Former Mingtai Insurance President Joins Carota to Lead Global AI and IoV Expansion.

Chen Chia-Wen stepped down as President of Mingtai Insurance on March 1 after nearly seven years in the role. On April 1, he took on a new position as Chief Operating Officer (COO) of Carota Group, a Cayman Islands-based tech company. As of May 1, he also serves as the General Manager of Carota’s Taiwan business. Chen is set to help this cutting-edge Over-the-Air (OTA) software upgrade company expand its presence in the Internet of Vehicles (IoV) and AI markets, while preparing for a future IPO.

Founded in 2017 and headquartered in Taiwan, Carota’s shareholders include AU Optronics, Trend Micro, Delta Electronics, MediaTek, Singtel, Acer, and other major tech firms.

Chen explained that he accepted an invitation earlier this year from Carota’s founder and current Chairman & CEO, Wu Po-I, a former classmate at National Taiwan University. After completing his mission at Mingtai Insurance, Chen returned to his long-standing passion for the automotive industry. Inspired by Wu, he realized that with the rise of electric and autonomous vehicles, automotive functionality is shifting from mechanical systems to software. Software Defined Vehicles (SDVs) rely heavily on the IoV for continuous updates to software and AI logic, making this a highly promising market. Taiwan's domestic market is small, and its hardware-centric OEM car manufacturing is less globally competitive. However, in high-tech software, Taiwan has a real opportunity to lead the world.

Carota Excels in OTA, Serves Global Automakers

Carota, a key client of Mingtai Insurance’s directors’ and officers’ liability insurance, specializes in OTA software upgrades, remote diagnostics, smart cockpit software services, and AI-generated fleet management solutions. With service hubs in 13 countries and customers across over 20 nations, Carota is a Tier 1 supplier to global automakers such as Volkswagen, BYD, Chery, and SAIC-GM-Wuling. Its domestic clients include Hotai Motor Group and Luxgen. In 2023, Carota also secured a supplier qualification with Mercedes-Benz Group in Germany.

Chen pointed out that automotive software systems are complex and cybersecurity standards among automakers are high, requiring lengthy testing to be accepted by global OEMs. Carota is currently the only company in Taiwan with full international certification for OTA technology. It also holds a proprietary differential update patent, allowing connected vehicles to upgrade their software safely without compromising driving safety.

He explained that software updates for smart cars differ greatly from those for smartphones. Cars contain many electronic control units, making the update process much more complex and safety-critical. Carota’s differential update technology compares old and new files to identify differences, reducing the need for full file downloads. This speeds up transmission and saves on cloud transfer, storage, and onboard memory costs, while increasing the success rate of software upgrades and maintaining vehicle safety.

Carota: A Global One-Stop OTA and Remote Diagnostic Provider(Provided by Chen Chia-Wen)

U.S.-Educated Dual Master's Holder, Became Insurance President at 39

Born in 1971, Chen is now 54 and one of the few in Taiwan's non-life insurance sector to have led two major insurance companies for a combined 14 years and 3 months. He became company president at the age of 39, a notable feat in the traditionally senior-dominated insurance industry. A civil engineering graduate from National Taiwan University, Chen pursued further studies in the U.S., earning a Master’s in Structural Engineering from UC Berkeley and a Master’s in Technology and Policy from MIT—completing both degrees in just nine months each. His MIT thesis analyzed the Taiwanese automotive industry, demonstrating his long-standing engagement with the sector through both insurance and now Carota’s IoV technologies.

Chen went abroad at 22 and returned at 24, just as Taian Insurance was recruiting overseas Chinese talent. He was interviewed through data provided by the Youth Development Administration (formerly the National Youth Commission). With his engineering background, he unexpectedly entered the insurance industry, starting as an underwriting associate in engineering insurance. He gained comprehensive experience across front, middle, and back office roles and taught himself actuarial science, earning associate actuary certification from Taiwan’s Ministry of Finance at 31, allowing him to sign insurance policies. At 32, he became Vice President of Taian Insurance, and at 39, was promoted to President.

After serving at Taian for over seven years, Chen was recruited by Japan’s Mitsui Sumitomo Insurance to become President of its Taiwan subsidiary, Mingtai Insurance. Despite his strong English skills from studying in the U.S., Chen took it upon himself to learn Japanese to better communicate with his colleagues, hiring a private tutor for one-on-one lessons. In just two years, he advanced from the lowest Level 5 in the Japanese Language Proficiency Test to Level 2, just one step from near-native proficiency.

Calm and Determined, Passionate About Innovation

Chen is passionate about innovation. While serving as VP at Taian Insurance, he published a paper through the Underwriting Society of the Republic of China discussing the relationship between astrological signs and car accidents. By comparing this with UK data, he helped Taian create Taiwan’s first Usage-Based Insurance (UBI) policy. While car accidents were traditionally linked to driver age and past incidents, Chen’s research emphasized personality traits. For instance, Virgo drivers, who tend to be perfectionists, were more likely to file claims for minor accidents, resulting in a higher claims rate for collision coverage.

At Mingtai, Chen continued to innovate in products, technology, and services. He introduced a new generation of UBI policies from Japan that collect driver data through dashcams, a more convenient approach than the first-generation UBI that required OBD2 devices. Second-gen dashcams also have internet connectivity, allowing real-time crash reporting to insurers, which adds claims functionality beyond data collection.

Chen added that Carota’s AI-powered fleet management solution further enhances use of driving big data. Real-time video and intelligent dispatch can help logistics and transportation firms improve operational efficiency, increase safety, reduce accident rates, and lower insurance premiums.

Within the insurance sector, Chen is seen as a calm and determined leader. He leads by example with humility, guiding teams to execute goals steadily. Now transitioning from insurance to IoV and AI tech startups, he believes that technology stems from human needs. By understanding user scenarios and addressing real-life pain points, high-tech innovation can truly deliver value.

Carota’s OTA and AI diagnostic technologies meet industrial cybersecurity and smart cloud management standards. In addition to smart cars and autonomous driving, they are being applied to aircraft, ships, drones, flying taxis (eVTOL), automated factory devices (AGV/AMR), service robots, and humanoid robots. Chen hopes Carota’s efforts will accelerate the transformation of smart mobility, smart cities, and smart factories worldwide—allowing humanity to enjoy the safety and convenience brought by AI.