众安：从保险到生态的演进

Influenced by the theory of disruptive innovation, entrepreneurial ventures aiming to digitize traditional industries often directly target the pain points within the industry. They leverage advanced technologies to introduce innovative solutions, starting from the overlooked low-end market and gradually attempting to penetrate the mainstream market, ultimately disrupting the existing players. However, historical data indicates that only a few entrepreneurial ventures have successfully disrupted traditional industries through this approach. Most startups face strong resistance from incumbents and even fail during their entrepreneurial journey. Therefore, besides disruptive innovation, what other innovative strategies can entrepreneurial ventures employ to achieve success in traditional industries? The case of ZhongAn provides an alternative perspective. Over the course of its 8-year entrepreneurial journey, ZhongAn has pursued a distinct value proposition that differs from traditional insurance. Instead of solely offering insurance products that come into effect after accidents occur, ZhongAn focuses on providing risk protection services to users. Through product and service innovation, ZhongAn has not only established its own niche but has also generated incremental market opportunities within the industry. Additionally, ZhongAn leverages technology to empower other enterprises and create a shared value ecosystem. Consequently, ZhongAn has paved a path that coexists with traditional insurance. In October 2021, ZhongAn introduced the Digital Insurance Ecological Cube Plan, signaling its ambition to expand its ecosystem across a wider industry scope. At this stage, ZhongAn's CEO, Xing Jiang, faces a strategic decision: How should ZhongAn extend its ecological footprint? Should ZhongAn continue pursuing an innovative strategy that coexists with traditional insurance, or should it embark on a disruptive journey within the traditional insurance industry?