Nazim Cetin, CEO of Allianz X, is one of the 100 leading corporate venturing professionals in our Powerlist this year.
Nazim Cetin has been at the helm of Allianz X since 2017. The digital investment arm of insurance provider and asset manager Allianz focuses on insurtech, fintech and other technologies adjacent to Allianz’s core business. Cetin was instrumental in Allianz X’s pivot from an accelerator and venture builder to a global investor in mature digital companies, which more recently acquired a number of them, including ControlExpert, GT Motive and Innovation Group.
Cetin was instrumental in Allianz X’s pivot from an accelerator and venture builder to an investor in mature digital companies
Nazim Cetin
Cetin sits on the boards of five of the unit’s portfolio companies, including financial advisory platform Wealthsimple, small business insurance provider Pie Insurance – for which Allianz X co-led a $315m series D round late last year – digital insurance broker, and digital banking and lending company WeLab.
Other notable startups in the investors include cyber insurtech Coalition – whose $250m series F funding round it led last year – rent-to-buy home purchase service Wayhome, and derivatives analytics provider OpenGamma.
Cetin moved to Allianz X after serving as vice president of corporate development and new businesses at media conglomerate Bertelsmann, a post that followed previous financial roles such as vice president of commercial finance for Maple Bank and investment banking at LBBW. Cetin also founded Agora 42, the first periodical in Germany focused on economics
and philosophy. He received his first degree in quantitative economics at Eberhard Karls University, followed by an MSc in economics and management from Universitat Pompeu Fabra and his PhD in economics from Witten-Herdecke University
