Long before the rise of startups, Europ Assistance was born as a pioneering startup itself. Back in 1963, Pierre Desnos envisioned a groundbreaking profession—assistance services—and laid the foundation for Europ Assistance. Over the course of 60 remarkable years, driven by passionate and dedicated teams, Europ Assistance has evolved into a world-renowned leader.
From its origins in travel insurance and assistance, Europ Assistance has expanded its scope, offering a diverse range of services encompassing mobility solutions and personalized assistance. These services now include senior care, digital identity protection, telemedicine, and concierge services.
This is the story of a French-born startup that has transcended borders, establishing itself as a global leader.
Discover the inspiring journey of Europ Assistance—how it started and how it grew—through our exclusive web series, consisting of 6 episodes featuring firsthand testimonials.
Following an accident that occurred to some friends in Spain, Pierre Desnos measured the lack of protection that existed at the time for French travelling abroad. The first days were difficult, but Europ Assistance soon proved its effectiveness: three lives were saved that year. A young woman who had fallen 10 metres while visiting the Acropolis, a little girl who had suffered serious burns in Spain and a baby who was saved by the very rapid delivery of medicines. As Pierre Desnos himself said, “In 1963, we invented a profession, a real profession, hard and demanding, with unlimited responsibilities…”.
These first achievements, followed in subsequent years by an ever-increasing number of others, enabled Europ Assistance to expand and progress to become and remain, 60 years later, a true benchmark in the assistance sector.
Discover our old Europ Assistance ads with the repatriation photos where we contributed
Discover one of Europe’s most iconic TV ads from 1960: Europ Assistance’s unforgettable advertisement, showcased here.
