AAA GCV Emerging Leaders Awards 2021: Oshri Kaplan

GCV Emerging Leaders Awards 2021: Oshri Kaplan

Osh Kaplan is an investment director at Munich Re Ventures (MRV), the US-based corporate venture capital (CVC) arm of Germany-headquartered reinsurance firm Munich Re, its Hartford Steam Boiler (HSB) Inspection and Insurance arm and its ERGO primary insurance subsidiary.

Kaplan backs startups with strategic fit for Munich Re, HSB and ERGO, currently serving on the boards of Acko Technology, ClearMetal, Dayforward, Sepio Systems, At-Bay and Inshur.

Jacqueline LeSage Krause, managing director of MRV, noted: “Osh Kaplan joined Munich Re Ventures mid-2018 and right away jumped into leading our investment in Hippo Insurance.

“Since then, he has been a huge asset to our team not only in the insurtech space but also in gaining access to the Israeli ecosystem and bringing in a number of cyber-related deals. He also stands out as a mentor to other members of the MRV team and is always game for a good laugh.”

Regarding CVC, Kaplan said: “At the beginning of my career, I had a chance to learn the 101 venture basics at an institutional VC fund [in Israel].

“At that time, I got a first glimpse of other corporates investing in my portfolio companies. After leaving this fund, I wanted to get a feel of what it was like to work for a big corporate, learning some of their big picture strategies, while keeping the connection to the startup community, and to the core function of investments for financial returns and more.

“That is how I found myself working for Deloitte, and to this day, CVC in my mind, is a unique combination of startup activities, strategy and planning, and investments.”

Prior to MRV, Kaplan was a venture partner at Silicon Foundry and senior managing director for supply chain services provider Flex’s innovation and new ventures team.

Kaplan was previously internal innovation leader at consultancy Deloitte Israel after an investment associate role at VC firm Crecor subsidiary Docor International Management.

By Edison Fu

Edison Fu is a reporter and Asia liaison at Global Corporate Venturing.

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