Risk Partners Life Sciences Roundtable 2024, thank you very much! Already for the 26.06.2025 >

Our specializations

"We are not only consultants in risk transfer, but also act as risk managers ourselves. Our approach is therefore to first understand and assess the risk situation and then develop a joint strategy that takes your risk appetite into account. Insurance is only part of the solution and our advice."

Our specialization

Focused on venture capital, private equity, growth companies,
life sciences and capital markets liability

We believe in consistent specialization in order to provide a market-leading service.
We only advise on risks and sectors that we really understand.

Insuring IPOs and capital market liability

Is your D&O ready to go public?
‍Involve
our expertise in the "insurance" stream at an early stage. We advise supervisory boards and management boards to avoid falling into liability traps during the IPO project. Even preparatory actions - even if the IPO is subsequently canceled or postponed - have a risk that needs to be covered.

Conventional D&O concepts and insurers often exclude this important component or require separate notification. When preparing the IPO prospectus, you will be supported by many advisors, lawyers, auditors and bankers in order to be able to map the complexity of an IPO at all. However, advisors like to "transfer" responsibility to the issuer by means of an indemnity agreement.

Suitable project cover in one policy: POSI cover
We have the right project cover via our Public Offering Securities Insurance (POSI) to cover almost all risks of the parties involved (including those that lie with the issuer via an indemnity agreement) on the project for the full liability and civil law limitation period.

Comprehensive stakeholder management under one policy, by the Management Board, Supervisory Board, (existing) shareholders (selling shareholders), issuer (company as a legal entity) and third parties, such as the banking syndicate, the auditors (own damage clause in the POSI insurance or comfort letter cover) and IPO advisors.

Being Public: Capital market liability for listed companies

Is your D&O on top of all your capital market risks?
‍Are
securities trading claims adequately covered? Adequately protected against shareholder lawsuits? KapMuG and US Class Actions are also a risk that should not be underestimated for ADR Level I-III, even for companies listed exclusively in Europe.

Laws and regulations on capital market follow-up obligations and the Market Abuse Regulation are just two of the potential stumbling blocks for claims by listed companies and their management. No decision-maker or controlling body wants to take on the risk of unlimited personal liability for executive bodies with their private assets.

Side C Coverage: Securities trading cover
Ask us about our special securities trading cover as part of D&O insurance for insured persons, board members and supervisory board members as well as a balance sheet protection clause for possible direct claims by investors and shareholders. We provide individual advice after analyzing your market cap, stock exchange and shareholder structure.

Shareholder Activism Protection Insurance (SAPI Coverage):
Protect against activist investors

SAPI insurance offers an insurance option similar in concept to cyber insurance to protect against activist investors or to actively counter this risk yourself. Depending on the maturity of your risk management, we determine the costs for you in relation to the added value of risk transfer as well as relevant assistance services.

Venture capital, private equity and fund managers as well as service providers in the industry

Responsibilities towards LPs and portfolio companies‍

The focus of venture capital activities ranges from start-up financing to advising management and playing an active role on supervisory or advisory boards. Similarly, private equity funds are involved in similar roles in buy-and-build, turnaround strategies, etc. in "liable" roles. This range of responsibilities entails very specific private and business risks that can lead to claims by third parties in connection with the performance or omission of these activities and for which appropriate protection is required.

Fast-growing startups and scaleups (pre-IPO)

Focus on growth with a conscious understanding of risk in all phases‍

Growth companies from Series B to E (to IPO) have to manage special requirements from investors and stakeholders with each financing round. The balancing act of liability fields becomes greater for all parties involved as the exit/IPO "approaches", not least because of long subsequent liability periods after the exit.

We understand the challenges in all growth phases and advise on protecting your personal liability with our special "D&O Growth" concept including a pre-IPO readiness check of the D&O insurance.

Life sciences companies and service providers in the sector

IPO planned? Take advantage of our Risk Partners IPO Flip-D&O Insurance at an early stage

Manager liability and personal liability for industry-specific requirements - adequately protect your Health & Safety Officers, Quality Officers (PRRC, Quality Director, QP), Radiation Protection Officers and others.

Patent protection (IP liability insurance) and cyber insurance for sensitive data.

Liability arising from clinical trials and test person coverage in phases I-IV.

Special public and product liability (incl. AMG and MPDG).

Our services

A holistic approach to risk management

We place identified and insurable risks on the global insurance markets for you in the best possible way. We know that this does not always solve all your challenges. Strong growth can lead to bottlenecks in the insurance department and/or a professionalization of risk management may be necessary. We can help you with this.

For startups, scaleups & life sciences companies

Risk management as a service

It is particularly important for start-ups and pre-IPO companies to develop simple and less complex (risk management) concepts. These must identify, assess and transfer the key risks in order to avoid the insolvency of the business model in the worst case scenario.
⮕ see the Watchmaster case, for example.

From a risk management perspective, it is essential to create a common risk awareness in the first step, which is largely supported by the risk strategy. Convince your investors in the due diligence process of your next financing round with a risk report and a deep understanding of your risks, thereby safeguarding against risks that could threaten your company's existence.

On the basis of sound risk and insurance management, we develop a decision-making basis for your company. You decide what to insure and what not to insure. Because not every risk is worth insuring. Here is our basic approach:

  • Risk identification in joint risk workshops, coupled with our experience in industry-typical risks for life sciences, FinTech, tech companies and venture capital firms
  • Risk analysis and assessment (software-supported on request)
  • Development of a joint risk management strategy (Which risks can be accepted, avoided, reduced or transferred?)
  • Determination of your company's risk-bearing capacity and risk acceptance and impact analysis on KPIs in your balance sheet (how much risk can you afford or do you want to take?)
  • Creation of an insurance strategy (what risk should be borne by the company, what should be insured? Goal: Minimization of risk premiums)
  • Implementation and placement of risk and insurance strategies on the insurance market
  • Documentation of the risk workshops including follow-up and preparation of an initial (investor) risk report

Your added value through active risk and insurance management:

  • Sustainably increase the security level for your company
  • Value-oriented risk management will boost your valuation in the next financing round
  • Significantly reduce your insurance costs
  • Manage and process claims more efficiently
  • CONSCIOUSLY take risks and promote growth!

The Silicon Valley Bank case, which was identified as part of a risk management process and - if necessary - would have led to an adjustment of the banking / treasury strategy, also demonstrated the importance for young growth companies.

For listed corporations and SMEs

Rent-an-Insurance-Manager

We place identified and insurable risks on the global insurance markets for you in the best possible way. We know that this does not always solve all your challenges. Strong growth can lead to bottlenecks in the insurance department and/or a professionalization of risk management may be necessary. We can help you with this.

On the other hand, many companies do not (yet) have an insurance department with their own staff or cannot find suitable personnel. Above a certain size, your industrial risk and insurance issues require professional support to ensure that your investments and strategies are adequately protected. This is where we provide you with support tailored to your needs.

Building up your own staff to deal with your internal insurance issues is time-consuming and cost-intensive. This work is often carried out by the head of finance or legal, for example, but not by professionally trained insurance staff.

Our solution for your company: Rent-an-Insurance-Manager

  • Rent your "own" insurance department for a certain period of the year
  • Simply outsource the management and administration of insurance contracts
  • Reduce costs - increase security


Our "Rent-an-Insurance-Manager" concept allows you to hire core competencies in the field of insurance for a limited period of time and tailored to your needs, as if you had your own staff in place.

As an outsourced insurance department, Risk Partners manages and handles your company's insurance work, e.g. as an in-house contact for insurance issues, an interface to your insurance broker or to your insurers.

Your added value through Rent-an-Insurance-Manager:

  • Efficient use of personnel and costs. Existing processes are optimized while at the same time freeing up your internal resources in their specialist areas (legal/finance)
  • "Bookable on a temporary basis", for example if you have staff shortages during peak periods such as renewals or annual financial statements and need support at short notice
  • Saves time: freed-up capacity can be used in other core areas of your company
  • "Professional sparring" relieves and supports your existing team with a second opinion
  • Professional support for your insurance issues through the use of qualified insurance expertise
  • By increasing the quality of work, you also reduce risks for your management's liability

"We invest at least one day a month as a team to evaluate new approaches for the transfer of complex risks. Our proposals are discussed with our insurance partners. Research & Development is just as important for us as it is for our life sciences clients."

Our references

We let our work and our clients speak for us.

Blog / News

Risk Partners supports successful uplisting of Formycon AG to the Prime Standard

We warmly congratulate Formycon AG on its successful uplisting to the Prime Standard of the German Stock Exchange on November 12, 2024! Welcome to the Prime Standard league: A new champion of life sciences and biosimilars has successfully made the step from the scale segment. We proudly congratulate Enno Spillner, Dr. Caroline Redeker, Daniel Marquard and the entire team at Formycon AG on this great success and another important milestone on their way to

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Risk Partners supports successful IPO of Steyr Motors AG

We congratulate Steyr Motors AG on its successful listing in the Scale Segment of the German Stock Exchange on October 30, 2024! Risk Partners had the honor to act as IPO underwriting advisor on this transaction. Our team, led by Florian Eckstein and Björn Stressenreuter, supported Steyr Motors AG in its IPO on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange. Our expertise and comprehensive support were geared towards providing Steyr Motors with a secure and successful start on the capital markets.

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Global Integrity and Compliance Forum 2024 

𝗚𝗹𝗼𝗯𝗮𝗹 𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗴𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗶𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗙𝗼𝗿𝘂𝗺 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟮𝟰 "D&O and Co. - Plan B to cover personal liability!" Last Friday, Florian had the honor of taking part in the Global Integrity and Compliance Forum at the Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität in Munich. Under the motto "The RULE of LAW in the Era of Integrity & Compliance", international legal experts, company managers and in-house councils & compliance officers from all over the world gathered to discuss the future of good corporate governance in the

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