Simple, smart, transparent—this is Sigo Seguros. Founded by two Lauder graduates, Sigo is a mobile-first online auto insurance provider for non-standard, Spanish-speaking drivers. Easy to use, the bilingual platform helps drivers with limited insurance histories obtain low-cost policies regardless of language preference or risk profile.

Winning two Jacobson Global Venture Awards provided Sigo’s founders Nestor Solari, G’19, WG’19, and Júlio Erdos, C’10, ENG’10, G’19, WG’19, with startup funds so they could focus their energies on the company’s development. Solari and Erdos, along with a third partner, Ricardo Rodriguez, also received a $100,000 investment from Entrepreneurs Roundtable Accelerator, a four-month business innovation program in New York City.

“I was familiar with the insurance industry,” Solari said. “My aunt in California was being hit with hidden fees and I wanted to change that for her.” Solari’s parents and family immigrated to the United States from Uruguay before he was born; they often encountered challenges when trying to purchase auto insurance from traditional providers.

Solari believed he could find a solution, not just for his family, but for the Hispanic-American population, which often receive quotes padded with bill pay fees and hidden taxes. He teamed with classmate Erdos to explore ways to provide a single-platform service in partnership with insurance companies that would issue polices directly through the Sigo website.

“Our customer base is very tech-savvy,” said Solari. “Hispanic Americans over-index in mobile usage, mobile internet access, mobile purchases, and online purchases. But they have limited digital options for purchasing auto insurance.”

Erdos, a former Bain Capital consultant, said it was important to bring the product online as a way to ensure customers were getting the fairest quotes. e. “By being online, we are able to get rid of hidden fees by selling directly to our population,” he said.

Sigo’s customers receive auto insurance quotes that are easy to understand and meet state requirements, while being charged no extra fees above their premiums. This end-to-end service not only helps customers save money — it is improving quality of life for an underserved population.

Next steps for Solari and Erdos include looking beyond the auto insurance market. They are considering additional services like mobile bilingual tax return preparation that can deploy a similar tech-enabled model based on simplicity and low cost.

Julia Hoos, G’18, WG’18, knows that renewable energy is driving the future. By participating in two Lauder Leadership Immersion Internships, Julia witnessed this growing energy transformation first hand.

Originally from Germany, Julia was drawn to the Lauder Institute because of its global mission. “I knew the way to learn about other business cultures was from the inside out,” she says.

Julia interned in Mexico and Colombia with Bright, Mexico’s fastest-growing residential solar energy provider. She was tasked with looking into Bright’s expansion into the Colombian market and developing and executing a buy-in plan for stakeholders. Julia’s field experience with Bright sparked her interest in energy as a career path.

During her summer internship with Samsung’s Global Strategy Group, Julia saw the challenges of rolling out electric vehicles and observed how the company was embracing this new industry.

“I saw why the product was necessary, and it impressed me that the company was taking advantage of new strategies and then experimenting with solutions,” she said. “That experience took me way out of my comfort zone!”

Now she is a consultant in the Houston office of Boston Consulting Group (BCG), where she is applying her background in alternative energy. “I’m using the experience I gained through Bright to help position me for future opportunities within BCG,” she said. “I’m talking with colleagues every day who are exploring renewable energy and, increasingly, I see this is where the future is.”

The Lauder Institute prepares students for employment by providing global career support and opportunities, like Julia’s, that ensure students’ transition from the classroom to the business world is seamless.

“My time with Lauder was awesome,” said Julia. “My internships set me up for what I am doing today, and will do in [the] future.”