The people
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Working at Sonnet
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About
Sonnet was the answer a 145-year-old mutual gave to the question of how an incumbent launches something new. Economical Insurance, based in Waterloo and selling home and auto across Canada through brokers, built a fully online insurer alongside its traditional business: quote and buy without a broker, with Economical underwriting the policies itself. It went to market in 2016 and now sells home, auto, condo, tenant, landlord and pet coverage, with combined auto and home policies in Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island and home insurance in British Columbia and Alberta. Michael Shostak, Economical's chief marketing officer and Sonnet's first CMO, took the launch apart on TechTO's FintechTO stage in August 2017 — his case being that a big incumbent can do genuinely disruptive work, and that the recipe starts with an unmet customer need rather than with the technology. Economical demutualised and became Definity Financial in 2021; Sonnet remains part of that group.
Backers
Not venture-backed. Sonnet was launched and is owned by Economical Insurance, which demutualised in 2021 and now trades as Definity Financial.
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Quick answers
What is Sonnet?
A Canadian home and auto insurance company that sells entirely online, without brokers. It launched in 2016 and describes itself as Canada's original digital-first home and auto insurer.
Who owns Sonnet?
Definity Financial, the company Economical Insurance became when it demutualised in 2021. Economical built and launched Sonnet in 2016 alongside its broker-sold business.
Where can you buy it?
Sonnet's own site lists combined auto and home policies in Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island, and home insurance in British Columbia and Alberta. It does not serve Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Newfoundland and Labrador, or the territories.
Who from Sonnet is in this directory?
Michael Shostak, its first chief marketing officer, who presented "A recipe for disruption" at TechTO's FintechTO in August 2017.