In September’s First Monday, we returned from the summer break with one of Europe’s fastest-growing insurtech stories. We hosted Gábor Zsarnóczi from Ominimo for a behind-the-scenes look at how the company went from selling its first policy to reaching unicorn status in just two years.

The numbers are striking. Ominimo has grown to almost one million customers across several European markets, reached a $1.6 billion valuation, and built a team of around 130 people—two-thirds of whom are data scientists and software engineers. But the evening was not just about rapid growth. It was about the choices and systems that made that growth possible while keeping the company profitable.

Gábor explained how Ominimo rebuilt motor insurance from the pricing engine up, using proprietary models, granular risk segmentation, and automated operations to compete with established insurers. He also discussed what data and AI can change in a 300-year-old industry—and where technology alone is not enough.

A major part of the conversation focused on expansion. Launching a regulated product in a new country every few months requires much more than translating an interface. Each market comes with different rules, customer behaviour, distribution models, and competitive dynamics. Gábor shared how Ominimo approaches these launches and how the team balances local execution with a shared technology platform.

The session also explored Ominimo’s decision to raise venture capital and pursue aggressive international growth despite already being profitable. Rather than using investment to survive, the company chose to use it to accelerate—a different story from many of the insurtech companies that prioritised growth before proving their underwriting model.

Gábor’s perspective made the discussion especially valuable. After joining Ominimo early, he led its Hungarian and Swedish markets before becoming Chief Growth Officer of the group. That experience gave the room a practical view of what scaling looks like across strategy, hiring, regulation, and day-to-day execution.

The evening was a reminder that even highly regulated, centuries-old industries can be rebuilt when technology, data, and disciplined business fundamentals work together.

Huge thanks to Gábor for sharing Ominimo’s journey so openly, and to everyone who joined us, asked questions, and stayed for the conversations afterwards. It was a great way to start the new First Monday season.