HDFC Life, one of India’s leading life insurers in collaboration with NSRCEL, IIM Bangalore (NSRCEL, the startup hub at Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore), in association with Z47 (formerly known as Matrix Partners India) as Demo Day partners, hosted ‘Demo Day’ for Futurance Phase 7. 
 

Sameer Yogishwar, Chief Operating Officer, HDFC Life
 

Futurance is the flagship open innovation initiative by HDFC Life, in its seventh phase now, aimed at collaborating with high-potential startups to solve real-world business challenges in the insurance ecosystem. It is an ongoing corporate engagement program that brings together startups, ecosystem enablers, and internal teams to co-create next-generation solutions. The initiative focuses on identifying innovative startups, evaluating their capabilities, and enabling meaningful collaborations through pilot opportunities and long-term partnerships.
 

Speaking on the initiative, Sameer Yogishwar, Chief Operating Officer, HDFC Life, said, “Innovation has always been a key growth driver at HDFC Life and we are continuously looking at staying ahead of the curve. Futurance is one such initiative to engage with the startup eco-system and collaborate towards introducing and adopting new tech designed for the insurance sector. The latest edition was AI focused and I’m excited about the outcomes as they will enable HDFC Life deliver enhanced operational efficiency and elevate customer experience.”
 

The seventh edition of Futurance focused on key technology-led use cases, including:

• Auto Code Generator

• AI-enabled Audio/Video Creation

• Site Reliability Engineering (SRE)

It saw strong participation starting with around 280 applications, then 48 startups being shortlisted, to finally five startups, making it to Futurance Demo Day. They were:
 

1. Cyberultron Consulting Private Limited

2. Divum.AI 

3. Nife Labs

4. TalentBerry (Skynetic Ventures LLP)

5. Telosa Services Pvt Ltd

They presented to the HDFC Life jury including both senior leadership and business stakeholders. After a detailed pitch and query resolution session, Telosa Services Pvt. Ltd. and Divum.AI have have been shortlisted to move ahead and share a POC with the Company, soon.
 

Commenting on the collaboration, Anish Patil, Principal, Z47, said, “AI is opening up extraordinary possibilities in insurance – from faster claims processing to hyper-personalised products and smarter underwriting, which can dramatically improve efficiency and customer experience. Indian insurers are moving decisively to build the modern, modular backends that can fully harness this potential. Our work with HDFC Life reflects a shared excitement: the companies that invest in this technology backbone today will define the future of Indian insurance. It’s a massive value creation opportunity and we at Z47 look forward to being a part of it.”
 

Adding to this, Anand Sri Ganesh, CEO, NSRCEL, IIM Bangalore, said, “Our collaboration with HDFC Life through Futurance Phase 7 reflects a shared commitment to bringing innovative startup solutions into large enterprises. At NSRCEL, IIM Bangalore, we have worked closely with the HDFC Life team to identify promising technology startups that can address real business use cases across the insurance value chain. The Demo Day marks an important milestone in this journey, where selected startups will showcase solutions with the potential to drive meaningful transformation for the industry.”