Insurance Australia Group (IAG) has made a strategic investment in Sonder, a platform that provides real-time mental health, medical, and safety assistance, with plans to make the service available to policyholders during major incidents and extreme weather events. The investment was made through Firemark Ventures, IAG's corporate venture capital arm. IAG currently uses the Sonder platform to support its own workforce, and the investment is intended to extend that capability to customers during high-risk moments, including catastrophic weather events and major incidents. The group operates a portfolio of general insurance brands in Australia, including NRMA Insurance, CGU, WFI, and ROLLiN’.
The rationale behind the deal centres on timing. IAG has indicated it wants to support policyholders not just after a claim is lodged, but during the moments when harm is actively unfolding – such as during a flood, a cyclone, or another large-scale event. IAG group executive, people, performance and reputation, Christine Stasi framed this as a shift in how the insurer defines its function. “At IAG, our role extends beyond insurance, helping people recover and rebuild after adversity, and acting as a shock absorber for the economy when things go wrong. It signals IAG’s intent to move beyond claims response towards earlier intervention and prevention. Earlier support in these moments can improve mental health outcomes, helping reduce the broader cost of harm to individuals and communities,” Stasi said.
Firemark Ventures, IAG’s venture capital unit, focuses on companies building technology relevant to risk, resilience, and insurance operations. Sonder fits within that scope as a platform that helps organisations identify and address people-related risk before it escalates. IAG Firemark Ventures general partner Scott Gunther said the investment reflects the arm’s core mandate. “Firemark Ventures invests in technology that can transform how risks are understood, prevented, and managed. Sonder’s platform represents a compelling example of innovation that enhances health, safety, and wellbeing outcomes,” Gunther said. Structuring the arrangement through a venture capital vehicle, rather than an outright acquisition, gives IAG the flexibility to assess the commercial and operational fit of extending Sonder’s capabilities to customers before committing to a deeper integration across its products and claims functions.
Sonder delivers around-the-clock access to mental health, medical, and safety support through a single platform. The company has primarily served corporate clients managing workforce wellbeing, and the IAG investment represents an expansion into supporting individuals outside of a workplace context – specifically, policyholders at the point of a major personal or community crisis. Sonder co-founder and CEO Craig Cowdrey said the partnership creates an avenue to reach people during some of the most disruptive periods of their lives. “Our vision has always been to get the right support to people at the right time. Partnering with IAG gives us the opportunity to extend that well beyond the workplace, to people navigating some of the hardest moments of their lives, whether that’s recovering from an injury, getting back to work, or rebuilding after a major life event. Behind every crisis, there are people who need support, and the earlier that support reaches people, the better the outcome for individuals, for families, and for whole communities,” Cowdrey said.
The investment is supported by data from research commissioned by NRMA Insurance in partnership with Lifeline Australia, published in April 2026, which found that the psychological consequences of extreme weather events are widespread across the Australian population. The Extreme Weather and Suicidality Report drew on a national survey of more than 1,500 Australians, including respondents from flood- and cyclone-affected communities. It found that 61% of Australians reported feeling anxious about extreme weather, while 53% said they had made major life changes due to weather-related stress. A further 42% said extreme weather concerns affect their daily lives. One in five Gen Z respondents said they had changed their career or job plans due to extreme weather concerns.
NRMA Insurance chief executive officer Julie Batch said the findings highlight a gap in how Australians are currently prepared for these events. “The impact of extreme weather goes beyond physical damage. As an insurer we see firsthand the emotional and psychological toll it takes on individuals and communities long after an event has passed. This research reinforces that severe weather preparedness must include practical, accessible mental health support, so people are better equipped to manage stress and know where to seek help,” Batch said.
Batch also noted that NRMA Insurance had worked with Lifeline Australia to develop dedicated content within Lifeline’s Online Support Toolkit to give at-risk communities access to resilience-building resources across all stages of a disaster event. IAG has said the findings reinforce its position that disaster response needs to extend beyond property and physical damage assessment to include earlier mental health support for affected customers.
