iCAN: The Insurance Cultural Awareness Network

What iCAN: The Insurance Cultural Awareness Network does

iCAN (Insurance Cultural Awareness Network) is a UK-based, non-profit industry network founded in 2017 that operates the first independent, industry-wide initiative focused on multicultural inclusion and career progression within the UK insurance sector. The organization serves a dual audience: individual multicultural, BAME, and international insurance professionals seeking mentorship, networking, and career advancement, and insurance companies seeking to support their diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) agendas and access diverse talent pipelines. iCAN operates a portfolio of member-facing programs including iCANApply (a recruitment portal), INspire (a self-service mentoring platform built on PushFar), iCANConnect (a closed forum for DEI leaders, HR and Talent professionals), iCANVoice (a podcast), EyeCan TV (a YouTube video channel), the Role Models book series (2019, 2023, 2025 editions profiling 175 role models cumulatively), and Coffee with the CEO career sessions. The organization does not build proprietary technology; it relies on third-party platforms (PushFar, Anchor.fm, YouTube, Squarespace) and event-driven community engagement.

The organization's business model is sponsorship-funded and membership-free. iCAN does not charge individual members and reports no pricing tiers beyond a free public membership; revenue is generated exclusively through financial and in-kind sponsorship from over 50 insurance market participants, including Allianz, Chubb, AXA XL, Zurich, Aviva, QBE, Lloyd's, Markel, Beazley, Marsh, Travelers, Aon, and others. The network operates with a small core staff of 7 employees and a volunteer committee structure, and it has scaled to over 14,000 members across 7 locations including London, Birmingham, Manchester, Leeds, Bristol, Ipswich, and New York. iCAN is the operating trade name of the entity; its legal name is "iCAN: The Insurance Cultural Awareness Network," and it is domiciled in the United Kingdom as a non-profit.

Name

iCAN: The Insurance Cultural Awareness Network

Legal name

iCAN: The Insurance Cultural Awareness Network

Website

https://i-can.me

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

iCAN is a UK-based, non-profit industry network founded in 2017 that drives multicultural inclusion and career progression for insurance professionals. It serves 14,000+ members across the UK and US through free membership, mentorship, recruitment, and content programs funded by insurance company sponsorships.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Sponsorship Revenue: iCAN relies on generous support from sponsors including major insurance companies such as Allianz, Chubb, AXA XL, Zurich, Aviva, QBE, Lloyd's, and many others. Sponsors provide financial or in-kind support (goods or services) to sustain the organization's operations and initiatives.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

iCAN operates the first industry-wide, independent network supporting multicultural inclusion across the UK insurance sector, delivering free programs to more than 14,000 members including a self-service mentoring platform (INspire), a recruitment portal (iCANApply), a podcast (iCANVoice) and YouTube channel (EyeCan TV), a D&I leader forum (iCAN Connect), a published Role Models book series, Coffee with the CEO sessions, and a regional events program. The organization's funding comes primarily from sponsorships by major insurance companies and partners.

Product overview

iCAN (Insurance Cultural Awareness Network) is a networking organization, not a technology product company. The organization offers a portfolio of programs and initiatives focused on multicultural inclusion across the UK insurance industry. Key offerings include: iCANApply (recruitment platform), INspire (mentoring platform powered by PushFar), iCANVoice (podcast), EyeCan TV (video content), iCAN Connect (forum), the Role Models Book Series (publications), Coffee with the CEO events, and general membership. These programs work together to promote diversity, equity, and inclusion through community building, professional development, and visibility initiatives.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• INspire: Insurance self-service mentoring initiative developed in collaboration with iWIN-WCI and PwC, connecting multicultural and international colleagues across the insurance industry with mentors.
• iCANApply
• iCANConnect
• iCANVoice
• EyeCan TV
• iCAN Pulse

Products and services

• iCANApply iCANApply is a recruitment initiative that brings the latest insurance industry recruitment opportunities from across the United Kingdom to iCAN's community, enabling members to build lasting careers in the sector.
• INspire Mentoring Platform INspire is an insurance self-service mentoring platform that connects members with matched mentors based on mentoring needs, supporting career progression, personal growth, and leadership development for multicultural and international colleagues across the insurance industry.
• iCANVoice Podcast iCANVoice is a podcast channel bringing listeners the latest on diversity and multicultural inclusion within the UK insurance industry, featuring guests from major insurers, consultancies, and InsurTech startups.
• EyeCan TV EyeCan TV is iCAN's digital video content channel featuring interviews with insurance industry leaders, live event broadcasts, and recorded content for member engagement.
• iCAN Connect Forum iCAN Connect is a forum for D&I network leaders, HR, and Talent professionals across the insurance industry, enabling open discussion on key inclusion challenges and sharing best practices among nearly 450 members from financial services and legal sectors.
• Role Models Book Series The Role Models Book Series is a publication series celebrating multicultural role models in insurance, profiling professionals from diverse backgrounds who are breaking barriers and inspiring the next generation.
• iCAN Membership Program The iCAN Membership Program is a free membership program providing access to events, resources, initiatives, member-only newsletter, and exclusive programs including iCANApply, INspire, and iCAN Connect, serving over 14,000 members across seven locations.
• Coffee with the CEO Coffee with the CEO is a series of career sessions connecting iCAN members with C-Suite executives from across the insurance industry for discussions on career advice and industry insights.
• iCAN Events Program The iCAN Events Program is a portfolio of networking sessions, panel discussions, cultural celebrations, and professional development workshops held across multiple UK locations and New York, including the ERG Blueprint Conference and regional events in Birmingham, Manchester, Leeds, Bristol, and Ipswich.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 14,000 members served
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Aston Charles Recruitment ConsultancyminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 21 August 2019Partnership for iCANApply recruitment initiative launched in August 2019, bringing insurance industry recruitment opportunities to the iCAN community.
• Chartered Insurance Institute (CII)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019iCAN partnered with CII for the launch of the first Role Models book in 2019. CII continues to partner on events including the ERG Blueprint Conference and Professional Map Workshops across multiple UK cities.
• Inclusion at Lloyd'scoreStrategic or Co-development PartneriCAN is partnered with Inclusion at Lloyd's and was involved in creating the Ethnic Minority in the Workplace research with Lloyd's. The organization participates in the Dive In Festival and is featured in Inclusion@Lloydds Partner Networks.
• iWIN-WCI (Women's Connection Initiative)coreStrategic or Co-development PartneriCAN collaborated with iWIN-WCI and PwC to develop the INspire self-service mentoring initiative for multicultural and international colleagues across the insurance industry. Joint speed mentoring events are held annually.
• PwCcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPwC collaborated with iCAN and iWIN-WCI to develop the INspire mentoring platform. PwC professionals participate as panelists, mentors, and speakers in iCAN events. Also partnered on Birmingham AI & Career Panel events.
• Howlett BrowncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAnnual ERG Blueprint Conference partnership. Howlett Brown co-hosts the conference with iCAN focused on ERG leadership, strategy, and sustainability.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• City Hive: UK financial-services diversity initiative focused on increasing Black representation in asset management, insurance, and banking. Operates similar programming (mentoring, events, employer engagement) targeting multicultural talent pipelines.
• The Pipeline: Cross-sector senior leadership programme focused on progression of senior women and BAME professionals. Comparable mentoring-and-progression model with corporate sponsorship base, aimed at similar multicultural professional audience.
• Inclusion at Lloyd's: Market-level D&I initiative at Lloyd's of London; iCAN is formally featured in its Partner Networks and co-produced the Ethnic Minority in the Workplace research. Operates as an institutional D&I program in the same insurance ecosystem.
• African-Caribbean Insurance Network: UK-based network supporting Black insurance professionals. Same member-type focus as iCAN (multicultural insurance professionals) with comparable event, mentoring, and sponsorship-driven model.
• Dive In Festival: Global insurance industry D&I festival that iCAN actively participates in. Both organizations target insurance sector D&I with events, content, and sponsorship-driven programming aimed at carriers, brokers, and Lloyd's.
• The Diversity Project: Cross-firm initiative promoting diversity and inclusion in the UK investment and savings industry. Highly analogous model (member firms, events, content, sponsorship) operating in adjacent financial-services vertical.
• iWIN-WCI (Women's Connection Initiative): UK insurance network for women professionals with very similar structure to iCAN (mentoring, events, sponsorship base). iCAN co-developed the INspire mentoring platform with iWIN-WCI, making it the closest functional peer.

Broad incumbents

• Out Leadership: Global LGBTQ+ business network with financial-services programming. Same inclusion-network archetype as iCAN, applied to a different under-represented group within insurance and financial services.
• Business in the Community (BITC): UK Prince's Responsible Business Network with far broader scope (all sectors, all D&I dimensions, plus workplace/environment). Larger, more established umbrella organization addressing inclusion across industries including insurance.
• Insurance Institute of London: Established professional body serving the London insurance market through education, events, and member services. Represents the incumbent professional-association model in the same insurance vertical iCAN serves.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UC4m3HpCx2J-NIuRXvQEZ1wA?view_as=subscriber
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ican-me

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about iCAN: The Insurance Cultural Awareness Network