technology and platform.

It’s exciting to be so far ahead on these fundamentals when others are just getting started.

Why are other insurers lagging?  

SK: The concept of telematics is new for many insurance providers and they are still figuring out how to incorporate it in their business models. It’s harder for insurers to pivot – given the size of their organizations, their complex hybrid infrastructure and lack of driving data around their policy holders. Their model is so different than ours, since we’ve built the very core of its business model around telematics.

What was the biggest takeaway on the claims front?

SK: I learned that many other insurers are just starting to implement some form of automated claims. They realize there are cost benefits and the fantastic customer experience it creates, in doing so, and want to drive those efficiencies for their organization. Yet, they’re very much in the early innings compared to where we’re at at Metromile with AVA, our AI driven claims system.”

How about in the area of fraud?

SK: Insurers are spending a lot of money on fraud detection — but they’re doing it with an army of humans trying to manually track it down, because they don’t have big, high quality data sets. Hearing that gave me an even greater appreciation for the fact that thanks our Pulse device we have 100% continuous telematics across all of our policy holders. This data — a 100% footprint of driving / behavior data — prevents so much fraud from happening in the first place; and if it does occur, we’re able to quickly root it out. This further enables us to pass these savings to our customers and offer really competitive pricing on auto insurance.

Were there many insurers like us, who are 100% in the cloud?

SK: Many still have a hybrid implementations within their organizations. They have some systems running on premise and some running in the cloud, and slowly moving more to the cloud. I think it would be really tough to do what we do if we weren’t 100% natively in the cloud. It means we can be so nimble and move really fast, and be that much further ahead of the competitive curve.”

What are the data and analytics themes that emerged for 2019?

SK: According to Gartner, the six key themes are:

1. Focus on intelligent processing
2. Maximize customer segmentation through life event/style modeling
3. Enhance the customer experience through personalization and automation
4. Build quality algorithms through improved data science.
5. Build strength through more / better  data (eg, IoT).
6. Augment humans through machines

Given our work at Metromile, I wasn’t surprised by these themes, but they reinforced for me that we’re focused in all of the right areas.

What’s next for you?

SK: Getting back to work! I’m even more excited about our future here at Metromile. Our big head start is a huge competitive advantage, and it’s definitely going to help us win market share.

The Gartner conference helped drive a new level of understanding and purpose in my team’s work, our strategy, and how we will help Metromile revolutionize insurance.

This week, Paw Andersen, a true technologist with 20+ years of engineering leadership experience, joined Metromile as CTO. He was most notably a senior leader of engineering in Uber’s Advanced Technology group, where he grew his team from 27 to 700. Beyond ride sharing and autonomous vehicles, he’s been on the front lines of technical challenges in several sectors, including GIS, FinTech and E-commerce, ranging from small startups to large, established companies. Originally from Denmark, he now lives in the Bay Area with his family.

Paw Andersen, Metromile CTO

According to Paw, there’s a thread that runs through his career. “What’s been constant is my passion for enabling teams to effectively build software, while also empowering them to enjoy their biggest personal growth,” he said.

As CTO, Paw is responsible for leading, coaching, motivating, and growing a world-class engineering team in our San Francisco and Boston offices. He’s also a member of executive leadership, working closely with CEO Dan Preston, Chief Product Officer Shaun Clowes, and many others.

“We’re hyper-focused on reimagining insurance for consumers and carriers alike. What struck me about Paw is that he has a huge passion for creating products that directly help customers,” said Dan. “Paw has a bird’s eye view of the future of mobility, and I’m confident he’ll be instrumental in bringing our ‘invent the future’ value to life. He’s equally passionate on building a positive culture internally, and an environment that enables Metromilers to do their best work. Having been Metromile’s CTO in our earliest days, I’m excited for Paw’s leadership and welcome him to the team.”

In talking with Paw, he shared a bit about what attracted him to Metromile. Here’s what he had to say.

“I’m very excited to join the Metromile team. For me, there are three things that matter most:

1. I’m an engineer at heart. I like to build things that are challenging to build, and have a lot of data-driven problems to solve.
2. I want to build things that matter to people in real life. Something that makes people want to part with their money, that makes their life better. That matters to me a lot.
3. I want to work with really smart people who have fun together.

“Metromile checks all three of these boxes and more. That’s because I very much believe in Metromile’s future. Working at Uber, I became immersed in mobility and learned how that landscape is continuing to evolve. When I think about the future of mobility, I see Metromile as a key player in expanding individual freedom.”

Interested in working with Paw and the rest of our engineering team? We’re hiring tech talent in our Boston and San Francisco offices.  

Metromile will enable customers who are federal employees currently affected by the shutdown to pause auto payments on their current insurance bill for as long as the shutdown persists.

“Loyalty is a two-way street,” said Dan Preston, CEO at Metromile. “Metromile customers are fiercely loyal to us, and it’s our job to ensure they can rely on us for a positive experience in good times and bad. We know this is a period of hardship for many, and we want to do our part to ease the financial burden faced by customers affected by the shutdown.”

It’s hard to believe that 2019 is right around the corner. If you’re anything like us, you’ve still got a to-do list longer than your arm before you can slap up the ol’ OOO reply on your email. All to-dos aside, however, 2018 was a big year for us here at Metromile! With the introduction of our AI crash-testing system, and the announcement of our latest round of funding, we’re proud of all our accomplishments this year. None of them would’ve been possible without the support of our Metromile fam, and for you, we are eternally grateful.

Metromile’s 2018 By the Numbers

Let’s take a look at 2018 by the numbers, shall we? According to the U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration, the average American drives 13,476 miles each year. Metromile customers in major cities drive an average of 6,000 miles each year, less than half of the national average!

In 2018, Metromilers in big cities across the country averaged 5,599 miles. Which city drove the least? Check out our ranking below!

The per-city average miles driven in 2018

1. • Portland, OR – 4,315 miles: Topping our list for the second year in a row, our Portland Metromilers are making us proud. In 2018, they drove 204 fewer miles than in 2017, and 1,405 fewer than in 2016. Keep outdoing yourselves, Portlandians! We’ll be here cheering you on.

1. • Chicago – 4,702 miles: Sliding into second place, Chicago Metromilers drove 1,234 fewer miles in 2018 than in 2017. Well done, Chicagoans!

1. • Seattle/Tacoma – 4,879 miles: Coming in for the bronze medal, Seattle-ites drove 248 fewer miles in 2018 than in 2017 – and almost 2k fewer miles than our LA Metromilers!

1. • Sacramento/Stockton/Modesto – 5,234 miles: The Sacramento metropolitan area is new to the list this year, with a modest(o) 5k miles driven. Nice work!

1. • San Francisco/Oakland/San Jose/Fremont – 5,923 miles: Our little City by the Bay ekes out a lower ranking this year, driving 131 fewer miles in 2018 than in 2017.

1. • Philadelphia – 5,789 miles: Philly moves up the list this year, with 540 fewer miles driven in 2018. Woo-hoo!

1. • San Diego – 6,612 miles: San Diego took the last spot in 2017, so we’re excited to see that they are moving up our list and drove over 1k fewer miles in 2018!

1. • Los Angeles – 6,869 miles: With a city as large as Los Angeles, it’s no surprise to see it taking the last spot on our list, with the most miles driven in 2018.

The most popular day of the week for Metromilers to drive

Through and through, Metromilers prove that cars are best for weekend use. The most popular day of the week to drive for Metromilers is Friday.

Our low-mileage drivers like to get out and do stuff on the weekends and we love seeing their travels on Instagram. Going somewhere cool soon? Don’t forget to tag us (@metromile) and/or #Metromile.

The most common vehicles that our Metromile fam drives

Raise your hand if you drive a Honda or Toyota. We knew it wasn’t just us.

1. Honda Civic
2. Honda Accord
3. Toyota Corolla
4. Toyota Camry
5. Toyota Prius

Interestingly, this is the exact same list as 2017! Metromilers are very consistent. Additionally, the most popular car in 2018 for the top 10 Metromile accounts is the Honda Civic.

Most popular day of the year to drive

The most popular day to drive was November 30th, 2018. However, with every passing Friday, we get closer to surpassing that all-time high!

Metromile Claims, By the Numbers

Some other interesting stats to note. Because who doesn’t love some fun stats? Here at Metromile, we handle thousands of claims every year. Curious what the percentage breakdown is for the different kinds of claims filed in 2018? Don’t worry, we did the math for you.

Percent breakdown of claims handled in 2018

• Glass Repair: 8.3%
• Roadside Assistance: 52.4%
• Stolen Vehicle: 0.7%
• Traditional Claim: 39.3%

The most common type of claim

If we take roadside/glass repair claims out of the equation, rear-end collisions were the most common type of claim processed by Metromile claims specialists in 2018.

Curious about the performance from past years? Check out our year-end reviews for 2017 and 2016.

2018 has been an amazing year for us here at Metromile, and we are looking forward to offering our customers even more awesome perks in 2019. If you aren’t already part of the Metromile fam, get a quick quote to see how much you could save with pay-per-mile insurance in 2019.
From all of us here at Metromile: happy holidays and see you in the New Year!

We have some pretty exciting news to announce today, Metromilers. Our very own Carrie Dolan has been named 2018’s “Most Influential Woman in Business” by the San Francisco Business Times. We’ve always known how inspirational of a woman Carrie was, and we are thrilled to see her recognized for her (many) accomplishments.

At Metromile, Carrie is leading the next phase of company growth, disrupting the insurance industry with pay-per-mile auto insurance and seeing first hand how an innovative financial services model that leverages technology and data can translate into a better experience for consumers. As CFO, she is responsible for overseeing accounting, financial planning and analysis, treasury, actuary services, and investor relations. Carrie’s leadership impact extends outside of her team. She makes herself available to everyone in the company and works to improve communication and teamwork across the company. She also works to help everyone with finding their own career path and pushing us all to take more risks. In addition to her role as CFO, Carrie is committed to serving her community and supporting the advancement of women.

In honor of her win, we wanted to share some of the things Carrie has done that inspire us everyday. Carrie has decades of financial experience and a proven track record of scaling high-growth consumer brands, like Chevron, Charles Schwab, and Lending Club. Currently, Carrie is our CFO, responsible for overseeing accounting, financial planning and analysis, treasury, actuary services and investor relations. In addition to her professional successes, Carrie has received several industry accolades for her leadership and the impact she has made across the financial industry. In 2015, American Banker honored her as one of “The Most Powerful Women in Finance.” During the same year, The Financial Women of San Francisco named Carrie the “Financial Woman of the Year” for her remarkable commitment to her profession, service to her community, and support for the advancement of women. In 2013, the San Francisco Business Times awarded Carrie the Bay Area CFO of the Year for Emerging Companies.

We hope you’ll join us in congratulating Carrie on her win. Who are some other women who have inspired you? Interested in joining the Metromile team? Check out our jobs board.

Dear National Media,

We’re Metromile, America’s leading pay-per-mile car insurance company.

We want to talk about something really important to most Americans — Super Bowl commercials.

After 29 years of ranking Super Bowl ads, we believe it’s time for the National media to recognize ALL commercials airing during the big game, no matter if they are national or local.

Since we don’t have $5,000,000,000 to spend on a 30-second national ad spot, we’re running our spot in Portland, OR – the birthplace of pay-per-mile car insurance and home to our first customer. Our pay-per-mile model is revolutionizing the insurance industry by offering affordable car insurance, transparent pricing based on the miles driven, data to optimize car use, and instant access to detailed vehicle diagnostics. We’re making car insurance easier and more accessible than ever before.

Here’s our ask: Create a “Local Ad Ranking” and conduct Super Bowl ranking surveys for all the local-level ads. Leverage social media and local newspapers under each of your networks. Build some buzz with local advertisers across the country. Everybody wins.

To get you started, we wanted to share “Dear Portland,” our 60 second spot that’s scheduled to run in the last spot before halftime.

We’d be happy to answer any questions you have about our ad or Metromile. Just let us know and we’ll set it up.

Thank you so much for your time and consideration.

– Your Friends at Metromile