Nazim Cetin is chief executive at Allianz X, an investment vehicle formed in 2013 by Germany-based insurance and asset management group Allianz. Cetin, who has experience as a corporate intrapreneur and as an entrepreneur, joined Allianz X in August 2017 and initiated the company’s strategy shift from being a company builder to becoming a digital investment unit of Allianz.
Allianz X invests in growth-stage companies that develop digital technologies pertinent to its parent’s business, covering areas including mobility, wealth management, cybersecurity, data analytics, connected property and health products.
The unit’s recent deals include a role as lead investor on the $21m series F round for OpenGamma, a UK based developer of analytics for derivative trading, and a role in the venture round for Ugandan urban transport network Safeboda. Among Allianz X’s exits have been the New York IPO of AI-driven insurance company Lemonade in 2020.
Cetin joined Allianz X from media conglomerate Bertelsmann, where he was a vice-president of corporate development and new businesses, as well as head of business development. Previously, he founded the first German magazine focusing on philosophy and economics, internationalised the commercial finance division of Maple Bank, served as a venture partner for Target Global, and advised many international VC funds and startups.
Cetin has a diploma in economics from Eberhard-Karls-Universität Tübingen, a master’s degree in economics and management from Universitat Pompeu Fabra Barcelona, and a PhD in economics from University Witten-Herdecke.
