Connecting with Young Talent in an Increasingly Virtual World
In a virtual world where human beings have been reduced to images on a screen, how can one truly connect with the right person for the job?
Welcome to
COOKHOUSE LABS 2.0
Your hub for insurance industry collaboration and innovation.
In a virtual world where human beings have been reduced to images on a screen, how can one truly connect with the right person for the job?
Meet Abhishek Gupta, a WinterHack 2020 Runner-Up and an active member of our global community.
As we approach our first startup summit, let’s take a look at what startups say is vital when collaborating with insurance organizations.
How have these times invited you to expand and develop your innovative skills? Lead Innovation Coach Ibeth Ramos shares her story below!
Meet David Simons, Managing Director at Argus Group’s Center of Excellence. Read all about his experiences below!
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Eastern Standard Time – EST
When we first opened our doors in 2017, our sole focus was on solving industry problems in accordance with our mission to Make Insurance Better. Two years later, our “test kitchen” is still a place where the co-creation of great ideas happens, but, thanks to your feedback, it’s so much more.
While our mission hasn’t changed, we’re also all about developing an eco-system, creating community and building the solutions arising from the marvellous ideas that are born here. You spoke, we listened, and the re-imagined Cookhouse Labs is the result.
“I enjoyed the multitude of ideas and the level of engagement. At these events, I get a huge input of ideas in a short period of time, which is what I look for. I also enjoyed seeing how the virtual setup worked and how everyone was able to collaborate, even though they were in different rooms!”
Bernd ScharrerCOO Operations/IT at VHV Holding AG
“I always come away from Cookhouse Labs events with lots of new contacts and lots of new ideas. The types of people I meet at these events are great! Everybody’s willing to help each other out and everybody’s interested in each other’s ideas. The connections you make at these events are brilliant, and I think just having that comradery in the insurance community can only make the industry better.”
Emily Hill Manager, Strategy & Planning, TD Insurance
“WinterHack 2020 was an incredible global event — chapeau to all the amazing participants for an amazing design process and a great job!! Thank you for hosting this ideathon, and hope to see some of these ideas on our portfolio next year!”
Gil AraziFounder and Managing Partner, FinTLV
“First and foremost, Cookhouse Labs was an entryway into meeting a lot of parties within the Canadian insurance industry. We were introduced to senior leaders at MGAs and other insurance companies. We also got to participate in some interesting workshops with people that we deal with every day, like a workshop with underwriters to talk about the future of underwriting. It was interesting to get their point of view on how far we could push the envelope, where some of the constraints are, and why those constraints exist. It was very beneficial for us early on to have those sounding boards for some of our ideas to tell us how feasible they would be! ”
Laura McKayCo-Founder of PolicyMe
“When signing up for WinterHack 2020, I was curious about the entirely virtual experience and how it would be managed. It was a wonderful experience, and we had a lot of fun. Cookhouse Labs did an amazing job with sharing resources and guiding teams through all the steps, so thank you!”
Salman GhaffarIoT Operations Specialist, HSB Canada
“Looking at this collaboration from a corporate viewpoint, I’d want to have the Cookhouse Labs spark of energy for disruption permeate all areas of my organization… It’s always about the people, collaboration & change.”
Subhastin KharagRegional Vice President, Ontario, Foresters Financial
“This year I had the chance to work with the team at Cookhouse Labs. In a time where we are all grasping on how to enhance collaboration and innovation remotely, it was impressive to see how the team was able to deliver innovation programs and train the trainer teachings online. Not only did we get to be involved in innovation practices, but Cookhouse Labs also modelled how to deliver using collaboration tools that can be applied to working with any group of people. And the bonus? A chance to expand my community of innovation leaders!”
Susan GilbertDirector, Digital Operations at MIG Insurance and Co-Founder, Haekka
“You don’t have to be Steve Jobs to be an innovative individual. I have to upsell the support we got from Cookhouse Labs: the templates guided us in the right direction on how to develop and present our solution in the end, so thank you!”
Tommy KimSenior Actuarial Analyst, Munich Re Company of Canada
“Events like WinterHack 2020 encourage participants to leave their individual comfort zones and come up with new ideas. We need this type of interaction across borders and disciplines to make people think about how they can change things, instead of just run the existing, and that is how we will make insurance better.”
Dr. Torsten OletzkyProfessor of Strategy and Process Management at Cologne University of Applied Sciences
“What the Cookhouse Labs sprint enabled for us was this: let’s just create a 10,000-foot problem statement and then work with a group to see what solution we come up with. If that solution resembles at all what we’re doing at Micruity, that’s a traction point and you’re on the right track. If it doesn’t, that’s a pivot point. Being a part of that session gave us a little bit more confidence as a very, very early stage company and confirmed that we were on the right track. Bringing together folks with different expertise and having them come up with a similar solution was very valuable.”
Trevor GaryFounder of Micruity
“Many other professionals and I have had the privilege of working with the innovators at Cookhouse labs. The consulting opportunities, sprints, and Design Thinking sessions have brought in exponential learning to a highly robust and innovative program in Applied Technologies for Insurance here at HSB Canada. I wish Cookhouse Labs continued success and look forward to a lot more learning and excitement, which is part of the DNA of this co-creation space.”
Abhishek GuptaManager, IoT Business Development, HSB Canada
“I found the event to be extremely well-organized — major kudos to Cookhouse Labs. They had a lot of stakeholders to manage, including the participants, Judges, and Mentors, and they never once dropped the ball. I was told every step of the way what I needed to do, and on the day of the event, who to contact in case of technical issues. It was even more impressive that this was done in a virtual environment, so really well done overall.”
Manisha DiasAssistant Vice President, Strategic Partnerships, SCOR
Cookhouse Labs has a new home base in the heart of the thriving Toronto arts district, a hub of creativity that’s a fitting complement to our work – but, don’t worry, we’ll still be taking our “cooking” sessions on the road to locations convenient to you.
Our new “test kitchen” has space to work alone or jointly with others, depending on your needs, it is also perfect for community building, co-creating, and bringing ideas to life.
“To everything there is a season” is a common maxim, one we’ve decided to follow at Cookhouse Labs by basing each season’s offerings on a theme.
From speakers to sprints to lunch-and-learns, each quarter’s events will be related to one key, relevant topic. Of course, if an urgent issue crops up, we’ll always have the flexibility to add it to the schedule.
Meet others who share our desire to Make Insurance Better, whether they’re insurers, academics or underwriters. We’re all in this endeavour together bringing unique perspectives to the table.
During the first quarter of 2020, our focus will be innovation. We’ll explore the state of the industry today and the top industry trends in global innovation. We’ll shine the spotlight on design thinking and the creative process, discover how to develop an innovative strategy for your organization. Learn how we can aid each other in achieving our goals, such as nurturing young talent.
The Internet of Things (IoT) is on the mind of every organization that relies on technology. Together, let’s explore the ways it can transform our workplaces and streamline the way we do business.
Stay tuned for details about upcoming events and plans for future Seasons.
Stay up to date with everything happening at the lab! Join our Innovation Community. Sign up for our Newsletter.
In a virtual world where human beings have been reduced to images on a screen, how can one truly connect with the right person for the job?
Meet Abhishek Gupta, a WinterHack 2020 Runner-Up and an active member of our global community.
As we approach our first startup summit, let’s take a look at what startups say is vital when collaborating with insurance organizations.
How have these times invited you to expand and develop your innovative skills? Lead Innovation Coach Ibeth Ramos shares her story below!
Meet David Simons, Managing Director at Argus Group’s Center of Excellence. Read all about his experiences below!
Insurance industry players have no shortage of great ideas (recipes) for solving key problems, and it’s time to take them the next step and cook the actual meal (build the solution). Cookhouse Labs brings us all together to make it happen, focusing on all the steps in the creative process.