Insurtech Gigacover appoints new PH Country Manager; partners with 800k-strong Upwork Pilipinas- Freelancers Community

MANILA, PHILIPPINES—Gigacover, a Singapore based insurtech company, recently appointed Philip Camil Gomez as Country Manager. Gomez will drive partnerships with various  stakeholders of Gigacover in the Philippines to expand 360-protection for Filipino individuals and businesses. 

Gomez has close to two decades of business experience in multiple industries and has worked in companies such as Convergys, Conduent, and Tech Mahindra. He is experienced in operations management, leadership development, marketing and sales, data analysis, quality assurance, and BPO vendor management. He has experience as well in management consultancy for start-ups, BPO’s and working with Fortune 500 companies. As Country Manager, Gomez will oversee Gigacover’s local business operations. 

“We are pleased to have Philip join our team. His experience across multiple functions and domains will be extremely helpful to Gigacover Philippines as we scale up.” said Amerson Lin, CEO and Co-Founder of Gigacover. “I believe he will be able to drive our Philippines business operations to even greater heights.” 

“It is an exciting time to join the insurtech industry. I am excited and happy to join a dynamic company such as Gigacover.” said Gomez. “Gigacover plans to expand its mission of inclusive and accessible insurance through increasing partnerships across the public and private sector.”

Increased protection for Gig Workers and Freelancers

According to a 2022 Fairwork Survey, only a few companies provide protection to its gig workers. The report also highlights that there are no companies that provide additional protection such as sick pay benefits to its contingent workers. Government officials have also pushed for legislation granting additional protection to informal workers.  

According to the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), there are 1.5 million freelance workers in the Philippines.

To further its goal of increased coverage and protection, Gigacover has partnered with a Facebook community of  Upwork freelancers which has over 800,000 members. 

“We are delighted to partner with an insurance leader such as Gigacover.” said Rey Macrohon of Upwork Pilipinas-Freelancers. “We are confident in Gigacover’s promise of providing full protection towards gig workers because we believe that they deserve just as much protection as any individual or group.”

“Our goal is to bring quality, accessible and affordable insurance to all sectors, especially the underserved.” added Gomez. “Being partners with a Facebook Community of Upwork freelancers allows us to expand coverage to our country’s hardworking freelance workers and their families.” 

Gigacover was founded in 2017 in Singapore and offers a variety of insurance products. The Singapore based insurtech company has 40 employees across its Singapore and Philippine offices. Gigacover prides itself on building digital insurance programs for large emerging segments with unique protection needs. Through its products and technology, the insurtech company delivers tailored made products to the future of work, mobility and tech sectors.

Gigacover Teams up with EXOASIA Innovation Hub to Champion Health and Financial Security of Filipino Freelancers and Entrepreneurs

MANILA, PHILIPPINES – Gigacover, a Singapore-based insurtech company, recently teamed up with EXOASIA Innovation Hub, a global management consultancy, to provide 360 digital insurance protection for Filipino freelancers, start-ups, and micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs). 

The Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) reported that micro, small, and medium enterprises account for 99.5% of businesses in the country. In the recent years, the gig economy and startup industry have also taken off in the Philippines. Latest figures from the Department of Trade and Industry revealed that at least 1.5 million Filipinos are employed in freelancing jobs while the local startup ecosystem is valued at USD 2 Billion in 2022. Despite their significant economic contributions, businesses and workers in these sectors often have limited access to insurance products. 

EXOASIA Innovation Hub is a global transformation ecosystem that connects professionals, organizations, and institutions to create better future for everyone. Its three verticals on certification, incubation, and ecosystems aim to inspire, validate, and scale up solution by solving local problems through alliances between entrepreneurs, organizations, and governments and leveraging on deep tech and global innovation ecosystems. Under the partnership, all of EXOASIA’s community webinars, meet-ups, hackathons, incubations, accelerations, and follow-on events for freelancers and entrepreneurs will feature a segment on health and financial protection plans to increase awareness for these products.

“The program aims to further educate, make healthcare and insurance products more accessible, and affordable to those in the Informal sector. With this partnership, EXOASIA, allows its community of founders, entrepreneurs and digital nomads to access such benefits without breaking bank” shared Chesca Figueroa, Country Manager at Gigacover. 

“The concept of insurance being digital and dedicated for freelancers and self-employed workers is still novel to many Filipinos. For the longest time, the insurance we know circles around life, non-life, and health maintenance organizations (HMOs) — and you need an agent to get one,” shared Amerson Lin, CEO and co-founder at Gigacover. “We are thrilled to partner with EXOASIA which shares our value of ensuring freelancers should have protection with innovative digital insurance products tailored to this sector.”

“COVID-19 uncovered how under-insured Filipinos are. Freelancers, start-ups, and MSMEs are challenged with exorbitant premium costs of insurance and there’s not enough education on how, where, and what to look for in insurance providers. These are the problems we hope to solve through this partnership, where we educate and make affordable health insurance accessible to everyone. “ shared Mack Comandante, Founder and CEO at EXOASIA Innovation Hub.

To learn more about Gigacover and the insurance products and services it offers, please visit its official website and Facebook page.

###

About Gigacover

Gigacover was founded in 2017 in Singapore to bring fairness and stability to independent workers. These include gig workers, freelancers and self-employed persons, many of whom lack access to right-sized financial services. It launched the region's first income protection insurance to meet the needs of the gig economy and has since gone on to serve caregivers, tutors, real estate agents, and delivery riders. Gigacover's product suite has also expanded to include earnings advances and payroll accounts. Through technology and data, Gigacover automates distribution, administration, and insight generation for risk management in order to bring flexible, affordable, and portable benefits to its users. As of 2021, Gigacover has a presence in Singapore and the Philippines and is backed by Vectr Fintech Partners, Quest Venture Partners, Alto Partners, M Venture Partners, and Farsight Capital.

For more information, please visit: https://gigacover.com

About EXOASIA Innovation Hub

EXOASIA Innovation Hub inspires, validates, and scales solution by solving local problems through alliances between entrepreneurs, organizations, and governments leveraging on deep tech and global innovation ecosystems

Our Massive Transformative Purpose is Increasing Collective Uptake towards a sustainable future

Through partnerships with Openexo, Exobuilder, Fitter For Purpose, Wadhwani Foundation, DigestPh, Common Ground, Technology Business Incubators, Academe, etc  - we connect professionals, organizations, and institutions interested in creating a better future for everyone.

Through participation, certification, and alliance, EXOASIA believes in enhancing communal Uptake towards a sustainable future.

Participation creates massive adoption of exponential principles

Certification creates ambassadors for a sustainable future

The alliance brings individuals, companies, and organizations toward the mission of creating a sustainable future for everyone