ottonova
ottonova is a Munich-based, BaFin-regulated digital private health insurer (PKV) selling mobile-first health, dental, hospital, civil-servant, expat and corporate (CrewCare) insurance policies to individuals and employers in Germany.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2015
- HeadquartersMunich, Germany
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What ottonova does
ottonova Krankenversicherung AG is a Munich-based, BaFin-regulated private health insurer (PKV) founded in 2015 by Dr. Roman Rittweger, Sebastian Scheerer and Frank Birzle. The company positions itself as Germany's first purely digital health insurer, selling and servicing policies end-to-end through its website, mobile app and online contribution calculator rather than through agents or branch offices. Its core technology is a mobile-first insurance platform that combines policy administration, digital claims submission, a document timeline, a chat-based concierge, and 24/7 telemedicine via the TeleClinic partnership, with bank-level AES256-GCM encryption and German data centers.
The product portfolio spans full private health insurance tariffs for employees (Premium Economy through First Class Pro+), self-employed, students (Study Smart/Protect/Free), civil servants and civil servant candidates (Beihilfe-complementing tariffs), and a dedicated Expat line for non-EU temporary residents. Supplementary products include tiered dental insurance (Zahn 70/85/100) and hospital single/double-room upgrades, plus a B2B corporate offering called CrewCare. Revenue is generated entirely through recurring monthly premiums (typically €196–€358 per policyholder for core PKV, plus add-ons), with optional deductibles and no-claim contribution refunds on Pro tariffs that double as retention mechanisms.
Customer acquisition is digital-first: an educational Magazin, online calculator, dual affiliate networks (financeAds, AWIN with up to €500 per sale), a referral program (€50–200 per conversion) and an English-language expat hub. ottonova has been recognized as a four-time Stiftung Warentest test winner in dental insurance (2019, 2020, 2022, 2023) and holds a 4.8-star app rating. The company is privately held, has raised approximately $174M across rounds through 2022, and operates with 101–250 employees.
ottonova firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- ottonova
- Legal name
- ottonova Krankenversicherung AG
- Website
- https://ottonova.de
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2015
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Short description
- ottonova is a Munich-based, BaFin-regulated digital private health insurer (PKV) selling mobile-first health, dental, hospital, civil-servant, expat and corporate (CrewCare) insurance policies to individuals and employers in Germany.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
ottonova industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Private Health Insurance
- NAICS
- Direct Health and Medical Insurance Carriers (524114), Direct Life, Health, and Medical Insurance Carriers (52411)
- SIC
- Insurance Agents, Brokers & Service (6411)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Small Group Health Insurance (2–50/100) (FSAIAFAD)
Keywords
Where ottonova is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Munich
- HQ country
- Germany
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
ottonova business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Private Health Insurance Premiums: Monthly premiums from private health insurance (PKV) policies for employees, self-employed, students, civil servants, and expats. Premiums vary by tariff tier (Premium Economy, Business Class, First Class), age, health status, and deductible options. Core revenue driver representing the majority of company revenue.
- Supplementary Dental Insurance: Supplementary dental insurance products (Zahn 70, Zahn 85, Zahn 100) sold alongside PKV or to public health insurance holders. Additional revenue stream from dental top-up coverage with tiered pricing.
- Supplementary Hospital Insurance: Hospital top-up insurance (Klinik Einbett/Zweibett) providing upgraded hospital accommodation coverage, offered as add-on to main insurance products.
- Corporate Health Insurance (CrewCare): B2B offering providing company health insurance benefits to employees as an employer perk.
- Contribution Refund (No-Claim Bonus): Business Class Pro and First Class Pro+ tariffs offer partial premium refunds if no health services used during the year, providing both retention incentive and cost savings mechanism.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Monthly | Premium Economy - Lowest cost full coverage tariff |
| Subscription | Monthly | Business Class - Good price-performance ratio |
| Subscription | Monthly | Business Class Pro - No deductible option |
| Subscription | Monthly | First Class - Very good coverage |
| Subscription | Monthly | First Class Pro+ - Best coverage without deductible |
| Subscription | Monthly | Dental Economy Class (Zahn 70/75) |
| Subscription | Monthly | Dental Business Class (Zahn 85/90) |
| Subscription | Monthly | Dental First Class (Zahn 100) |
| Subscription | Monthly | First Class Expats - Special expat tariff |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels6 records
ottonova product offering
Product offeringCore offering
ottonova sells BaFin-regulated private health insurance (PKV) in Germany through a fully digital, app-based experience, offering full-coverage tariffs for employees, self-employed, students, civil servants, civil servant candidates, and expats, plus supplementary dental (Zahn 70/85/100 tiers) and hospital insurance, and a corporate B2B product (CrewCare). Customers sign up, manage policies, submit claims, and reach a personal concierge entirely through the website and a 4.8-star-rated mobile app, with 24/7 video doctor consultations via TeleClinic.
Product overview
ottonova is a digital private health insurance (PKV) company offering a comprehensive suite of insurance products through an app-based platform. The core offering consists of private health insurance tariffs for different customer segments: employees (with Premium Economy through First Class Pro+ options), self-employed individuals, students (Study Smart/Protect/Free), civil servants (Basis24/Komfort24/Premium24/Exklusiv series), civil servant candidates, and expats with special short-stay tariffs. Supplementary insurance add-ons include dental insurance (Zahn 70/85/100 tiers) and hospital insurance (Clinic double/single room options), plus corporate health insurance through CrewCare. All products are supported by digital services including the ottonova App, Concierge Service for appointment booking and support, and the health X reward program.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- CrewCare: Corporate health insurance product for employers to increase company attractiveness and show appreciation to employees.
Products and services
- Private Krankenversicherung (PKV) Full private health insurance (PKV) sold in Germany to employees above the income threshold, self-employed, students, civil servants, civil servant candidates, and expats. Tariff tiers range from Premium Economy (from €284/month) through Business Class, Business Class Pro, First Class, and First Class Pro+ (from €358/month), with deductible options (€500–€1,250/year) and a contribution-refund feature on Pro tariffs. Covers inpatient, outpatient, dental, and sickness-benefit (Krankentagegeld) modules.
- Zahnzusatzversicherung (Supplementary Dental Insurance) Standalone supplementary dental insurance with three tiers — Economy (Zahn 70/75, from €8.80/month for ages 18–24), Business (Zahn 85/90), and First Class (Zahn 100/100+) — covering dental treatment (100%), prophylaxis, dental prostheses (70–100% by tier), and orthodontics. Has no waiting period and is sold to both PKV and GKV customers.
- Krankenhauszusatzversicherung (Supplementary Hospital Insurance) Supplementary hospital insurance with options for single room (Clinic Einbett) or double room (Clinic Zweibett) accommodation, including chief physician treatment and free choice of hospital. Sold as an add-on to ottonova PKV or to GKV-insured customers seeking better inpatient coverage.
- Expat PKV Tariff Special PKV tariff for non-EU citizens on temporary visas working in Germany. Available in First Class Expats (from €196/month with €500 deductible), Premium Economy, Business Class, Business Class Pro, First Class, and First Class Pro+ options. No age reserves required for stays under 60 months, making pricing 30–40% lower than standard PKV. Includes English-language support and an English-language expat guide.
- CrewCare (Corporate Health Insurance) B2B corporate health insurance product that lets German employers provide private health insurance benefits to their employees as part of the compensation package, designed to increase company attractiveness and demonstrate employee appreciation. Sold both directly to employers and through broker/Makler channels.
Quantifiable outcome
- 95% of student customers would recommend ottonova
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use ottonova
Customer profileNamed customers2 records
Segments8 records
Ideal customer profiles7 records
ottonova technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration1 record
Feature5 records
ottonova partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- TeleCliniccorePartnership for 24/7 telemedicine consultations. TeleClinic provides video consultation services with doctors available around the clock, including weekends and public holidays. As full insurance customers, ottonova clients receive priority consultation typically within 30 minutes. Service includes prescriptions and medical certificates delivered digitally.
- financeAdsminorAffiliate network partner enabling insurance bloggers and website owners to promote ottonova products and earn commissions. Partners earn €40-500 per sale or lead generated through their advertising space.
- AWINminorAffiliate marketing network partner connecting ottonova with publishers and content creators in the insurance space. Part of dual-affiliate strategy alongside financeAds.
Scale indicators6 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights7 records
ottonova competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Getsafe: Heidelberg-based digital insurance platform offering mobile-first insurance products in Germany with a similar direct-to-consumer, app-led GTM motion targeting young, digital-savvy consumers.
- Clark: Frankfurt-based digital insurance manager providing a single app to manage policies from multiple carriers. Comparable to ottonova in digital-first insurance UX but operates as a broker/manager rather than a risk carrier.
Broad incumbents
- Allianz SE: Germany's largest insurer with a broad portfolio including PKV (Allianz Private Krankenversicherung), competing directly with ottonova for the same customer segments but with a much larger agent-based distribution and legacy core systems.
- Debeka Krankenversicherung: Germany's largest PKV insurer by premium volume and a strategic investor in ottonova. Comparable in product focus (full PKV plus supplementary dental and Beihilfe) but vastly larger in scale, mutual structure, and conservative agent-led distribution.
- AXA Konzern AG: Major German health and general insurer offering full PKV plus supplementary lines, with hybrid agent/digital distribution. Direct competitor to ottonova in the PKV and supplementary dental space with substantially larger scale.
- ERGO Group (Munich Re): German insurance group within Munich Re offering PKV, supplementary, and corporate health products. Comparable customer overlap with ottonova but operates a multi-brand legacy distribution model.
- Barmenia Krankenversicherung: Wuppertal-based mutual health insurer offering full PKV and supplementary products with a strong digital transformation initiative. Comparable PKV product set but with mutual governance and larger historical book.
- Signal Iduna Gruppe: Hamburg-based mutual insurer offering PKV (including Beihilfe tariffs for civil servants, a direct overlap with ottonova's Beamte segment) and supplementary products via agent-led distribution.
- Baloise Deutschland: German arm of Swiss Baloise Group offering PKV and supplementary products. Notable for its digital-native sub-brand "Friday" for non-life lines, making it a closer peer to ottonova on digital innovation strategy than other incumbents.
- HUK-COBURG Krankenversicherung: Large mutual insurer offering full PKV and supplementary products in Germany, primarily through direct and online channels. Comparable scale of digital ambition to ottonova but with much larger historical policyholder base.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
ottonova social profiles
Digital presenceottonova compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
ottonova financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
ottonova leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles5 records
ottonova funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds6 records
Investors8 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
ottonova M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about ottonova
What does ottonova do?
ottonova sells BaFin-regulated private health insurance (PKV) in Germany through a fully digital, app-based experience, offering full-coverage tariffs for employees, self-employed, students, civil servants, civil servant candidates, and expats, plus supplementary dental (Zahn 70/85/100 tiers) and hospital insurance, and a corporate B2B product (CrewCare). Customers sign up, manage policies, submit claims, and reach a personal concierge entirely through the website and a 4.8-star-rated mobile app, with 24/7 video doctor consultations via TeleClinic.
Is ottonova a public or private company?
ottonova is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was ottonova founded?
ottonova was founded in 2015. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is ottonova based?
ottonova is headquartered in Munich, Germany, in the Europe region.
How does ottonova make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. Private Health Insurance Premiums are the primary driver. The others are supplementary Dental Insurance, supplementary Hospital Insurance, corporate Health Insurance (CrewCare) and contribution Refund (No-Claim Bonus).
Who are ottonova's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Getsafe and Clark. Broad incumbents are Allianz SE, Debeka Krankenversicherung, AXA Konzern AG, ERGO Group (Munich Re), Barmenia Krankenversicherung, Signal Iduna Gruppe, Baloise Deutschland and HUK-COBURG Krankenversicherung.
Does ottonova have an API?
No public API is recorded for ottonova.
What industry is ottonova in?
ottonova's product category is Private Health Insurance. Its primary akta.pro industry code is FSAIAFAD, Small Group Health Insurance (2–50/100). Its NAICS code is 524114 and its SIC code is 6411.