Innovation intelligence brief

neos

United KingdomPure InsurTechHome Insurance

Start-up

Smarter Home Insurance. Monitor your home, detect problems and get help to fix them. Munich Re is providing the underwriting capacity for Neos' home insurance product.

What became of it

2026 evolution

Completed · High confidence · Last verified 2026-10-17

Status: Acquired
Current brand: Sky Protect ↗
Owner: Sky UK Limited

As catalogued

Connected home insurance that bundled smart sensors and cameras with home cover so customers could monitor the home, detect problems and get help fixing them, with Munich Re capacity.

2026 reality

Neos Ventures Limited (UK, 09941700) is active and controlled by Sky UK Limited. Sky and Sky Protect are its trading names; as an FCA-authorised intermediary (FRN 752145) it sells home (buildings and contents or contents only), Smart Home Insurance, device and mobile cover, with home emergency, legal and cyber add-ons. The neos.co.uk and getneos.com domains are no longer active.

What changed

Aviva took a majority stake in Neos in 2018 (PSC from January 2019); Sky UK bought it from Aviva in June 2021. The Neos brand was replaced by Sky Protect, sold to Sky's customer base; around 2023 Sky launched Sky Protect Smart Home Insurance, bundling about £250 of smart-home devices with home cover underwritten by Zurich UK, and added device and mobile insurance.

Why it changedAnalysis

Connected home insurance struggled to scale on its own; a telecom and media owner with millions of UK customers provides distribution and a natural smart-home device bundle.

What remains distinctiveAnalysis

A notable case of a non-insurer (telecom/media) acquiring an insurtech to build an embedded insurance brand.

Key milestones

2018 acquisitionAviva acquired a majority stake in Neos (registered as PSC on 2019-01-31).[2][5][6]
2021-06-11 acquisitionSky UK Limited acquired Neos from Aviva.[2][5]
2023 Sky launched Sky Protect Smart Home Insurance, bundling smart-home devices with home cover underwritten by Zurich UK.[6]

Third taxonomy

InsurTech Evolution (2026)

Company status: Acquired
Strategic evolutionchange: Absorbed
Business model (2026): B2C direct Embedded insurance
Business model shiftchange: Toward embedded / partner distribution New insurance lines
Insurance value chain: Distribution & sales Risk prevention Customer engagement
Technology evolution: IoT & telematics Digital channel
Market positioning: Broker / agent
Innovation maturity: Integrated
Current relevance: Moderate

Explore the 2026 taxonomy →

Open questions

The Sky Protect Smart Home launch date (c. May 2023) is inferred from the Coverager article; whether the device bundle is still included in 2026 was not confirmed on the current product page.
A secondary source mentions Neos announcing a shutdown of its legacy app and services in 2024; not verified.

REVIEW · Verified PSC history on Companies House, the 2021 Sky purchase from Aviva (Life Insurance International) and Sky Protect trading names (FRN 752145) on sky.com. Corrected the claim that smart-home sensors are no longer prominent: Sky launched a device-bundled Smart Home Insurance (Zurich-underwritten) c. 2023; added iot-telematics and risk-prevention, the Aviva 2018 stake date and two sources.

Research sources (6)

[1] NEOS VENTURES LIMITED (09941700) · Companies House · regulatory
[2] NEOS VENTURES LIMITED: persons with significant control · Companies House · regulatory
[3] Sky Protect · Sky · 2026-10-17 · acquirer
[4] neos.co.uk (domain does not resolve) · Observation · 2026-10-17 · observation
[5] Sky moves into smart home technology as it purchases Neos from Aviva · Life Insurance International (GlobalData) · 2021-07-13 · press
[6] Sky introduces smart home insurance · Coverager · 2023 · press

Documented evidence

Evidence gallery

10 ASSETS

Get connected, get protected
Motion sensor
Homepage (see above, call number for claim submission)
Protect home and family
Leak sensor
Smoke sensor
Window and door sensor
Indoor security cam
Insurance couplet to assistance and technology
Partners

Research interpretation

Taxonomy position

Classification paths, as catalogued, connect this example to the original insurance digitalization research models.

Value Network (2017)

Customer Network Promotion › TC13 Acting as digital broker › General online broker
Data-Driven Infrastructure Operations › TC2 Exploiting data for risk assessment and underwriting › Sensor data of properties and products
Digital Infrastructure Operations › TC1 Establishing digital service provisioning and distribution infrastructure › Digital transactions and processing
Digital Infrastructure Operations › TC1 Establishing digital service provisioning and distribution infrastructure › Mobile app portal
Digital Infrastructure Operations › TC1 Establishing digital service provisioning and distribution infrastructure › Web portal
Digital Service Provisioning › TC4 Offering services digitally › Digital conversations
Digital Service Provisioning › TC4 Offering services digitally › Digital policy administration and adjustments
Digital Service Provisioning › TC5 Complementing insurance with prevention and recovery services › Predictive prevention, proactive warnings
Digital Service Provisioning › TC6 Integrating insurance with related services › Integrating insurance with real estate and housing services
Digital Service Provisioning › TC6 Integrating insurance with related services › Service provisioning at the point-of-demand
Insurance Service Development › TC8 Adopting to changes of insured risks › Digitized object (car and home)

Explore the complete taxonomy →