InsTech - insurance & innovation with Matthew Grant
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A weekly interview hosted by Matthew Grant peeking behind the curtain of what‘s going on with some of the most well know companies - and some the newest - from in and around insurance, technology, data and investment.
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5 days ago
Garrett Koehn: President, CRC Brokerage: Wholesale broking, innovation and investment (189)
Garrett Koehn is President at CRC Brokerage, and he is also an active investor, mentor and forward thinker on topics such as crypto, cyber and parametric.
He joins Matthew to discuss the emerging trends in risk, investment and insurance. We find out about wholesale broking and the appetite of traditional markets for new risks.
Companies discussed include Ensuro, AgentSync, Zenefits, Evertas, Stere.io, Beazley, and Lloyd's.
CRC Group is one of the largest wholesale insurance distributors in the US. Its insurance offerings and practice groups include commercial property, casualty, professional lines, construction, energy, healthcare and hospitality.
Talking points include:
* How companies are valued and the problems of overvaluation
* The role of cryptocurrencies in investment and insurance
* Finding new asset classes to insure
* The impact of climate change regulation, reporting requirements and opportunities arising from the changes
You can get more information on the InsTech member profile page for CRC Group.
If you like what you're hearing, please leave us a review on whichever platform you use or contact Matthew Grant on LinkedIn.
More information on the InsTech event, Making Payments Pay: Making the Most of Payments Technologies, is available on our website.
Sign up to the InsTech newsletter for a fresh view on the world every Wednesday morning.
Continuing Professional Development - Learning Objectives
InsTech is accredited by The Chartered Insurance Institute (CII). By listening to any InsTech podcast or reading the accompanying transcript, you can claim up to 0.5 hours towards the CII member CPD scheme.
The Learning Objectives for this podcast are:
* Define the role of wholesale insurance brokers in the relationship between clients, brokers and insurance companies
* Identify what investors and insurers need to consider when navigating around cryptocurrency market trends
* List some of the opportunities arising within the insurance industry due to climate change regulation updates
If your organisation is a member of InsTech and you would like to receive a quarterly summary of the CPD hours you have earned, visit the Episode 189 page of the InsTech website or email cpd@instech.london to let us know you have listened to this podcast.
To help us measure the impact of the learning, we would be grateful if you would take a minute to complete a quick feedback survey.
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May 1, 2022
Elizabeth Jenkin: CEO, Nimbla: A career in insurance - how to lift as you climb (188)
Elizabeth Jenkin is the CEO of Nimbla, Co-founder of the women's network "Lift as you Climb" and is on the boards of Gallagher, Fidelis and the Women's Football Association. She joins Robin to discuss why she left her 20-year career as a broker with Aon and RFIB to join a start-up, how brokers and insurers differ and the importance of curiosity.
Talking points include:
* The importance of the voice of the customer
* Factors that enable a company to scale effectively
* Embedded insurance
* What a good partner looks like
* Their 5-year tie-up with Accelerant
* Taking inspiration from role models and mentors
You can also get more information on the InsTech member profile page for Nimbla.
If you like what you're hearing, please leave us a review on whichever platform you use or contact Matthew Grant on LinkedIn.
Sign up to the InsTech newsletter for a fresh view on the world every Wednesday morning.
Continuing Professional Development - Learning Objectives
InsTech is accredited by The Chartered Insurance Institute (CII). By listening to any InsTech podcast or reading the accompanying transcript, you can claim up to 0.5 hours towards the CII member CPD scheme.
The Learning Objectives for this podcast are:
* Summarise the relationship between brokers and insurers, and some key differences in their practices
* Identify the factors a company needs to consider when looking to scale its business in the insurance industry
* Describe how companies can collaborate effectively with customers to enhance the quality of their offering
If your organisation is a member of InsTech and you would like to receive a quarterly summary of the CPD hours you have earned, visit the Episode 188 page of the InsTech website or email cpd@instech.london to let us know you have listened to this podcast.
To help us measure the impact of the learning, we would be grateful if you would take a minute to complete a quick feedback survey.
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Apr 24, 2022
Ben Huckel: Co-founder & CEO, Send Technology: Composable technology - helping underwriters do what they love (187)
Send Technology is a software company founded in 2017 that has developed a connected workbench that enables insurers, brokers and MGAs to automate, streamline and optimise its operations.
It has recently entered its scale-up phase and secured major clients such as Renaissance Reinsurance and Bowhead Specialty.
Send Technology’s Co-founder and CEO, Ben Huckel, joined Matthew to talk about the importance of companies using the right technology, the benefits of leading with a service rather than a product and the advantages of providing a software service that is tailored to clients’ needs.
Talking points include:
* What Ben has learned from implementing major systems for insurers in the past
* How the cloud-based commercial insurance platform, Send Connect, has evolved to prioritise integration, adoption and speed and what this means for underwriters
* The importance of flexibility in software and how it provides insurers with resilience against dynamic markets
* The role of low code and no code tools
* How Send Technology plans to incorporate additional functionality such as integrated pricing doctrines and delegated authority to its Underwriting Workbench to support pre and post buying businesses
You can find the demo discussed in the episode here.
If you like what you're hearing, please leave us a review on whichever platform you use or contact Matthew Grant on LinkedIn.
Sign up to the InsTech newsletter for a fresh view on the world every Wednesday morning.
Continuing Professional Development - Learning Objectives
InsTech London is accredited by The Chartered Insurance Institute (CII). By listening to any InsTech London podcast or reading the accompanying transcript, you can claim up to 0.5 hours towards the CII member CPD scheme.
The Learning Objectives for this podcast are:
* Define some of the functions of modern underwriting technology and their advantages for underwriters
* Identify the specific considerations a company needs to make when looking to select new insurance technology
* Summarise how insurers can prepare for the challenges of dynamic markets through the implementation of software
If your organisation is a member of InsTech London and you would like to receive a quarterly summary of the CPD hours you have earned, visit the Episode 187 page of the InsTech London website or email cpd@instech.london to let us know you have listened to this podcast.
To help us measure the impact of the learning, we would be grateful if you would take a minute to complete a quick feedback survey.
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Apr 17, 2022
John-Isaac Clark: CEO, Arturo: Property insights from above (186)
Arturo delivers on-demand property data using multi-source imagery and provides AI insights for damage assessment after a catastrophic event.
John-Isaac "JC" Clark, the CEO of Arturo, speaks to Matthew about how Arturo's information is used. They cover how satellites collect data, what underwriters are doing with it and how he expects this to evolve as innovation progresses.
Talking points include:
* How American Family is producing a technology company from its innovation team
* The sourcing and accuracy of information used in the lifecycle of an insurance policy
* What data do satellite and aerial images capture and how they are used to produce insights
* Use cases of drones and aircraft in the property and casualty markets
* Examples of who they partner with and why
* How insurers in the US, Australia and Japan are using Arturo's data
If you like what you're hearing, please leave us a review on whichever platform you use or contact Matthew Grant on LinkedIn.
Sign up to the InsTech newsletter for a fresh view on the world every Wednesday morning.
Continuing Professional Development - Learning Objectives
InsTech London is accredited by The Chartered Insurance Institute (CII). By listening to any InsTech London podcast or reading the accompanying transcript, you can claim up to 0.5 hours towards the CII member CPD scheme.
The Learning Objectives for this podcast are:
* Summarise how insurers source the relevant information for insurance policies
* Describe how satellite and aerial images capture data, and how underwriters use the insights this data produces
* List some cases of drone and aircraft use in damage assessment, and the advantages for the property and casualty markets
If your organisation is a member of InsTech London and you would like to receive a quarterly summary of the CPD hours you have earned, visit the Episode 186 page of the InsTech London website or email cpd@instech.london to let us know you have listened to this podcast.
To help us measure the impact of the learning, we would be grateful if you would take a minute to complete a quick feedback survey.
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Apr 10, 2022
Jeff Radke: Co-founder & CEO, Accelerant: Growing the MGAs of the future (185)
Traditional insurers’ minimum premiums, small transactions and subsequent inability to absorb clients’ portfolio volatility leave MGAs vulnerable.
Accelerant provides insurance capacity, technology and investment for MGAs in property and casualty insurance.
Jeff Radke, Co-founder and CEO of Accelerant, speaks to Matthew about the role of Accelerant in championing the latest technology and supporting individuals. They cover the support MGAs get from being members of Accelerant and address the problems that specialty commercial underwriters face and how to tackle them. They also discuss how to handle a remote, global business in the age of working from home and the war for talent.
Talking points include:
* What MGAs should focus on when building capacity
* The benefits to MGAs of being a member of a company that has a large, diverse portfolio as opposed to a traditional, monolithic insurance company
* The growth potential of intermittent and embedded coverage
* The power of algorithmic underwriting and the prerequisites to make it work
* How different brokers are evolving and their willingness and ability to handle new technology
* The importance of energy, enthusiasm and experience in Accelerant’s business model
* Emerging threats of inflation and what pushing higher deductibles back to policyholders could mean for insurers
If you like what you're hearing, please leave us a review on whichever platform you use or contact Matthew Grant on LinkedIn.
Sign up to the InsTech newsletter for a fresh view on the world every Wednesday morning.
Continuing Professional Development - Learning Objectives
InsTech London is accredited by The Chartered Insurance Institute (CII). By listening to any InsTech London podcast or reading the accompanying transcript, you can claim up to 0.5 hours towards the CII member CPD scheme.
The Learning Objectives for this podcast are:
* List the benefits a company with a diverse portfolio has over traditional insurers, and why these would be advantageous to MGAs
* Describe the ways in which technology is advancing traditional insurance processes (such as algorithmic underwriting)
* Summarise how insurers can prepare for the rising threats of inflation and the impact this will have on policyholders
If your organisation is a member of InsTech London and you would like to receive a quarterly summary of the CPD hours you have earned, visit the Episode 185 page of the InsTech London website or email cpd@instech.london to let us know you have listened to this podcast.
To help us measure the impact of the learning, we would be grateful if you would take a minute to complete a quick feedback survey.
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Apr 3, 2022
Robert Le: Fintech Analyst, PitchBook: The facts and figures - tech companies to watch (184)
PitchBook is a financial data and software company that provides insights on private and public markets to help clients better evaluate opportunities.
Robert Le, a Fintech Analyst at PitchBook, talks about how it gathers, defines and categorises different sources of information in its databases. He reviews what public market investors expect from insurtech and established technology companies and discusses the insurance areas where he is seeing opportunities emerge.
Talking points include:
* How investors rate risk-taking entities (MGAs and insurers) compared to technology companies licensing products
* The potential opportunities to assess cyber insurance risk
* Recent developments in pet insurance, including marketing trends, social changes following Covid-19 and recent technological advancements in the area
* Use cases today for blockchain in insurance
* Some companies Robert has been following
As a special offer to friends of the InsTech London podcast, PitchBook is offering a preview of their 2021 Annual Insurtech Report.
If you like what you're hearing, please leave us a review on whichever platform you use or contact Matthew Grant on LinkedIn.
Sign up to the InsTech newsletter for a fresh view on the world every Wednesday morning.
Continuing Professional Development - Learning Objectives
InsTech London is accredited by The Chartered Insurance Institute (CII). By listening to any InsTech London podcast or reading the accompanying transcript, you can claim up to 0.5 hours towards the CII member CPD scheme.
The Learning Objectives for this podcast are:
* Describe the ways in which insurtech companies can appeal to public market investors
* Identify some of the emerging opportunities within insurance such as cyber insurance risk
* Summarise how the pet insurance market has developed as a result of recent social and technological changes
If your organisation is a member of InsTech London and you would like to receive a quarterly summary of the CPD hours you have earned, visit the Episode 184 page of the InsTech London website or email cpd@instech.london to let us know you have listened to this podcast.
To help us measure the impact of the learning, we would be grateful if you would take a minute to complete a quick feedback survey.
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Mar 27, 2022
Jonathan Gonzalez: CEO & Co-founder, Raincoat: The parametric company solving the protection gap at scale (183)
While weather-related catastrophic events are on the rise, insurance policies and federal aid are still inaccessible for many globally.
Jonathan Gonzalez is the CEO and co-founder of Raincoat, a platform to support insurers in the development and distribution of parametric insurance solutions for consumers in at-risk countries and regions.
He joins Matthew on Podcast 183 to explain how scalable parametric insurance products are helping to reduce the protection gap, Raincoat’s consumer-focused approach, and tailoring solutions to tackle relevant climate risks in different areas of the world.
Talking points include:
* How Hurricane Maria inspired Jonathan to launch a company
* How he used his software background to build Raincoat
* What is needed to successfully collaborate with insurers
* The indices used to measure perils and how various data sources are handled
* The importance of regulation in the application of parametric insurance
You can get more information about Raincoat on the company’s InsTech London member profile page.
If you like what you're hearing, please leave us a review on whichever platform you use or contact Matthew Grant on LinkedIn.
Sign up to the InsTech newsletter for a fresh view on the world every Wednesday morning.
Continuing Professional Development - Learning Objectives
InsTech London is accredited by The Chartered Insurance Institute (CII). By listening to any InsTech London podcast or reading the accompanying transcript, you can claim up to 0.5 hours towards the CII member CPD scheme.
The Learning Objectives for this podcast are:
*
Summarise what the protection gap is and the role of parametric insurance products in reducing this
*
Understand how various indices and data sources are used to measure risk
*
List some of the relevant climate risks in different areas of the world and some solutions to mitigate against these
If your organisation is a member of InsTech London and you would like to receive a quarterly summary of the CPD hours you have earned, visit the Episode 183 page of the InsTech London website or email cpd@instech.london to let us know you have listened to this podcast.
To help us measure the impact of the learning, we would be grateful if you would take a minute to complete a quick feedback survey.
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Mar 20, 2022
Joan Cuscó, MAPFRE & Nicolas Monsarrat, Accenture Health: Digital health in 2022 and the implications for insurers (182)
The healthcare industry has faced monumental changes over the past two years, with the pandemic affecting both the provision of services and consumer behaviour.
Increased demand and Covid-19 lockdowns led to the acceleration of digital health technology, which in turn is now presenting fresh challenges and opportunities for insurers.
Robin talks to Joan Cuscó, Global Head of Transformation at MAPFRE, and Nicolas Monsarrat, Managing Director, Strategy & Consulting, Digital Health Europe Lead at Accenture, about the digital health landscape in 2022 and what it means for the insurance industry.
Talking points include:
* Transitioning to digital - insights from the UK, US, France and Germany
* Providing more value from personalised health data
* The role of blockchain in building trust
* Using digital twins to model and learn
* Why ecosystems and partnerships are the way ahead
More information on MAPFRE’s insur_space accelerator programme is available at insur_space.com.
You can also get more information about MAPFRE from the company’s InsTech London member profile page.
The 2021 Accenture Health and Life Sciences Experience Survey mentioned in the podcast can be downloaded from accenture.com.
If you like what you're hearing, please leave us a review on whichever platform you use or contact Matthew Grant on LinkedIn.
Sign up to the InsTech newsletter for a fresh view on the world every Wednesday morning.
Continuing Professional Development - Learning Objectives
InsTech London is accredited by The Chartered Insurance Institute (CII). By listening to any InsTech London podcast or reading the accompanying transcript, you can claim up to 0.5 hours towards the CII member CPD scheme.
The Learning Objectives for this podcast are:
* Outline how to transition to digital and the value of personalised health data
* Define what a digital twin is and how it can increase efficiency
* Describe the potential future of health insurance and its important elements
If your organisation is a member of InsTech London and you would like to receive a quarterly summary of the CPD hours you have earned, visit the Episode 182 page of the InsTech London website or email cpd@instech.london to let us know you have listened to this podcast.
To help us measure the impact of the learning, we would be grateful if you would take a minute to complete a quick feedback survey.
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Mar 13, 2022
Rich Sorkin: CEO & Co-founder, Jupiter Intelligence: The climate change risks that can’t be ignored (181)
Jupiter Intelligence has achieved rapid growth since its launch five years ago and is now providing analytics on the impact of climate change to insurers, governments, and corporations worldwide.
CEO and Co-founder Rich Sorkin joins Matthew to discuss how his experience of extreme weather events motivated him to launch the company.
Their conversation covers the products and services Jupiter offers, how clients are using its data, and why it is vital that insurers track the long-term impacts and risks they face from climate change. Talking points include:
* Using data to understand physical and financial portfolio risk
* Duration mismatch - why planning for the future matters
* Regulation and reporting - the impacts for insurance
* The lessons insurance can learn from banking
* Scaling at speed - building the right team and products
Jupiter Intelligence was featured in the InsTech London report, Climate Change Risk Regulation and Measurement: 22 companies to know, which is available as a free download.
You can also get more information about the company on the Jupiter Intelligence InsTech member profile page.
If you like what you're hearing, please leave us a review on whichever platform you use or contact Matthew Grant on LinkedIn.
Sign up to the InsTech newsletter for a fresh view on the world every Wednesday morning.
Continuing Professional Development - Learning Objectives
InsTech London is accredited by The Chartered Insurance Institute (CII). By listening to any InsTech London podcast or reading the accompanying transcript, you can claim up to 0.5 hours towards the CII member CPD scheme.
The Learning Objectives for this podcast are:
* Understand some of the long-term challenges faced by the insurance industry as a result of climate change
* Define duration mismatch and how important it is for insurers to factor this into business plans
* Identify some of the products and services available to help insurers mitigate the risks of climate change
If your organisation is a member of InsTech London and you would like to receive a quarterly summary of the CPD hours you have earned, visit the Episode 181 page of the InsTech London website or email cpd@instech.london to let us know you have listened to this podcast.
To help us measure the impact of the learning, we would be grateful if you would take a minute to complete a quick feedback survey.
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Mar 6, 2022
Paul Templar: CEO, VIPR: Data - seen it, clean it, sort it (180)
Data has never been so important or abundant in insurance but finding the right information is still a major challenge for insurers.
That has led to opportunities for companies like VIPR, which is providing extraction and ingestion solutions to help standardise data from third parties and creating analytics to improve underwriting accuracy.
CEO Paul Templar joins Matthew on Podcast 180 to discuss how brokers and insurers are using VIPR’s data and analytics platform to manage data, getting information flowing efficiently across the market, and how VIPR is looking to scale with the help of private equity.
Talking points include:
* Improving communication between insurers, brokers and clients
* Using the cloud to improve data access and processing efficiency
* Producing new underwriting insights through improved processing
* APIs, portals and making technology work
* Working with clients to drive product direction
VIPR was featured in the InsTech London report, Data Extraction and Ingestion: The 40 companies to watch in 2021, which is available as a free download.
You can also get more information on the InsTech member profile page for VIPR.
If you like what you're hearing, please leave us a review on whichever platform you use or contact Matthew Grant on LinkedIn.
Sign up to the InsTech newsletter for a fresh view on the world every Wednesday morning.
Continuing Professional Development - Learning Objectives
InsTech London is accredited by The Chartered Insurance Institute (CII). By listening to any InsTech London podcast or reading the accompanying transcript, you can claim up to 0.5 hours towards the CII member CPD scheme.
The Learning Objectives for this podcast are:
* Summarise the challenges for insurers in collecting relevant information and how these contribute to inefficient underwriting
* List the benefits data and analytics platforms have on improving processing efficiency
* Identify the role of clients in helping insurers to direct and implement new products
If your organisation is a member of InsTech London and you would like to receive a quarterly summary of the CPD hours you have earned, visit the Episode 180 page of the InsTech London website or email cpd@instech.london to let us know you have listened to this podcast.
To help us measure the impact of the learning, we would be grateful if you would take a minute to complete a quick feedback survey.
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Feb 27, 2022
Alex Hearn: Founder & CEO, Slipcase: Information that matters and insights that inform (179)
Alex Hearn, founder of insurance news and insights platform Slipcase, joins Matthew on Podcast 179 to share his experience of growing a successful business.
Formerly a broker at Willis, Alex left the company to develop a digital environment to connect insurance industry professionals. The result, Slipcase, is now an established platform collating and sharing information from insurers, brokers, and service providers to 160,000 users worldwide.
Alex and Matthew discuss the process of building the company, the technology behind the platform, and the insurance content that is capturing users’ attention.
Talking points include:
* Establishing a product market fit and knowing when to pivot
* Building a quality proposition for corporate clients
* What users want - tracking behaviour to establish trends
* How the pandemic changed consumption habits
* Podcast or press release - the popularity of different content formats
More information on Slipcase is available from slipcase.c…
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Feb 20, 2022
Dr Tim Farewell: Science and Communications Director, Terrafirma, a Dye & Durham Solution: Cracks and collapse – the risks beneath your property (178)
Thousands of UK property claims are made every year related to unseen perils below ground, with climate change already increasing the risks facing homeowners and insurers. Dr Tim Farewell is the Director of Science and Communications at Terrafirma, a Dye & Durham Solution, and one of the UK’s leading authorities on ground risks. He joins Matthew on Podcast 178 to discuss what is causing the problems, and how Terrafirma provides data to help insurers understand portfolio risks from subsidence, mines and voids, sinkholes, and coastal erosion. Talking points include:
* The science behind different ground risks
* The most common causes of subsidence and sinkholes
* How insurers are using Terrafirma data for assessing risks and claims
* The effect of climate change on ground risks - today and in the future
* Emerging technologies and tracking ground movement from space
You can find out more about climate risk and the work Terrafirma is doing in the next InsTech London report.…
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Feb 13, 2022
Devin Chawda: Co-founder & CEO, ARMD: Embedded insurance - the next frontier for a serial entrepreneur (177)
Embedded insurance was one of the hot topics of 2021, with a growing number of successful propositions emerging that target potential customers with insurance at the point of purchase. ARMD is one of a crop of new companies putting embedded insurance into action. It offers theft and damage insurance to UK tradespeople purchasing tools through its online shop and supplies IoT sensors to help protect their vehicles. Co-founder and CEO Devin Chawda joins Matthew to discuss how the technology works, why customers like embedded insurance, and the challenge of building a business and raising funds during Covid-19 lockdowns. Talking points include:
* Market research and identifying pain points
* Aligning e-commerce and embedded insurance products
* Using app technology to expedite digital claims
* Gathering new data to assess risk and pricing
* Raising funds via crowdsourcing
To learn more about what embedded insurance means in practice and the potential opportunities, download ou…
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Feb 6, 2022
Ruth Foxe Blader and Matthew Jones: Anthemis: What really matters - the investors’ view (176)
For start-ups and scale-ups, funding is the fuel for growth. But after a record-breaking year for insurtech investment, what can we expect to see in the investment space in 2022? Ruth Foxe Blader and Matthew Jones from venture capital investor Anthemis join Matthew to discuss the current financial markets and the opportunities that are attracting investors right now. Talking points include:
* Assessing IPO performance and the investment appetite for insurtech
* What Anthemis looks for from new companies and solutions
* How new sources of data are creating new product opportunities
* The growth of embedded insurance and what’s next
* How to encourage entrepreneur diversity in insurtech
If you like what you're hearing, please leave us a review on whichever platform you use or contact Matthew Grant on LinkedIn.
Sign up to our newsletter for a fresh view on the world every Wednesday morning.
Continuing Professional Development - Learning Objectives
InsTech London is accred…
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Jan 30, 2022
Katie Lennon: Head of ESG, UK & Lloyd’s, AXA XL: ESG - the insurer’s perspective (175)
With climate-related risk becoming a top priority for insurers, Podcast 175 examines where the industry is right now in terms of identifying the specific challenges and opportunities ahead.
Matthew talks to Katie Lennon, Head of ESG, UK & Lloyd's at AXA XL, about how processes for measuring and managing climate impact are developing.
The conversation covers how Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) differs for business operations and clients, creating consistency around allocating carbon emissions, and the work being done on a global scale to help support insurers.
Talking points include:
* Communicating the purpose of ESG across organisations
* Practical examples of measuring climate impact and organisational change
* Where insurers can have the biggest impact on carbon emissions
* Defining consistent terminology and standardised frameworks
* Opportunities for third parties around unstructured climate data
Climate Change Measurement and Regulation, a new report fro…
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Jan 23, 2022
Climate Change Risks and Opportunities Today (174)
As the financial risks from climate change continue to increase, insurers are having to come to terms with both the short-term impact of large catastrophe events and new regulatory requirements.
Podcast 174 features insights from our Climate Change Risks and Opportunities Today live event, sponsored by S&P Global Market Intelligence, which focused on practical solutions and real examples of how insurance is responding to a changing landscape and evolving risks.
Recorded live at CodeNode in London, Matthew talks to:
* Raphael Zindi, Product Manager | Segment Lead, EMEA Insurance, S&P Global Market Intelligence
* Chris Illman, Head of Responsible Business, Beazley
* Dana Foley, Head of Catastrophe Research, Chaucer Group
* Christopher Perceval, Head of ESG Business Development, EMEA, S&P Global Sustainable1
This episode also features additional insights from Fathom’s Chief Operations Officer Dr Andrew Smith and Tom Philp, CEO of Maximum Information.
Talking points include:…
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Jan 16, 2022
Bryan Falchuk: Managing Partner, Insurance Evolution Partners: Insurer, start-up, writer, coach, influencer - one life, many roles (173)
Matthew talks to author, coach, and speaker Bryan Falchuk on Podcast 173 about his background in insurance and insurtech, and the innovation challenges for insurers and start-ups in 2022.
Bryan began his career at Liberty Mutual Insurance and worked for Beazley, McKinsey and Hiscox before branching out as an author. His two books titled The Future of Insurance look at the lessons learned by incumbent insurers as they look to innovate and evolve to meet the needs of their customers.
The episode features examples from insurers that have successfully launched innovation projects and why Bryan feels that now is a fascinating time for insurance.
Talking points include:
* Innovating in-house - insurer success stories
* How start-ups win - why a strong business model beats hype
* The growth of embedded insurance and moving beyond acquisitions
* Making claims savings - efficiency vs lower indemnity
* Going “digital” and how to overcome the challenges facing insurers post-pand…
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Jan 9, 2022
Predictions for Insurance in 2022 (172)
What can the insurance industry expect in 2022? We’ve gathered a panel of 16 innovation experts to give us their predictions for the year ahead.
Podcast 172, sponsored by Fadata, covers topics, themes and opportunities including the insurtech investment scene (valuations and opportunities), increase in mergers & acquisitions activity, ESG and climate change, operational excellence, talent war, cryptocurrency and the Metaverse.
Our panel of innovation experts includes:
* Matthew Jones, Managing Director, Anthemis
* Charles Burgess, CEO International Distribution, Munich Re Specialty Group
* Premal Gohil, Head of Innovation Partnerships & Investments, GRS, Liberty Mutual Insurance
* Sasa Brcerevic, Global Head of MGA Strategies, Aon
* Ruta Mikiskaite, Head of Client Solutions UK and Ireland, Swiss Re
* Jenny Williams, Portfolio Optimisation Director, Convex
* Joan Cuscó, Global Head of Transformation, MAPFRE
* Paolo Cuomo, Director of Operations, Brit Insurance
*…
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Jan 2, 2022
Partners’ Chat - New Year Special: Robin Merttens and Matthew Grant (171)
Matthew and Robin wave goodbye to 2021 by reflecting on some of the key insurance, insurtech and innovation themes from the past 12 months.
Their Partners’ Chat - New Year special includes thoughts on a record year for insurtech investment, why now is a good time to be an MGA, and predictions for data and technology developments in 2022.
Talking points include:
* Unicorns, angels and securing early-stage funding
* The decline of incubators and accelerators
* Embedded insurance and educating customers about risk
* How data ingestion and extraction became a top business priority
* Why brokers remain a key part of the value chain
If you like what you're hearing, please leave us a review on whichever platform you use, or contact Matthew Grant on LinkedIn. All we are up to www.instech.london
Sign up to our newsletter for a fresh view on the world every Wednesday morning. Continuing Professional Development - Learning Objectives
InsTech London is accredited by The Chartered…
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Dec 26, 2021
Allyship, inclusion and the future of work (170)
InsTech London was really pleased to be involved in a panel discussion on Allyship in the workplace hosted by The Camelot Network’s Inclusion & Diversity Think Tank and sponsored by Genasys.
The diverse panel explained what Allyship is, how to action it and the impact it can have in creating a truly inclusive society.
The speakers include:
* Rebekah Bostan – Director of Research and Insight, InsTech London
* Lethabo Motsoaledi – Co-founder, Creator and CTO, Voyc
* Dr Joanna Abeyie MBE – Founder and Director, Blue Moon
* Paul Jardine – Chairman, Asta and Chaucer
The discussion was moderated by Miriam Reason, Founder at Reasonful.
Talking points include:
* What is Allyship, and why should you care?
* Why is Allyship the most powerful thing you can do at work?
* Why is the future of work about intersectional inclusion and Allyship?
* What do all the relevant terms mean?
For more information on The Camelot Network, go to thecamelotnetwork.com.
If you like…
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Dec 19, 2021
George Devereese & Turloch Mooney: IHS Markit: Revealing the risks: inside shipping and containers (169)
The global pandemic and the shutdown of the Suez Canal in March highlighted the importance of the global supply chain and the risks involved in shipping goods around the world.
Tracking what happens at sea is a major challenge, however, innovations in data and technology are now allowing insurers and businesses to track ship and cargo movements from start to finish.
Matthew is joined on Podcast 169 by George Devereese and Turloch Mooney from IHS Markit, a global data provider and the primary source of information on vessels being used for international trade.
The conversation covers how technology is being used in the real-time monitoring of vessels and the data and analytics IHS Markit provides to marine insurers to assist with underwriting, risk allocation, and claims investigation/mitigation.
Talking points include:
* The main risks involved in container ship journeys
* How sensors are being used to track individual cargo containers
* Using data to forecast global supply…
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Dec 12, 2021
Christian Wiens: CEO, Getsafe: Giving a new generation access to insurance (168)
In October 2021, Getsafe extended its Series B funding round to $93 million, including investment from Swiss Re. The start-up is now a fully licensed insurer in Germany and operates as an MGA in the UK, targeting younger generations with personal lines insurance products.
Robin talks to co-founder and CEO Christian Wiens about how Getsafe has scaled since being founded in 2015, the company's plans for expansion, and innovation trends to watch.
Talking points include:
* How to sell insurance to first-time customers
* The benefits of being a full-stack insurer
* Distribution channels for personal lines insurance
* Changes in CEO responsibility as start-ups scale
* Venture capital trends in Europe and the US
If you like what you're hearing, please leave us a review on whichever platform you use or contact Matthew Grant on LinkedIn.
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Continuing Professional Development - Learning Objectives
Ins…
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Dec 5, 2021
Near real time hazard data - around us and above us (167)
This week, we’re bringing you the highlights from our recent live event featuring companies providing and using near real time hazard data to speed up claims handling, reduce costs and provide more accurate underwriting.
Data is only any good if it can be easily embedded in the workflow - so we get practical and specific with all our guests to explore real case studies and challenges they have overcome.
Matthew leads off talking to CEO and founder of ICEYE Rafal Modrzewski and Head of Insurance Solutions Lisa Wardlaw.
Extracts follow from:
* Forbes McKenzie, CEO, McKenzie Intelligence Services
* Alun Jones, Chief Commercial Officer, Addresscloud
* Andrew Smith, Chief Operations Officer, Fathom
* Jonathon Hopper, Claims Manager, Atrium Underwriters
* Colin Masson, Head of First Party Complex Claims, Beazley
* Gethin Jones, Co-Founder & Executive Director, Skyline Partners
Talking points include:
* Using radar satellite imaging technology to assess flood depths at i…
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Nov 28, 2021
Jeremy Hyams: Chief Executive Officer, Claims Consortium Group: Claims technology - building the single source of truth (166)
When it comes to innovation, claims technology has not always got the level of focus it deserves.
That situation is changing though with several companies, including this week’s podcast guest, providing new technology solutions to speed up and improve claims processes.
Matthew talks to Jeremy Hyams, CEO and founder of Claims Consortium Group, about building a claims service provider, innovating at speed during Covid-19, and how its Synergy Cloud platform is helping the AA to manage home insurance claims in-house.
Talking points include:
* Claims handling technology in practice
* Building technology for third parties
* The growth in remote claims assessments
* Linking partners and customers through platforms
* Validating claims using real-time weather data
If you like what you're hearing, please leave us a review on whichever platform you use, or contact Matthew Grant on LinkedIn.
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Nov 21, 2021
Sébastien Piguet: Co-founder & Head of Underwriting, Descartes Underwriting: Going global - delivering parametric insurance at scale (165)
Descartes Underwriting, founded in 2018, has scaled quickly to provide parametric insurance against climate risks to corporate clients around the world.
Co-founder & Head of Underwriting Sébastien Piguet joins Matthew on Podcast 165 to discuss trends in parametric insurance and Descartes' experiences with its clients.
Talking points include:
* Why some corporates are replacing indemnity policies with parametric
* Educating brokers and risk managers about parametric
* Insuring solar and wind farms
* Data sources for natural perils
* The potential for parametric cyber insurance
Descartes Underwriting was featured in our report Parametric Insurance - 2021 outlook and the companies to watch, which is available to download for free to InsTech London members.
If you want to keep up-to-date with the latest parametric insurance news and developments, sign up for our Parametric Post newsletter.
If you like what you're hearing, please leave us a review on whichever platform you…
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Nov 14, 2021
Marco Mirabella: Founder & CEO, Ensuro: Crypto capital for insurance start-ups (164)
Start-ups looking to sell insurance products often struggle to secure the insurance capacity from incumbent (re)insurers they need as a managing general agent (MGA).
Ensuro is piloting an alternative source of insurance capital: using cryptocurrency funds from investors, locked in smart contracts on a blockchain, to underwrite risks.
Founder and CEO Marco Mirabella joins InsTech London's Henry Gale on Podcast 164 to discuss the opportunity for cryptocurrency to be used as insurance capital and how Ensuro's technology works.
Talking points include:
* The crypto market and decentralised finance (DeFi)
* The regulatory landscape for crypto insurance
* Applications of parametric insurance
* An insurance use case for NFTs (non-fungible tokens)
InsTech London's latest report, Demystifying Crypto: the insurance opportunities and challenges, sets out what the insurance industry should know about crypto in more detail.
To learn more about Ensuro, you can read an insight article we…
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Nov 7, 2021
Nick Wright: Chief Business Development Officer, Pen Underwriting: Every problem has a solution (163)
The Managing General Agent (MGA) model has become a successful way for many insurtech startups to establish themselves, but the subject of this week’s podcast is a bit different to other MGAs in the marketplace.
Pen Underwriting was created by bringing together 12 companies in 2014. Its work covers claims, pricing, and distribution with more than £650 million in gross written premium per year.
Chief Business Development Officer Nick Wright joins Matthew on Podcast 163 to explain how Pen Underwriting supports its partners and why investing in innovation is a key part of the company’s approach.
Talking points include:
* Advantages of the MGA model
* Creating products for insurer partners
* Monitoring the market and looking outside of insurance
* The growth of parametric and usage-based insurance
* Using telematics to mitigate risk
More information on Pen Underwriting is available from the company’s InsTech London member profile page.
If you like what you're hearing…
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Oct 31, 2021
Property Intelligence - new solutions for an old problem (162)
We're bringing you the highlights and key insights from our property risk event at The Steel Yard in London.
‘Property Risk - What’s New and What Works?’ brought together experts in flood forecasting, digital twins, rebuild costs, remote assessment and more, to discuss new data and analytics solutions that are helping insurers understand the physical characteristics and risks of properties.
The episode begins with Robin in conversation with Todd Rissel, Chairman and CEO of event sponsors e2Value, and is followed by interviews with:
* Mark Cunningham, WhenFresh
* Olivia Iltcheva, Convex
* Anthony Siggers, Archipelago
* Jonathan Newbery, Zurich and Jonathan Jackson, Previsico
* Jay Gentry, SafeGraph
* Bob Frady, HazardHub (acquired by Guidewire)
* Anthony Peake, Intelligent AI
* Laurent de la Porte and Antonin de Benoist, Allphins
Talking points include:
* What is important for insurance companies when looking for property-related data
* What information ha…
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Oct 24, 2021
Brendan Smyth & Premal Gohil: Liberty Mutual Insurance: Embracing innovation - lessons from a global insurer (161)
Liberty Mutual Insurance is a global insurance company that embraces innovation, with a strong track record of building successful partnerships with technology companies.
Matthew talks to Brendan Smyth, SVP, Global Risk Solutions Innovation, and Premal Gohil, Head of Innovation Partnerships & Investments, to understand how Liberty approaches innovation projects and works with third parties to understand new insurance trends.
The episode also includes advice for start-ups on how to approach insurers with new ideas and what Liberty is looking for from potential data and technology partners.
Talking points include:
* How to create a culture of innovation
* Balancing innovation projects with day-to-day business
* Building successful commercial partnerships
* The importance of ecosystems and efficient integration
* Comparing insurance innovation - differences between the US and Europe
Premal’s article, 5 Tips for ensuring Startup-Corporate collaboration success, is availabl…
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Oct 17, 2021
Robin Merttens & Andrew Yeoman: Navigating algorithmic underwriting in Property & Casualty (160)
Robin is joined by Concirrus CEO and Co-founder Andrew Yeoman on Podcast 160 to discuss how commercial insurers are beginning to use algorithms to support underwriting decisions.
The conversation covers the findings from the InsTech London report, A Practitioner's Guide: Algorithmic underwriting in commercial and specialty insurance, which examines where industry adoption is right now and what’s needed to move the technology forward.
Andrew shares his insights on the potential of algorithmic underwriting, plus practical examples of how Concirrus is using algorithms to identify marine risks and build dynamic pricing models.
Talking points include:
* How underwriters are using algorithms
* The challenges to wider industry adoption
* Predicting behaviours through technology
* ‘Digital fracking’ and the importance of structured data
* Automation as a journey and where we are on it
* The balance of AI and human input
A Practitioner's Guide: Algorithmic underwriting in…
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Oct 10, 2021
Simon Lewis & Matt Greaves: Atrium Underwriters: Underwriting and innovation where it counts (159)
Atrium Underwriters has been operating in the London market for almost 100 years and has established itself as one of the most forward-thinking insurers when it comes to innovation and new technology.
Underwriters Simon Lewis and Matt Greaves join Matthew on Podcast 159 to discuss where that drive for innovation comes from.
The conversation covers how Atrium assesses ideas and products for new opportunities like crypto, using technology to speed up claims and reduce costs, and how it supports start-ups through the Lloyd’s Lab and Product Innovation Facility (PIF) at Lloyds.
Talking points include:
* Aligning innovation with day-to-day underwriting
* Building an innovation culture
* Assessing viability and accepting “fast fails”
* Using natural language processing (NLP) to review claims
* Collating location data for catastrophe risk underwriting
If you like what you're hearing, please leave us a review on whichever platform you use, or contact Matthew Grant on Linke…
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Oct 8, 2021
Piyush Singh: Founder, Terrene Labs - a FRISS company: Calling all underwriters - focus on the core, not the chore (155)
For underwriters, time spent searching for information is time lost to underwriting.
Terrene Labs, acquired by FRISS in April 2021, aggregates third-party data sources to help underwriters focus on the core of underwriting rather than the chore of data collection. The acquisition will expand FRISS's range of underwriting insights beyond risk detection analytics.
Matthew speaks to Piyush Singh, CEO of Terrene Labs, on podcast 155 to discuss why he left his senior role to launch a start-up, how Terrene Labs built its client base and why his business was acquired by FRISS.
Listen now to learn about:
* The importance of classifying businesses accurately
* How to find out a lot about a company from just four questions
* How the insurer can become an expert advisor to its customers
* The unusual data that can impact risk pricing that insurers don’t usually look at
* The opportunities in small commercial lines insurance in the US
If you like what you're hearing, please leave…
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Oct 3, 2021
The founders‘ stories - start-up to scale-up (158)
Podcast 158 features the highlights from Part 1 of our first live event back at The Steel Yard in London and is packed with advice for start-ups looking to grow and future founders.
Ed Leon Klinger (Flock), Oliver Brew (CyberCube), Andre Symes (Genasys Technologies), and Jonathan Spry (Envelop Risk) returned to the InsTech London stage to discuss their experiences of the journey from start-up to scale-up.
They shared their insights with Matthew and Robin on surviving the ups and downs of early-stage growth and building successful products, right through to securing hundreds of millions of dollars in investment funding and much more.
Talking points include:
* Market analysis and how to spot opportunities
* Focusing on your USP and building the right team
* The importance of data and how to get it from clients
* The benefits of ecosystems and harnessing new technologies
* Insurtech disruption vs insurer partnerships
If you would like to hear more from the speakers and comp…
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Sep 26, 2021
Mark Allan: Commercial Director UK Insurance, Bupa: Private healthcare in the pandemic and beyond (157)
Health insurers have been on the front line of the COVID-19 pandemic. They have had to get to grips with the new peril of the COVID-19 virus, experience changes in demand and plan for the long term while adjusting to lockdowns and home working.
Mark Allan, Commercial Director UK Insurance at Bupa, joins Robin to discuss Bupa’s experience during the pandemic in the UK and what lies ahead.
Talking points include:
* The challenges of being a health insurer during a pandemic
* The long term impact of COVID-19
* Digitising customer access and engagement
* The challenge of legacy systems
Today’s podcast is sponsored by Fadata. Fadata has been providing software to the insurance market for over 30 years. Its modern insurance process platform, INSIS, spans the entire insurance product lifecycle for life, non-life and healthcare insurance. You can find out more about Fadata at www.fadata.eu.
If you like what you're hearing, please leave us a review on whichever platform you use…
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Sep 19, 2021
Karina Buch: Chief Commercial Officer, Insurance Business Applications: Digital insurance platforms - getting ahead and staying ahead (156)
Insurance Business Applications (IBA) has established itself as a genuine insurance innovator over the past decade, embracing new technologies to offer a full cycle property and casualty insurance platform in the cloud.
Chief Commercial Officer Karina Buch joins Robin to discuss the company's origins and growth so far, why global insurers like Zurich and AIG are choosing to use its IBSuite platform, and the potential of both embedded and parametric insurance.
Talking points include:
* Why speed matters when building products
* Re-platforming vs greenfield development
* Covid-19 and the race to modernise
* The demand and attraction of embedded insurance
* Integrating external data for parametric triggers
If you like what you're hearing, please leave us a review on whichever platform you use, or contact Matthew Grant on LinkedIn.
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Continuing Professional Development - Learning O…
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Sep 5, 2021
Niall Barton: Co-founder & Executive Chairman, Wrisk: A marathon not a sprint - surviving and thriving as an insurtech (154)
For insurtechs to flourish, companies need to match their innovative technology solutions with market opportunities and an understanding of how the industry works.
Some of the best innovation in recent years has come from combining new technology with deep insurance knowledge and experience, and this week’s podcast guest is a great example. Originally an underwriter, Niall Barton co-founded Wrisk in 2015 and has gone on to become one of the leading figures in the UK insurtech scene.
Niall joins Matthew on Podcast 154 to discuss the growth of Wrisk, his experiences as a founder, developing insurance technology solutions, and building a business during Covid-19 lockdowns.
Listen now to learn about:
* Changing careers and advice for aspiring founders
* Crowdfunding and working with investors
* Building vs buying technology platforms
* Pivoting a start-up and embedded insurance opportunities
* The growth of the UK insurtech scene
Wrisk was named as one of the companies to…
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Aug 29, 2021
Todd Rissel: Chairman & CEO, e2Value: Product launch 2.0 - smart tech, simple solutions (153)
When you think of insurance innovation, there is a whole host of exciting start-ups and scale-ups that spring to mind, but this week’s podcast guest has been consistently innovating for the past two decades.
Todd Rissel founded e2Value 20 years ago and has built a company that now provides Insurance to Value (ITV) data and products to over 500 clients in the US and Canada.
Matthew and Todd discuss how e2Value has managed to stay relevant and move with the times, including its latest product offerings for estimating repair costs and gathering data about property characteristics.
Talking points include:
* Why insurance knowledge matters when building technology
* How to maintain customer relationships
* Creating a digital, scalable underwriting process
* Working with partners to refine new products
* How companies approach innovation - UK vs the US
e2Value was named as one of the companies to watch in our Location Intelligence 2021 report, which is available to download…
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Aug 22, 2021
Andrew Passfield: CEO, ICE InsureTech: Insurance software for innovation - flexibility as a service (152)
Whether you are an established company or a new kid on the block, you need to be smart and flexible to make the most of new opportunities and stay ahead of the game.
ICE InsureTech is one of the companies that is helping the insurance industry do that, using its experience of building digital policy administration and claims management systems to tackle legacy issues and drive innovation.
CEO Andrew Passfield talks to Robin Merttens on Podcast 152 about the company’s ICE platform, providing more agility to clients and their customers in a digital world and their shared experiences of careers spent working in insurance technology.
Talking points include:
* Helping start-ups go to market faster
* Platform requirements for MGAs
* Embedded insurance and industry trends
* Using APIs to speed up renewals
* Insurance technology and the speed of change
* Walking football
If you like what you're hearing, please leave us a review on whichever platform you use, or contact Matth…
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Aug 15, 2021
Jerad Leigh: Co-founder & CEO, Supercede: The founder‘s journey: surviving and thriving as a start-up (151)
There has been no shortage of founders looking to transform insurance over the last five years, but turning innovative insurtech ideas into successful businesses is an incredibly tough challenge.
Jerad Leigh is the co-founder of Supercede, one of many companies we’ve worked with at InsTech London that have made the leap from 'early stage' to ‘established'.
He joins Matthew on Podcast 151 to share his experience of that journey and some great advice on how to build a business.
Talking points include:
* How to test your idea before you quit your job
* Whether to build or buy your technology
* Where to look for seed funding
* Juggling day-to-day operations with fundraising
* Selling versus research? Tactics for getting your first clients
* The power of communities
If you like what you're hearing, please leave us a review on whichever platform you use, or contact Matthew Grant on LinkedIn.
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Aug 1, 2021
Partners' Chat - Summer Special: Robin Merttens and Matthew Grant (149)
Recorded after the InsTech London Summer Party, our first public event since Covid-19 restrictions were lifted, Matthew and Robin catch up for their quarterly partners’ chat.
The conversation covers their pick of the latest insurance and insurtech news stories, reaction to our report on embedded insurance, and even Robin’s restaurant recommendations.
Talking points include:
* Face-to-face events and our return to The Steel Yard
* Insurtech investment and lessons learnt from the last five years
* Embedded insurance opportunities
* The rise of the tech-enabled MGA
* Climate change, ESG and the demand for data
The InsTech London report, Insurance: to Embed, or not to Embed, is available to download for free from the InsTech London website.
If you like what you're hearing, please leave us a review on whichever platform you use, or contact Matthew Grant on LinkedIn.
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Continuin…
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Jul 25, 2021
Mick Noland: Executive, General Manager, Insurance Solutions at CoreLogic: The digital hub for property data (148)
Founded in 2010, CoreLogic has established itself as a leading provider of location and property intelligence, with more than 500 insurers and reinsurers now using its products.
Mick Noland, General Manager for Insurance, joins Matthew to discuss the company’s growth over the last decade and the unique data sets that CoreLogic is creating for its insurance clients.
The conversation also covers recent investment in CoreLogic, how the company integrates with third-party providers, and the development of data and insights for catastrophe modelling and climate change risks.
Talking points include:
* How insurers are using real estate data
* Building a data-led approach to underwriting
* Establishing unique identifiers for individual properties
* The benefits of using platforms and APIs
* The growth and importance of climate change risk information
More information on CoreLogic's Digital Hub Alliance is available here on the company's website.
CoreLogic was named as one of…
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Jul 18, 2021
William Hawkins: Director of Research - Europe, KBW: How insurers think: the equity analyst‘s view (147)
While insurtech, start-up funding and data and technology developments are important to all of us, we also need to understand how the major insurers make money, what their needs are from technology and how they address the challenge of change. William Hawkins, Director of Research for Europe at investment bank KBW, joins Matthew to share insights from his team's research into the mainstream world of insurance. With incumbent insurers spending an annual IT budget of $200 billion how much is earmarked for innovation, and how should a technology company attract insurers as clients? Talking points include:
* The basics of how insurers make money
* Why incumbent insurers struggle to innovate
* What senior executives think about insurtech
* MGAs and new distribution models
* Which emerging technologies could become the norm
If you like what you're hearing, please leave us a review on whichever platform you use, or contact Matthew Grant on LinkedIn.
Sign up to the InsTech London…
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Jul 11, 2021
Gethin Jones, Skyline Partners & Calum Williams, AEGIS London: The parametric platform delivering new insurance solutions (146)
Skyline Partners and AEGIS London have launched a new parametric product to provide US small and medium business owners with cover in the event of a shooting.
The Active Assailant policy uses police department data to define when an event has taken place, triggering a non-damage business interruption cover payment of up to $50,000. An initial launch is taking place in Dallas, Texas with the aim of scaling the policy out to other states across the US.
Skyline Partners Co-founder Gethin Jones and Calum Williams from AEGIS London join Matthew to discuss the product’s development and how parametric insurance can help fill the protection gap left by traditional policies.
Talking points include:
* How insurers can work with tech companies
* Using data to create parametric triggers
* Selling insurance products through a broker network
* Launching and scaling a business
* Skyline’s experience of working in the Lloyd’s Lab
Skyline Partners is featured in our ‘Parametric i…
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Jul 4, 2021
Hemant Shah: Co-founder & CEO, Archipelago: Moving upstream - digitising and standardising customer data at source (145)
Archipelago is aiming to improve the data shared between insurers and their corporate clients related to property risks.
Archipelago is going directly to the original data sources - upstream from insurers to the risk manager and building owners. This is then collated and shared on a platform with brokers and selected insurers.
Co-founder and CEO Hemant Shah, previously founder of catastrophe modelling company RMS, joins Matthew to discuss how Archipelago is improving risk reduction and better access to reliable insights between all parties.
Talking points include:
* Finding the right problem to solve
* Building trust and sourcing data directly from customers
* Replacing spreadsheets and emails with technology
* The benefits of the network effect and collaborating with partners across the full value chain
* Launching a company remotely
Archipelago was named as one of the companies to watch in our Location Intelligence 2021 report, which is available to download from our w…
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Jun 27, 2021
Robin Merttens & Simon Torrance: Insurance - to Embed, or not to Embed (144)
The attraction and vast potential for ‘embedding’ insurance products has made it one of the hottest topics of 2021.
Robin Merttens chats to Simon Torrance on Podcast 144 about the opportunities offered by embedded insurance and insights from the InsTech London report, Insurance: to Embed or not to Embed.
Talking points include:
* The definition of embedded insurance
* Embedded success stories from around the world
* Why customers like embedded solutions
* Third-party distributors and platform business models
* The challenges facing incumbents
If you like what you're hearing, please leave us a review on whichever platform you use, or contact Matthew Grant on LinkedIn.
Sign up to the InsTech London newsletter for a fresh view on the world every Wednesday morning.
Insurance: to Embed or not to Embed will be available to download on the InsTech London website from 9am on Thursday 1 July. The report takes an in-depth look at what embedded means in practice, the emerging…
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Jun 20, 2021
Marine Utgé-Royo: Chief Strategy Officer, Tesselo: Geospatial intelligence for forestry risk (143)
Tesselo is one of the companies looking to help its clients manage the impact of climate change, using satellite data and remote sensing to monitor tree and crop health and support forest owners and farmers in mitigating risks. The company, based in Lisbon, is now exploring insurance applications for its data and analytics and was recently selected to join Cohort 6 of the Lloyd’s Lab. Matthew talks to Chief Strategy Officer and co-founder Marine Utgé-Royo on Podcast 143 to discuss how Tesselo’s technology is tracking changes in forests and how it can help with compliance to environmental regulation. Talking points include:
* Measuring forest health and carbon sequestration bonds
* Building High Definition vegetation models and risk maps from satellite data
* Closing the insurance protection gap
* What Tesselo's clients think about insurance
* Parametric solutions for fire and flood risk
* The advantages and opportunities provided by the Lloyd’s Lab
More information…
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Jun 13, 2021
Building a successful technology enabled MGA (142)
The Managing General Agent (MGA) business model, by which companies can underwrite risks without retaining capital, has proved popular among insurtechs looking to use new technology to improve underwriting.
So how do you set up a successful MGA? Matthew was joined by leading figures from tech-enabled MGAs when he hosted a panel at the 2021 Virtual KBW European Financials & Insurtech Conference.
The panelists were Elizabeth Jenkin (Chief Commercial Officer at Nimbla), Graham Elliott (CEO of Azur), Alastair Speare-Cole (President of Insurance at QOMPLX) and Jonathan Spry (CEO of Envelop Risk).
Talking points include:
* Why to set up an MGA
* How to make better use of data
* Innovating vs investing in innovators
* Data sharing
* The future of MGAs
If you like what you're hearing, please leave us a review on whichever platform you use, or contact Matthew Grant on LinkedIn.
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Jun 6, 2021
Elizabeth Marston: Co-founder, Sotera Heritage: Old meets new - using the latest technology to insure antiquities (141)
Robin steps back in as host this week to find out more about Sotera Heritage from co-founder Elizabeth Marston.
Sotera is using AI and machine learning to create irrevocable digital identities for ancient antiquities, helping insurers to accurately verify objects and provide tools for law enforcement agencies in the fight against the illicit sale of stolen artefacts.
Talking points include:
* Digital fingerprints for antiquities
* Creating patterns through image recognition
* Tracking high-value objects in real-time
* Building a solution for insurers
* Crowdsourcing data through partnerships
The conversation also covers a shared love of wine as they discuss Elizabeth’s role at the Marston Family Vineyard in Napa Valley and the impact of last year’s devastating California wildfires.
If you like what you're hearing, please leave us a review on whichever platform you use, or contact Matthew Grant on LinkedIn.
Sign up to the InsTech London newsletter for a fresh view on…
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May 30, 2021
Richard Garry: Chief Commercial Officer, Gamma Location Intelligence: Build vs buy - getting the best location intelligence information (140)
Gamma Location Intelligence helps insurers to understand property-based risks by providing accurate location data to support underwriting decisions. The company combines its own data sets with information from partners and third parties to provide a clearer view to clients on risks including flooding, subsidence, fire and crime. Chief Commercial Officer Richard Garry joins Matthew to discuss Gamma’s approach, its technology solutions and how clients are making use of its data. Talking points include:
* Pinpointing risks through geocoding
* Automating declines and referrals
* Using maps vs risk and accumulation scoring
* Working with data partners
* Identifying new data sources
Gamma Location Intelligence was named as one of the companies to watch in our Location Intelligence 2021 report, which is available to download from our website.
If you like what you're hearing, please leave us a review on whichever platform you use, or contact Matthew Grant on LinkedIn.
Sign up t…
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May 23, 2021
Henri Winand: Co-founder and CEO, AkinovA: The e-placing platform driving new insurance solutions (139)
The accelerated shift to digital over the past twelve months has raised the profile and importance of pricing platforms in insurance.
AkinovA is one of the companies finding success in the space, with its digital marketplace allowing buyers and sellers to carry out transactions wherever they are in the world.
Matthew talks to Co-founder and CEO Henri Winand on Podcast 139 about how the platform helps in the creation of new insurance products and gives the owners of the risk a better way to optimise their capital.
Talking points include:
* Matching brokers with the right investors
* Meeting the challenges posed by intangible assets
* The importance of standards
* Creating parametric insurance products
* Improving business interruption cover post-Covid
AkinovA is one of the featured companies in our report, ‘E-Trading Platforms: Challenges, Opportunities and Imperative’, which is available to download for free.
If you like what you're hearing, please leave us…
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May 16, 2021
Evan Glassman: Co-founder, New Paradigm Underwriters: Parametric insurance - delivering US hurricane & quake cover since 2013 (138)
Insurance policies may leave businesses exposed to uninsured economic loss in the event of a hurricane or earthquake, because of excess, deductibles and exclusions.
New Paradigm Underwriters offers parametric insurance products which use the wind speed of hurricanes and shake intensity of earthquakes to determine payouts to their clients in North America.
Co-founder Evan Glassman joins Matthew on Podcast 138 to discuss New Paradigm’s technology and how to build parametric products.
Talking points include:
* Measuring hurricane-force wind speeds
* Basis risk in traditional and parametric insurance
* The parametric insurance community
* The benefits of parametric products to protection sellers
* Educating brokers and buyers about parametric
If you like what you're hearing, please leave us a review on whichever platform you use, or contact Matthew Grant on LinkedIn.
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Continuin…
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May 9, 2021
Dr Anushka Patchava: Deputy Chief Medical Officer, Vitality: Where clinical meets digital - insights from health insurance (137)
Covid-19 caused an overnight demand for digital primary healthcare services accelerating major improvements in how we all access and interact with providers.
Dr Anushka Patchava, Deputy Chief Medical Officer at Vitality, joins Robin on Podcast 137 to discuss what that digital shift has meant for life & health insurers over the past 12 months, and the challenges that still lie ahead to achieve true digital engagement and improve access to health data.
The conversation also covers Anushka’s experience of moving from a medical career into insurance and her role as an Expert Advisor to the United Nations.
Talking points include:
* How healthcare providers reacted to Covid-19
* What life & health insurers can learn from home and motor products
* Incentivising customers to share health data
* How legacy technology impedes digital delivery
* Using blockchain for healthcare
If you like what you're hearing, please leave us a review on whichever platform you use, or contact Matt…
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May 2, 2021
Jane Toothill & Matt Reid: JBA Risk Management: US flood - lessons learnt from the UK (136)
Flood is the most pervasive hazard in the United States, but despite the huge scale of the risk there are major challenges around the provision of adequate flood cover based on accurate, real-time data. JBA Risk Management has spent the past decade developing flood models covering 99% of the world’s landmass and has leveraged that experience to provide new flood hazard maps and real-time modelling for US insurers. Matthew finds out more on Podcast 136 from Jane Toothill, Managing Director, JBA Risk Management Ltd, and Matt Reid, Managing Director, JBA Risk Management Inc. Talking points include:
* Integrating flood data into decision-making processes
* Applying global insights and knowledge to US extreme weather events
* Real-time probabilistic modelling through JBA’s FLY technology
* Catastrophe modelling for climate change scenarios
* The state of the US NFIP and the emergence of a private US flood insurance market
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Apr 25, 2021
Bob Frady & John Siegman: CEO & CCA, HazardHub: The data you need at a price you can afford (135)
Good data helps insurers to price and manage risks more effectively, but only if the right information is available, affordable and easy to integrate into underwriting processes. HazardHub are providing solutions to those challenges by supplying insurers with data for perils like flood and wildfire and unique property risk information, including the location of every fire hydrant in the US. The company was selected to join the Lloyd’s Lab last year and was named as one of the companies to watch in our new Location Intelligence report. HazardHub Co-founders Bob Frady and John Siegman join Matthew on Podcast 135 to discuss the types of data they’re offering and how they’re making it affordable and easy for clients to use. Talking points include:
* Accessing real-time data via APIs
* Lessons learned from the Lloyd’s Lab
* Harnessing technology to cut costs
* Pinpointing wildfire risks through modelling
* How to make clients confident about data
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Apr 18, 2021
Adrien Cohen: Co-founder & President, Tractable: Damage assessment with AI - fast, scalable, global (134)
Artificial intelligence has opened up a wealth of opportunities for both insurers and insurtechs, but turning AI’s vast potential into scalable, successful technology solutions is a major challenge.
Tractable is a great example of a company that has managed to do it, with its AI solution for assessing vehicle damage now being used worldwide to process thousands of claims every day.
Co-founder and President Adrien Cohen joins Matthew to discuss Tractable’s global growth, the challenges of working with AI, and what the company has planned for property insurance.
Talking points include:
* Why insurance is a great use case for AI
* Data challenges and training AI systems
* Why insurers struggle to develop solutions in-house
* Spotting opportunities and expanding into different markets
* Convincing customers about new technology
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Apr 11, 2021
Andy Thompson: Co-founder & CEO, Safehub: Sensors and sensitivity - Real time property earthquake risk assessment (133)
By installing low-cost, easy to use sensors, Safehub is creating unique insights on how a building would react in the event of an earthquake.
The technology continuously monitors a building’s natural frequency to create a profile of potential vulnerabilities and a baseline for assessing structural damage if catastrophe strikes.
Co-founder and CEO Andy Thompson joins Matthew to discuss how Safehub is helping to reduce risk and why the wider adoption of affordable sensors benefits both customers and their insurers.
Talking points include:
* Making faster, better decisions through data analysis
* How different earthquakes affect different buildings
* Using technology to spot inaccessible damage
* Understanding vulnerabilities through building frequencies
* Why user experience is crucial for new technology
The RFID Journal article mentioned in the discussion can be found here - https://www.rfidjournal.com/iot-shakes-up-building-intelligence-with-earthquake-sensor-managemen…
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Apr 4, 2021
Location Intelligence 2021: Nigel Walsh enquires, Matthew Grant reveals (132)
Nigel Walsh from Google Cloud steps in as a guest host on Podcast 132 to talk to Matthew about our new report, Location Intelligence 2021 - the Companies to Watch: Where, what and how risky? The report offers a comprehensive look at the technology helping insurers identify and manage risk, and profiles more than 50 companies that are leading the way in the provision of location intelligence. Talking points from Nigel and Matthew’s discussion include:
* Key considerations for pricing and selecting risks
* Data and developments for supporting claims
* Insights for residential and commercial property
* How location intelligence can help with ESG
* Consumers, trust and having too much data
Our Location Intelligence report is free to download until the end of April.
You can get your copy from: https://www.instech.london/insights/location-intelligence-2021-companies-watch-where-what-how-risky
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Mar 28, 2021
Partners' Chat - Easter Special: Robin Merttens and Matthew Grant (131)
Robin and Matthew catch up for their quarterly Partners’ Chat on Episode 131 to discuss the latest news and themes emerging in insurance.
Talking points include:
* Whether Covid-19 has actually accelerated innovation
* Why Robin is expecting a rise in insurtech M&A activity
* The emergence of real AI insurance products and solutions
* How Zego managed to become the UK’s first insurtech unicorn
* Vaccines, face-to-face dinners and a return to The Steel Yard
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Mar 21, 2021
Dr Andrew Smith & Dr Oliver Wing: COO & CRO, Fathom: Understanding flood - from research to risk assessment (130)
Changes to the US government’s National Flood Insurance Programme have created opportunities for insurers to offer alternative solutions for protection against flood risk.
Fathom is one of the technology companies helping insurers to do that by providing accurate flood modelling hazard data for the entire US, down to a resolution of one metre.
Matthew is joined on Podcast 130 by Fathom’s Chief Operations Officer Dr Andrew Smith and Chief Research Officer Dr Oliver Wing to discuss the creation of its US flood model and how Fathom evolved from a university research project into a successful commercial product.
Talking points include:
* the impact of different types of flooding
* making data consumable through technology platforms
* tracking vulnerability as well as hazards
* the key focus areas for growing a business
* why insurance technology is attracting interest from other sectors
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Mar 14, 2021
Cole Winans: Founder & CEO, Flyreel: Know your risk; the self-service property inspection tool helping insurers & their clients (129)
The most useful insurance products are often a combination of a simple concept powered by complex technology. Flyreel’s AI Assistant is a great example, harnessing the potential of AI in a practical application that allows policyholders to conduct self-inspections using their phone camera. Founder and CEO Cole Winans joins Matthew to discuss how insurers are using Flyreel’s technology to create a comprehensive baseline record for underwriting, risk management and claims. Cole also shares some great tips on starting a company, finding customers and how to scale a business. Talking points include:
* Balancing AI with human intervention
* How to sell to insurers
* Developing portfolio risk characteristics through data
* Why a mutual customer benefit is vital
* Building a company culture and collaboration
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Mar 7, 2021
Charles Blanchet: VP of Solutions, ICEYE: Your satellite will be with you shortly: Rapid flood loss assessment (128)
Using its own constellation of microsatellites, ICEYE is providing insurers with high-resolution, building-level flood depths around the world immediately after an event.
VP of Solutions Charles Blanchet joins Matthew to discuss how the company is making satellite technology commercially viable, and how insurers are now able to provide rapid flood loss estimates and efficient claims settlements.
Talking points include:
* How synthetic aperture radar can see through clouds
* Why the insurance division of this company has been engaged by leading insurers in only 12 months
* How aerial imagery is augmented with third-party data
* Parametric product solutions
* Making a complex offering easy to use
Look out for ICEYE on our Live Chat panel on Thursday 1 April. The company will also be one of more than 60 featured in our forthcoming Location Intelligence report.
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Feb 27, 2021
Thomas Loridan & Nick Hassam: CEO & CCO, reask: Short term climate variability - forecasting with confidence (127)
The ability to accurately forecast annual changes in the likelihood of damaging hurricanes, cyclones and typhoons occurring has been a challenge in the past. Now, with advances in technology, research and the use of AI, new companies are emerging with techniques to provide insurers with the evidence they need to confidently change their assessment of potential catastrophe risks over the short term (less than one year). Australia-based reask is rethinking how catastrophe models are built, with a global solution that has caught the attention of leading insurers and investors. Co-founders Nick Hassam and Thomas Loridan join Matthew on Podcast 127 to discuss how they are helping insurers understand climate change, and why it is driving a greater frequency and intensity in natural disasters. Talking points include:
* Why today’s models need a global focus
* Seasonal forecasting
* Machine learning and neural networks
* Integrating new approaches with historical views
* Tracking…
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Feb 21, 2021
Ed Leon Klinger: CEO, Flock: The insurer of the future has arrived (126)
Since its inception in 2015, Flock has grown from a promising insurtech to setting its sights on becoming a truly global insurance provider.
The company’s micro-duration policies have made it a market leader for insuring drone flights, and it launched Flock Motor last year to provide flexible, digital-first products to the commercial motor space.
CEO Ed Leon Klinger joins Matthew to discuss the company’s growth, its new connected vehicles division, and a whole lot more.
Talking points include:
* Finding funding and building a brand
* Identifying and researching new markets
* How to innovate with insurers
* Augmenting traditional datasets
* Embedded insurance solutions
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Feb 14, 2021
Arjun Ramdas: CEO, Charles Taylor InsureTech: Platforms, data collaboration and market efficiency (125)
A lack of standardisation and the ability to transfer data through the entirety of the insurance lifecycle remains a major challenge for the industry.
Charles Taylor InsureTech CEO Arjun Ramdas joins Matthew on Podcast 125 to discuss data collaboration between insurers, MGAs and brokers, and how Charles Taylor’s technology is supporting the Lloyd’s market.
Talking points include:
* Moving from on-prem to SaaS tech solutions
* The shift towards platform solutions
* Delegated Data Manager (previously known as DA SATS)
* Minimising paperwork through automation
* Forging partnerships with Systems Integrators
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Feb 7, 2021
Top tips for fundraising: The founders' stories (124)
Money is the rocket fuel for business growth, but raising funds is a major challenge for almost every company looking to scale.
So how do you do it? Matthew asks three founders who secured early stage funding for their tips. Goncalo de Vasconcelos (Rnwl), Sam White (Stella Insurance) and Jonathan Spry (Envelop Risk) share the lessons they learned in turning start-ups into scale-ups.
The conversation was recorded from Raising Money: The Founders' Stories, an InsTech London Live Chat sponsored by Genasys Technologies. CGO Andre Symes also shared his insights on the key characteristics Genasys sees in successful start-ups.
Talking points include:
* Identifying potential brand advocates
* Crowdfunding vs bootstrapping
* What to expect from angel investors
* How to spot when you’re wasting your time
* The importance of having a strong narrative
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Jan 31, 2021
Ben Hubbard: CEO & Co-founder, Parsyl: Cold chains, Covid & parametric insurance (123)
Since forming part of the first Lloyd’s Lab cohort in 2018, Parsyl has established itself as an innovative technology company, global cargo insurer and more recently, a vital part of the fight against Covid-19.
CEO and Co-founder Ben Hubbard joins Matthew on Episode 123 to discuss the company’s rapid growth.
Listen now for more on how Parsyl is using sensors to keep vaccines safe in transit, combining traditional and parametric insurance, and why companies no longer have to ‘ship and pray’.
Talking points include:
* Using data and automation to improve cold chains
* Designing technology that users understand
* Working with government organisations
* MGAs and launching a Lloyd’s syndicate
* Scaling at speed and future plans
You can read edited highlights of the conversation on the Episode 123 page of the InsTech London website.
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Jan 27, 2021
Robin Merttens & Mark Geoghegan: E-Trading Platforms: Challenges, Opportunities and Imperative (122)
Robin Merttens talks to guest host Mark Geoghegan ahead of the release of our new report on e-trading of reinsurance and complex risks.
E-Trading Platforms: Challenges, Opportunities and Imperative examines the renewed interest in the platforms space, accelerated by Covid-19, Lloyd’s Blueprint Two and the needs of increasingly demanding customers.
Talking points include:
* What’s needed to help e-trading catch on
* The lessons learned so far
* Who is doing what in the platform space
* How to get brokers on board
* The role that Lloyd’s has to play
E-Trading Platforms: Challenges, Opportunities and Imperative is available to download from the InsTech London website.
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Jan 24, 2021
Mark Patterson, Deloitte & Mark Eastham, Avantia: What 8,000 people want from their insurer (121)
On Podcast 121, Matthew Grant talks to Mark Patterson from Deloitte about its survey, The Future of Home and Motor Insurance.
The survey is the result of interviews with 8,000 consumers across 12 countries. Mark Eastham, CEO of Avantia, which sells insurance under its HomeProtect brand, joins the discussion with a view from insurance.
Talking points include:
* The importance of simplicity
* Pros and cons of embedded insurance products
* Connected devices and what’s holding the market back
* Flexibility of policy systems
* Why parametric solutions are capturing consumer attention
Download the Deloitte report here.
Read edited highlights of the conversation on the InsTech London podcast page.
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Jan 19, 2021
Pascal Millaire: CEO, CyberCube: Powering profitable cyber insurance growth (120)
The increasing threat from cyber attacks has presented the insurance industry with its biggest opportunity in over a century, according to Pascal Millaire.
The CyberCube CEO joins host Matthew Grant to discuss the expansion of the cyber insurance market since his first podcast appearance in 2019, and why the world’s largest insurance institutions are turning to CyberCube to manage their cyber exposures.
Talking points include:
* Business interruption and lessons from Covid-19
* The role of data, and how to access it, in improving modelling capabilities
* Establishing clear exclusions and lines for cyber risk
* How brokers are engaging with their clients and using analytic tools
* Why regulation is key to tackling cyber risk
* Capital markets and public-private partnerships
Learn more about CyberCube on their dedicated member's page on the InsTech London website.
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Jan 10, 2021
Parul Kaul-Green: Chief of Staff, AXA XL Asia and Europe: Reconnecting insurance with its purpose (119)
This week we're hearing from a well-known leader from one of the largest global speciality insurers, AXA XL and someone who always provides a refreshing perspective on what is happening around us.
The core purpose of insurance is to provide a safety net for customers. As the industry looks at improving its own efficiency, is it at risk of losing sight of that purpose?
Robin Merttens is this week's host, and our guest is Parul Kaul-Green, Chief of Staff, AXA XL Asia and Europe.
Talking points include:
* The importance of context in digital transformation
* What commercial teams can learn from the consumer side
* Accelerating disruption to meet Covid challenges
* Becoming a true partner to the customer
* Tackling the industry's diversity issues
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Jan 3, 2021
The Friend's Forecasts 2021 - 20 People's Predictions (118)
After the rollercoaster of 2020 it’s a brave soul that’s willing to commit to what 2021 will look like. But running a global network of talented and successful people means that we have been able to dip into the collective wisdom of 20 of our friends and supporters from InsTech London.
We crowdsourced what is top of mind from some of the best people to predict the year ahead – i.e. those that are part of making it happen.
One investor, two reinsurers, three consultants, five Lloyd’s syndicates, six growing insurtechs, and three others – all that was missing was the partridge and the pear tree.
Scrubbed and polished - find out what the movers, shakers and thinkers at PKF, Munich Re, Swiss Re, EY, PwC, Deloitte, Brit, Talbot, Convex, Wakam, Chaucer, Concirrus, CyberCube, Blink, Riskbook, Flock, Zego, Insurtech Gateway, Voice of Insurance, Miller and FintechOS had to say.
So much in 40 minutes:
* Why platforms will be so powerful, finally
* Climate change - here it come…
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Dec 27, 2020
Robin Merttens & Matthew Grant: Partners’ Chat Christmas Special (117)
A pause from interviewing our usual guests this week as Matthew Grant and Robin Merttens - the InsTech London partners - are back to reflect on the year that's passed and what's coming up.
Find out:
* how we've been getting on putting some of the insurtech offerings to the test - personally
* high and low points of the year
* the insured and uninsurable
* from real life to digital in 26 steps
and more random recollections. Normal service will be resumed soon.
Keep track of everything we are up to at instech.london and sign up to our newsletter for a fresh view on the world every Wednesday morning.
If you like what you're hearing, please leave us a review on whichever platform you use, or contact Matthew Grant on LinkedIn.
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Dec 20, 2020
Rod Fox: CEO, TigerRisk Partners: Capital, culture and challenging the status quo (116)
Rod Fox co-founded TigerRisk Partners in 2008 after spotting a gap in the reinsurance market. Just over a decade later, the company has established itself in a leadership role and a reputation for innovation.
Rod joins Matthew on Episode 116 to discuss how the company has grown, the future of the broker, and why he feel right now is the most interesting time for insurance.
Talking points include:
* Solving problems through technology
* The future of placement platforms
* Protection gap and opportunities
* Embedded insurance solutions
* Building a culture to attract talent
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Dec 13, 2020
Neta Rozy: Co-founder and CTO, Parametrix Insurance: Parametric downtime insurance (115)
Covid-19 has led to insurance companies ramping up the speed of their digital evolution, but relying on third-party services like a cloud provider creates new external risks that need insuring.
Parametrix Insurance was launched 18 months ago to protect businesses from the hidden costs of going offline. As well as attracting strong interest from brokers, the company also had a parametric product named after them in the Lloyd’s Lab.
Co-founder and CTO Neta Rozy joins Matthew on Episode 115 to discuss the company’s rapid growth and how they’re using technology to monitor thousands of digital services worldwide.
Talking points include:
* Tailoring solutions for large and small businesses
* Defining payouts without physical losses
* Why brokers love parametric products
* What to look for in potential partners
* Standing out and scaling at speed
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Dec 6, 2020
Mark Varley: Founder and CEO, Addresscloud: Hitting the spot - getting location accuracy right (114)
To provide the right insurance for homes and workplaces, insurers have to be sure of the exact location of the assets.
But 500 years on from the creation of the UK’s Royal Mail, the challenge of knowing where something is and what surrounds it remains.
Addresscloud is one company rising to that challenge. Five years on from launch, it has processed 32-million addresses and 25-million buildings, with the data being used to help insurers quote and bind, fight wildfires in the US and even for organic vegetable deliveries.
Founder and CEO Mark Varley joins Matthew to discuss where the idea came from and how the company has secured a strong list of clients in the UK, US and Europe.
Talking points include:
* Identifying and processing useful data sources
* Using analytics for higher resolution modelling
* Why big tech isn’t always best on geocoding
* Bootstrapping vs external funding
* The benefits of working with clients outside insurance
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Nov 29, 2020
Paul Prendergast: CEO and Co-founder, Blink Parametric: Parametric, payments & protection (113)
Blink Parametric’s new Hurricane Non-Damage Business Interruption solution, developed in the Lloyd’s Lab, cuts waiting times for payouts from months to days.
It’s the latest product from a company that has emerged as a leader in parametric solutions through identifying the right data and an innovative technology platform.
CEO and Co-founder Paul Prendergast joins Matthew to discuss his experience of the Lloyd’s Lab, the benefits of parametric solutions and some great advice on growing a successful company.
Talking points include:
* Making parametric solutions work for underwriters
* Distribution and the route to market
* Establishing partnerships with insurers
* Building trust between customers and insurers
* Opportunities in new asset classes
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Nov 22, 2020
Robin Roberson: Founder of WeGoLook & Managing Director of Claim Central Consolidated: A journey of people, platforms and perseverance (112)
Turning a start-up into a successful company requires the ability to clearly identify customer problems and spotting market opportunities for growth.
A conversation with a friend about eBay led Robin Roberson to found WeGoLook, which grew from mitigating risks around online purchases to helping assess property damage from natural catastrophes.
Robin joins Matthew on Podcast 112 to share her inspiring story on growing a new business, leveraging technology and her new role at Claim Central Consolidated.
Talking points include:
* Switching careers and starting a company
* Why start-ups need to shift and pivot
* Finding the balance between people and tech
* Cybersecurity and data protection
* The challenges for female founders
The report on the success of female founders can be found here
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Nov 15, 2020
Mark Cunningham: Co-founder, WhenFresh: The data supermarket and its master chefs (111)
A shortage of data isn’t a problem in insurance but identifying sources that are high-quality can mean a lot of shopping around.
WhenFresh is one company looking to speed up that process, through what Co-founder Mark Cunningham calls a ‘digital supermarket’ of curated choices for insurers and lenders.
He joins Matthew on Podcast 111 to explain how the technology works and why WhenFresh should be “the least exciting company” that insurers work with.
Talking points include:
* Getting trusted data during Covid-19
* Identifying new sources and partners
* Moral hazards and customer experience
* Why insurers should embrace pre-fill
* The hidden costs in property valuations
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Nov 8, 2020
Paul Mang: Chief Innovation Officer, Guidewire: Insurance analytics for 21st century risk management (110)
Insurance might be “swimming in data” - but without actionable insights that data is just noise.
Matthew catches up with Paul Mang, Chief Innovation Officer at Guidewire to explore the latest developments in innovation, modelling and interpreting data to advance the understanding and management of risk.
Talking points include:
* Parallels between biotechnology and insurance
* Sense-making of data for actionable insights
* The challenges of managing cyber risk
* Innovating through the Guidewire Marketplace
* The hype vs reality of IoT and sensors
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Nov 1, 2020
Gianni Biason: Head Property & Specialty Solutions, Swiss Re: Insurance product innovation at scale (109)
Founded in 1863, Swiss Re is one of the world’s largest reinsurance companies and is well known for its innovative use of technology, data and willingness to address global issues like climate change.
Head of Property & Speciality Solutions Gianni Biason joins Matthew on Podcast 109 to discuss the opportunities for growth in insurance, building new technology solutions for clients, and what Swiss Re is looking for from external partners.
Talking points include:
* Areas of focus at Swiss Re
* Balancing partnerships between early-stage and established companies
* Parametric insurance growth and opportunities
* Understanding the risks from climate change
* What insurers can learn from Covid-19
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Oct 25, 2020
Andres Webersinke: Global Chief Underwriting Officer, Life/Health at Gen Re: Reinventing customer care (108)
We're back talking directly to a senior executive from a major reinsurance company about their views on innovation and what they see as the industry’s major challenges.
Andres Webersinke, Global Chief Underwriting Officer for Life/Health at Gen Re, joins Matthew on Podcast 108 to reveal the rethinking of customer relationships and harnessing new technology
Listen now for more on:
* How Covid-19 has kickstarted innovation
* Changing risks and influencing behaviour
* Building customer loyalty through regular communications
* The lessons to learn from Asia
* How insurtechs can work with Gen Re
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Oct 18, 2020
Clive Rich: Founder & Chairman, LawBite: Legal platforms & partnerships (107)
Insurance is about managing risk, but so is law - and both industries are discovering the changes and challenges from new sources of data, remote working and the power of platforms.
LawBite was founded in 2011 to provide affordable and accessible online access to legal services and is now supporting over 1,000 small/medium sized businesses.
Founder & Chairman Clive Rich joins Matthew on InsTech London Podcast 107 to discuss the company’s beginnings and growth, and how it uses technology to embed legal support into everyday transactions.
Talking points include:
* Reaching an SME audience through new technology
* Matching clients to the right legal support
* Using data science and machine learning
* Working with insurers and new partnerships
* Running a business remotely
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Oct 11, 2020
Andre Symes: CGO, Genasys Technologies: Agile products and speed to market (106)
Staying relevant and able to embrace new technology is a big challenge for any established company.
Despite being 20 years old, Genasys Technologies continues to innovate and work on new solutions for emerging and establishing companies, deploying policy administration systems for insurance products, including no-code solutions.
CGO Andre Symes joined Matthew on Podcast 106 to discuss the company's approach to innovation, how Genasys is partnering with others and what has driven its growth over the past two decades.
Talking points and lessons include:
* Combining the best of legacy with new technology
* Implementing no-code solutions
* Designing products at speed
* Building a business with no external funding
* Expanding to the UK and US
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Oct 4, 2020
Jeroen Morrenhof: CEO & co-founder, FRISS: Underwriting and claims fraud revealed (105)
One of the most effective uses of data and analytics in insurance is to prevent fraud both at the point of underwriting and from claims.
Jeroen Morrenhof founded FRISS in 2006 and today the company has over 180 implementations of its technology around the world. Identifying potential fraud creates savings direct to the bottom line - Jeroen believes FRISS has saved its clients over 1 billion dollars.
Join Matthew Grant as he finds out what motivated Jeroen to start the company and lessons from the last 14 years including:
* the choice between bootstrapping and bringing in external funding
* understanding the "fraud funnel"
* keeping ahead of the latest approaches to fraud during Covid-19
* using third-party data sources and in-house experience
* why the company is returning again to the UK
More details about FRISS on the company website and for details of FRISS expansion into the UK contact Martyn Griffiths.
Keep track of that and everything we are up to at InsTech London…
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Sep 27, 2020
Kate Stillwell: CEO and Founder, Jumpstart: Earthquake parametric insurance in practice (104)
Five years ago Kate Stillwell had a vision of how she could help people recover quickly after they had suffered the effects of an earthquake. Today she has set up a company, acquired clients and gained insurance capacity.
Jumpstart is now providing parametric earthquake insurance cover for homeowners in California and exploring expansion into other states.
CEO and founder, Kate Stillwell, joins Matthew to explain what inspired her vision for Jumpstart and how its products differ from conventional insurance.
Listen now to learn more on:
* Turning a vision into a viable business
* Identifying opportunities for new solutions
* Building consumer trust using public data
* Raising capital and finding partners
* Why capacity is key for parametric solutions
If you are interested in learning more about companies like Jumpstart, look out for our new report 'Parametric Insurance: 2021 outlook and the companies to watch'.
Published on Thursday 1 October and available from our websi…
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Sep 20, 2020
Marcus East: Technical Director, Office of the CTO at Google: cloud, culture, collaboration and innovation (103)
Google’s products are playing an increasingly important role helping insurance companies innovate and grow. There are also lessons for everyone in how the company has developed a culture to keep its own innovation fresh and relevant.
Marcus East, Technical Director, Office of the CTO at Google, joins Matthew on Episode 103 to explain how Google is driving change in the industry, and share some fascinating insights into Google’s culture of innovation.
Talking points include:
* Lessons on the role of culture in fostering innovation in within large companies
* The future of AI and Machine Learning
* Advice for selecting cloud partners
* Case studies from the UK and the US
* Support for start-up and early-stage companies
* Where Google sees the biggest opportunities in supporting insurance companies
Look out for our future live chat discussions with Marcus and his colleagues from the Office of the CTO.
Find out what we are up to at InsTech London and sign up to our new…
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Sep 13, 2020
Stephen Brittain: Co-founder, Insurtech Gateway: Secrets of scale - incubation & investment (102)
There is no shortage of ideas, and opportunities, for starting up new companies in and around insurance, but scaling fast, with access to capital, capacity and connections is critical.
Stephen Brittain is the Co-founder of Insurtech Gateway, an incubator and fund offering start-ups advice, investment and capacity, with a portfolio that includes By Miles, FloodFlash and Jumpstart.
He joins Matthew on Episode 102 of the podcast to give an investor’s view on the market and some great insights for founders.
Talking points include:
* Defining an underserved target market
* How to scale at speed
* Identifying insurance advocates and investors.
* New solutions for “uninsurable” risks
* Proving performance through metrics
If you like what you're hearing, please leave us a review on whichever platform you use, or contact Matthew Grant on Linkedin.
Find out what we are up to at InsTech London and sign up to our newsletter for a fresh view on the world every Wednesday mornin…
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Sep 6, 2020
Scott Quiana: Head of Products, Marketing & Partnerships, Quantemplate: Turning data into insights (101)
Launched in 2013 Quantemplate was one of the early insurtech stories in the London and US, but after a few years things went quiet. Quantemplate had not gone away, but instead had been busily building up its technology to organise, clean and harmonise the variety of data being used by insurers around the world.
In this episode Matthew Grant talks to Scott Quiana to find out:
* How an emerging company found its product-market fit
* Why it's so important to be part of the client workflow and how to do so
* Deploying Machine Language and Artificial Intelligence at scale
* Lessons for all entrepreneurs looking to move from beyond start-up to scale-up.
If you like what you're hearing, please leave us a review on whichever platform you use, or contact Matthew Grant on Linkedin.
Find out what we are up to at InsTech London and sign up to our newsletter for a fresh view on the world every Wednesday morning.
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InsTech London…
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Aug 30, 2020
Matthew Grant, Robin Merttens and Paolo Cuomo: The Partners' Centenary Chat (100)
Matthew Grant, Robin Merttens and Paolo Cuomo reunite for a special InsTech London Partners’ Chat to celebrate the 100th episode of the podcast.
Reflections on the past five years of insurance and insurtech, plus thoughts on what’s next for the industry.
Talking points include:
* How and why InsTech London was created
* The birth of insurtech
* Changing perceptions of technology
* Reducing the protection gap
* The power of community in insurance
If you like what you're hearing, please leave us a review on whichever platform you use, or contact Matthew Grant on Linkedin.
Find out what we are up to at InsTech London and sign up to our newsletter for a fresh view on the world every Wednesday morning.
Continuing Professional Development - Learning Objectives
InsTech London is accredited by The Chartered Insurance Institute (CII). By listening to an InsTech London podcast, or reading the accompanying transcript, you can claim up to 0.5 CPD hours towards the CII member C…
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Aug 23, 2020
Forbes McKenzie: CEO of McKenzie Intelligence Services: Data driven intelligence (99)
Without a good understanding of their clients - both at the time of underwriting and during claims - insurers are increasingly going to struggle to offer the right products, at the right price to the right people.
With a background in military intelligence, Forbes McKenzie knows how to combine the data obtained from technology, with that gathered from the essential Human Intelligence. He's used this to great effect in building MIS.
Forbes talks to Matthew on Episode 99 to discuss the latest developments in collecting information ranging from satellites to doorbells to the One Under Lime coffee shop.
Talking points include:
* Establishing MIS in the Lloyd’s marketplace
* How clients are using MIS data
* Latest developments and sources of data in aerial imagery
* Crowdsourcing and new data sources
* Integrating through APIs
If you like what you're hearing, please leave us a review on whichever platform you use, or contact Matthew Grant on Linkedin.
Find out what we are…
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Aug 17, 2020
Katie Crook-Davies and Rajasree Variyar: The Risky Mix Podcast hosts: Diversity, inclusion and innovation (98)
Katie Crook-Davies and Rajasree Variyar are the hosts of the Risky Mix Podcast which features conversations on making insurance more diverse and inclusive.
They join Matthew Grant on Episode 98 to discuss their own experiences of working in the industry, raising awareness of careers opportunities and changing consumer perceptions of insurance.
Other talking points include:
* The value of diversity for innovation
* Differing attitudes between insurtechs and incumbents
* Funding challenges for female founders
* Attracting young talent to the industry
* Rethinking how we work following Covid-19
If you like what you're hearing, please leave us a review on whichever platform you use, or contact Matthew Grant on Linkedin.
Find out what we are up to at InsTech London and sign up to our newsletter for a fresh view on the world every Wednesday morning.
Continuing Professional Development - Learning Objectives
InsTech London is accredited by The Chartered Insurance Institute (CI…
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Aug 9, 2020
Andrew Johnston: Global Head of InsurTech, Willis Re: Insurtech innovation insights quarterly (97)
Andrew Johnston is Global Head of InsurTech at Willis Re and responsible for the team that produces the Willis Quarterly InsurTech Briefing.
Using data and resources from around the world, the briefings have become a great way to keep track of current trends around companies providing technology solutions for insurance.
Andrew joined Matthew Grant on Episode 97 to discuss:
* The diversification of insurtech
* Success factors for start-ups
* Changing attitudes around fundraising
* Trends among investors
* The growth of Google and Amazon in insurance
If you like what you're hearing, please leave us a review on whichever platform you use, or contact Matthew Grant on Linkedin.
Find out what we are up to at InsTech London and sign up to our newsletter for a fresh view on the world every Wednesday morning.
Continuing Professional Development - Learning Objectives
InsTech London is accredited by The Chartered Insurance Institute (CII). By listening to an InsTech London podcas…
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Aug 2, 2020
Adam Richards, COO & Founder and Andy Stevenson, Advisor, Albany Group: Supply chain management & operational resilience
After spotting a gap in the market, Adam Richards co-founded Albany Group to build technology solutions to help insurers improve their supplies and claims processes, and how they interact with their partners.
Listen here or on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Google Podcasts.
Adam is joined by Andy Stevenson, a former Albany client now helping to expand the business, talk to Matthew about how their risk and intelligence software helps with supply chain management and improving operational resilience.
Talking points include:
* Self-funding vs external funding
* The problems with supply chains
* Building software solutions around customer feedback
* Switching to no-code solutions
* Advice for finding technology partners
If you like what you're hearing, please leave us a review on whichever platform you use, or contact Matthew Grant on Linkedin.
Find out what we are up to at InsTech London and sign up to our newsletter for a fresh view on the world every Wednesday morning.
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Jul 24, 2020
Mark Lusted: Managing Director and Founder, Dock9: Innovation for the incumbent (95)
Digital innovation agency Dock9 helps incumbents catch up with the start-ups. Its client list ranges from small Lloyd’s brokers to global insurers, such as Arch and Assurant.
Managing Director and Founder Mark Lusted joins Matthew to discuss what insurtech has taught insurers about digital engagement.
Talking points includes:
* Best practices for user engagement
* Getting senior management excited about user testing
* Designing portals and websites for brokers
* The rise of chatbots during Covid-19
If you like what you're hearing, please leave us a review on whichever platform you use, or contact Matthew Grant on Linkedin.
Find out what we are up to at Instech London and sign up to our newsletter for a fresh view on the world every Wednesday morning.
Continuing Professional Development - Learning Objectives
InsTech London is accredited by The Chartered Insurance Institute (CII). By listening to an InsTech London podcast, or reading the accompanying transcript, you can…
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Jul 19, 2020
Dan Joyce: General Manager EMEA, SafetyCulture: Risk managed (94)
Many companies from outside of insurance are now realising that their data, customers and distributions can be very valuable for insurers and their clients.
One of these is SafetyCulture. Its inspections app iAuditor is today used by over 1,000,000 workers in 85 countries to help companies monitor, measure and improve their health and safety. Insurers such as QBE, Zurich and Aviva are finding that companies that have embedded the use of iAuditor into their processes and culture have a greater chance of preventing losses.
Dan Joyce, General Manager EMEA at SafetyCulture, joins Matthew on to discuss the problems the company's technology addresses and the value being generated from client data.
Topics include:
* Why it takes alot of work to build a simple solution
* How iAuditor is being used to manage COVID-19 restrictions
* Why insurers are choosing SafetyCulture
* How companies are using iAuditor for claims defensibility
* Future plans and new product launches
If you are…
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Jul 12, 2020
Lianne Trantz: VP Marketing, Novidea: Clarity, confidence and great communication (93)
Maintaining growth is hard, no matter how good the technology. Novidea was founded in 2009 and today provides its technology platform to 90 brokers and MGAs in 20 countries.
Lianne Trantz, VP Marketing, Novidea, joins Matthew Grant to discuss how she has brought together her experience and lessons from marketing in industries outside of insurance (such as advertising), along with her personal experience in technology to create an integrated and fresh approach to marketing at Novidea.
There are some great lessons here for anyone wanting to learn about best practices and new techniques.
Listen here or on any decent podcast platform, including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Google Podcasts.
Topics include:
* Best-practice learnings from working in Adtech and other sectors
* B2B insurance marketing – examples of techniques that work
* Differences in marketing approaches between the US, UK, and elsewhere
* The benefits of an integrated multi-channel approach (podcasts, webinars…
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Jul 8, 2020
Ollie Forsyth: Community Manager, Draper Esprit: Venture Capital - reinvented (92)
In the week that Lemonade had its IPO, Matthew Grant has been speaking to another VC firm about what it’s looking for in its portfolio companies.
Matthew spoke to Ollie Forsyth who has crammed a lot into only a few years. One of his current roles is community manager at Draper Esprit. Ollie comments on the current technology scene from the view of a millennial, and has advice for aspiring entrepreneurs and those wishing to benefit from what Draper Esprit offer.
Ollie brings a different perspective to innovation from our usual guests. As well as a day job identifying late-stage technology companies, he has also run his own businesses and has hosted the popular "The Makers Podcast" for two years.
Talking points from Episode 92 include:
* Making your own way in the world
* How to get noticed as an entrepreneur
* Why now is a great time to hire talent
* What Gen Z customers are looking for from insurance
* The changing world of work post-pandemic
Tell us what you think or…
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Jul 5, 2020
Barnaby Rugge-Price: CEO, Hyperion X: Broking in the modern world (91)
We are hearing alot about what the future is for insurance brokers - where they add value, how they are evolving and even, in some areas, whether they are relevant at all.
But when it comes to complicated insurance covers, the brokers that are expanding their traditional roles and moving into offering advice, analytics and data will continue playing a vital role for many years to come.
Barnaby Rugge-Price, CEO of Hyperion X, one of the divisions of Hyperion insurance group joins Matthew Grant to discuss how they, as the technology arm of a fast growing broker, are expanding the company's offering to fit the changing needs of the customer.
Listen now for more on:
* Using data to provide real benefits to clients
* Building a truly digital market strategy
* How Hyperion X works with the rest of the Hyperion Group
* Changing habits for the post-pandemic world
* Recruiting talent from outside the industry
Tell us what you think or contact Matthew Grant on Linkedin.
Find out…
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Jul 3, 2020
Tony Grosso, Head of Marketing, EIS Group, Coretech - leaving legacy behind (90)
Innovation is great, but one thing's clear from the last few years - no insurer can totally abandon its core legacy systems and switch to the latest technology in one simple move. Tony Grosso brings a breadth of practical experience from a career in IT, starting his own business, working at a leading US carrier and now running marketing for EIS Group. EIS was founded in 2008 and describes itself as providing a platform for high velocity insurance operations.
In this episode Matthew's discussion with Tony covers a wide range set of topics including:
- the role that "coretech" has to link together Insurtech applications and established technology
- what people want from insurers today
- why thousands of APIs running in a headless function is a good thing (and what that means)
- the work EIS is doing with Liberty Mutual and New Zealand based Tower Insurance
- the results of the EIS survey on the insurer of the future, and why the biggest priority for 1/3 of respondents is to move be…
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Jun 21, 2020
David Daiches, COO, Inshur. Fast, effective, affordable - building an MGA for the new economy (89)
Founded in 2016 by David Daiches and Dan Bratshpis INSHUR is an MGA making it easier for ride share drivers, including those covered by New York's TLC (Taxi and Limousine Commission), to get insurance coverage in the US and UK working closely with Uber, Lyft and others.
Recorded from INSHUR's offices in Brighton back in March and updated with a call to Paul Doran - VP Marketing (who spoke to us at our event recorded on episode 26 last April). Matthew's discussion with David include:
- How to get professional drivers confident in a new insurance coverage
- Why speed is important when providing a quote
- How they create and support their community of drivers
- Risk profiles of electric cars versus traditional fuels
And much more
Tell us what you think or contact Matthew Grant on Linkedin here
Find out what we are up to at Instech London at www.instech.london
Sign up to our newsletter for a fresh view on the world every Wednesday morning
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Jun 17, 2020
Gavin Naimer, President Granite International, Remote executive recruiting masterclass (88)
Traditionally executive recruiting has relied alot on face to face meetings and personal contact. Whilst recruitment may have slowed down in the last few months it hasn't stopped. In this midweek episode from our occasional masterclass series, Matthew Grant is talking to Gavin Naimer, who has built a business recruiting senior executives for insurance companies and their partners, to find out what's happening. Topics include:
- How to assess your candidates, or your next employer, from afar
- The questions you must ask
- What is the impact on slow down in other industries in bringing new talent into insurance
- What have we learned about the benefits of interviewing remotely compared to the cost and logistical challenges of face to face?
And much more
Tell us what you think or contact Matthew Grant on Linkedin here
Find out what we are up to at Instech London at www.instech.london
Sign up to our newsletter for a fresh view on the world every Wednesday morning
Resources:
"Who,…
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Jun 14, 2020
Florian Graillot, C-founder, astorya.vc; What insurers want - an investor's view (87)
One of the fastest ways to find out what's making an impact right now when it comes to innovation in insurance is to talk to the people investing in, and advising to, the companies building new tools and technology. Florian Graillot has over 10 years of experience in investing and chose insurance as the market in which to launch his fund astorya.vc. Today the fund is investing in Aazzur, Wetterheld, Zelros and, in the few days since we recorded this interview, has announced its investment in Sesame it. Florian is also well known as a daily commentator and publisher of fresh insights and breaking news in Europe's insurance and technology space.
Matthew Grant covers a wider range series of topics when he talks to Florian including:
- the key themes that insurers care about
- which company's astorya has invested in and why. And what's next
- how the insurance landscape has changed in the last year and what to expect next
- how to efficiently source new investment opportunities
- why…
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Jun 7, 2020
Matthew Grant & Robin Merttens - the InsTech London partners chat with Insurance Insider's Catrin Shi (86)
Another slight shift for this week's episode. The tables were turned and Robin Merttens and Matthew Grant were interviewed as one of the keynotes for the recent Insurance Insider event "InsiderTech". Catrin Shi asked such great questions - and we haven't recorded a partners' chat for a while - so we polished it up and here it is. We managed to fit all of these into 30 minutes:
- What does Insurtech actually mean these days?
- How is funding getting in for insurtechs, start-ups and others?
- Acceleration in activity over last few months?
- Are we seeing a once in a decade opportunity now?
- What's happening in innovation at insurers themselves?
- Data - good or bad?
- Advice for innovation mangers at insurers?
More information about Insurance Insider here https://insuranceinsider.com/
Comment directly on the podcast or contact Matthew Grant on Linkedin here
Know which bird is singing in the background? Tell us at Hello@Instech.London
A summary and transcript of this discussio…
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May 31, 2020
Frank Perkins, CEO, Inari: Technical tips to enable insurance innovation (85)
Whether launching a start-up or running a major company, the decisions you make about the technology you use and the people working closely with you will be critical to the success of your business.
In this episode Matthew Grant talks to Frank Perkins, CEO and founder of Inari. Frank comes from a background of building technology whilst working inside major insurance companies and in 2017 launched Inari. Frank and his colleagues participated in the Lloyd's Lab in 2019 and are providing the underwriting infrastructure and analytical tools for companies in the UK and Europe.
In this episode we asked Frank to give his advice on areas that include:
- How to find your technical co-founder or CTO
- How to work with outsourcing companies to build your technology
- How to specify development work
- Legacy, and how to work around it
And a lot more
Comment directly on the podcast or contact Matthew Grant on Linkedin here
A summary and transcript of this discussion is available on reques…
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May 24, 2020
Ki, the algorithmic underwriter. Mark Allan, CFO & James Birch, Head of Innovation, Brit Insurance (84)
Whilst some organisations may look elsewhere to blame for the increasing costs of placing insurance in London, Brit has decide to strike out and show what digital can mean for an established company with the launch of Ki, it's algorithmic syndicate. In this episode Matthew Grant talks to Mark Allan CFO of Brit, and James Birch, head of innovation to learn about the motivation for launching this new initiative, how it will work and why they chose to partner with Google Cloud and University College London.
Topics covered included:
* What is a lead-follow syndicate?
* How will Ki select what it wants to underwrite?
* Is the algorithm smart enough to admit when it doesn't know the answer?
* What is the human oversight? Is an active underwriter required?
* What are the implications for the future of Insurtech
* organizations, rather than a start-up or a scale-up?
* What does Lloyd's think about this?
* What and why is Ki "anywhere, anytime"?
More information on Ki at - ht…
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May 17, 2020
Sean Ringsted, Chief Digital Officer, Chubb; Prevent & Predict - IOT Success Stories (83)
The potential for sensors, data and IOT (Internet of Things) to dramatically improve risk reduction has been known for many years. Telematics are now widely used for motor insurance, but some insurers still struggle to find ways to effectively partner with their clients to integrate the use of IOT into their overall offering.
Sean Ringsted is chief digital officer at global insurer Chubb. He's also the company's chief risk officer and was formerly chief actuary, sitting on the company's executive committee. He is one of the best-placed people in the industry to both know, and influence, the use of IOT, and he's a big supporter of the "prevent and predict" approach to insurance. When we spoke to Sean for episode 35 in July last year he spoke enthusiastically about the use of sensors and IOT, and referenced some of the companies Chubb was working with.
For this episode Matthew Grant and Sean talk specifically about examples of how Chubb is supporting its clients with IOT solutions that…
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May 10, 2020
Andy Thomas & Melanie Hayes, Co-Founders, Kynd, Making Cyber Simple (82)
With all the attention on COVID-19 just now there is a risk we forget one of the other emerging risks of the last few years - cyber. But of course it's still very much a threat and, in some areas, growing. Most large companies will have their own CISO (Chief Information Security Officer) but for smaller or medium sized companies it's harder to be able to assess their exposure, understand how to reduce the risk and know what insurance options are available.
Kynd was only founded two years ago by Andy Thomas (CEO) and Melanie Hayes (Chief Marketing Officer) but is already establishing its as one of the companies that SMEs can turn to, and brokers use, to assess and mitigate cyberrisk.
In this episode Matthew Grant talks to Andy and Melanie to find out the cyber risk facing companies, how to manage it, what Kynd is offering and how it works.
Areas covered include:
* A quick and free test for companies to assess their areas of potential exposure
* Statistics from the Kynd study of…
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May 3, 2020
Nigel Walsh, Partner at Deloitte and insurtech guru (81)
Nigel Walsh has been helping the insurance industry get to grips with the opportunities offered by technology for many years - both in his day job as a partner at consulting firm Deloitte, and as a regular speaker, writer and co-host of the Insurtech Insider podcast.
In another lively discussion, Matthew Grant talks to Nigel, covering a wide range of subjects including:
- Has insurtech lived up to its potential?
- Will the future of insurance give us more choice, but more complexity or less choice but more simplicity?
- Starting up your own business or staying employed?
- Why insurers need to call us by our names, not our numbers
And of course a whole lot more
Find out what we are up to at Instech London at www.instech.london
Sign up to our newsletter for a fresh view on the world every Wednesday morning
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InsTech London is accredited by The Chartered Insurance Institute (CII). By listening to an InsTech London podcast,…
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Apr 26, 2020
Sai Lakshmi, Caura and Amit Patel, Hlthie: Founders we're watching (80)
We like to mix it up for our events - a chance to hear from some established companies, insurers and the newcomers. Part of our philosophy at InsTech London is our "pay forward" approach. We lookout for the best upcoming companies, or even just great people with great ideas - and we give them a place to talk about what they are up to. We've been delighted to have so many of our early speakers return as corporate members in the last couple of years supporting what we do, and getting more benefits from our network once they have funding.
These two interviews were recorded live in February at The Steelyard. Sai Lakshmi from Caura and Amit Patel from Hlthie both have great stories to tell about their own emerging businesses including:
- Establishing market fit
- Developing partnerships
- Building a career to gain experience
Find out more about what we are up to at Instech London on the website www.instech.london
Sign up to our newsletter to find out what we are thinking each week and…
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Apr 19, 2020
Andy Wiggans: BrightTALK: Live connection in a locked down world (79)
Live events can still exist even if we can't all hang out together in the same place. In this episode, Matthew Grant is talking to Andy Wiggans of the digital video platform BrightTALK about best practices for sharing content and engaging with your customers. Not surprisingly BrightTALK has seen a massive increase in usage for its platform over the last few weeks as its client base of over 1,500 companies relies on it to talk directly to their clients and prospects.
At InsTech London we are now running weekly events on BrighTALK, talking to more of the leaders in technology, innovation and insurance. We have been able to keep up the spirit of our live events, and are quickly building up a growing audience to complement our weekly podcasts. You can see more of what we are doing at the BrightTALK InsTech London channel
See more of what we are up to including all our prior events at www.instech.london
Thanks to Vlocity for sponsoring our BrightTALK channel
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Apr 7, 2020
Partners' Chat - April 2020: Matthew and Robin launch our new live events programme (77)
Matthew Grant and Robin Merttens discuss the latest insurance, innovation and insurtech news that has caught their attention.
The conversation took place to launch our new series of live events on Brighttalk, where we'll be bringing you news and interviews until we can relaunch our events at The Steelyard in London.
You can find out more about what we're planning on our new Brighttalk channel, including details of our Insurtech Survival Guide event on Thursday 6 April.
Continuing Professional Development - Learning Objectives
InsTech London is accredited by The Chartered Insurance Institute (CII). By listening to an InsTech London podcast, or reading the accompanying transcript, you can claim up to 0.5 CPD hours towards the CII member CPD scheme.
Complete the InsTech London Podcast Feedback Survey to claim your CPD time.
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Apr 5, 2020
Ruth Foxe Blader: Partner at Anthemis Group: Investing to create new opportunities (76)
Anthemis is one of the most well known investors in technology start-ups and scale-ups supporting insurance and financial services. Portfolio companies include: Goji, Flock, Hockodo, Insurdata, Quantemplate, Stable, Trov, Tremor and Yulife.
Matthew Grant caught up with Anthemis partner and former lead investor at Allianz, Ruth Foxe Blader, to learn about how and why Anthemis invests. The discussion covers life before and during the pandemic, as well as a look to the future state of fintech and insurtech.
A great discussion with another instech.london member company.
Continuing Professional Development - Learning Objectives
InsTech London is accredited by The Chartered Insurance Institute (CII). By listening to an InsTech London podcast, or reading the accompanying transcript, you can claim up to 0.5 CPD hours towards the CII member CPD scheme.
After listening to Episode 76 you will know:
* What Anthemis Group means by "embedded finance"
* How it evaluates companies for the fu…
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Apr 3, 2020
InsTech Investigates: podcasting & recording tips with former BBC sound engineer Peter Roach (75)
Wondering about how to create a podcast and best practices for recording sound? In Episode 75 of the InsTech London podcasts, we're kicking off a series of "Instech Investigates" - a look beyond the usual topics and a chance to learn more about the skills you or your team may need in today's world.
Matthew talks to former BBC Sound Engineer Peter Roach, who now runs VisualMonkeys and who is normally on the other side of the microphone editing our weekly podcast. Matthew and Peter discuss podcasting and recording techniques, subject types, what equipment to use and how to edit.
You can listen to all the previous episodes of our podcast on the InsTech London website.
Continuing Professional Development - Learning Objectives
InsTech London is accredited by The Chartered Insurance Institute (CII). By listening to an InsTech London podcast, or reading the accompanying transcript, you can claim up to 0.5 CPD hours towards the CII member CPD scheme.
After listening to Episode 75 you will…
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Mar 29, 2020
Google Cloud and Insurance – Planning for a Truly Digital Future (74)
Remember when we all got together and ran in person events? Recorded live at The Steelyard, Episode 74 features the highlights from our event with Google Cloud, including what their plans are for insurance and they type of companies they want to work with.
InsTech London’s Robin Merttens and Matthew Grant talked to Damion Thompson, Head of Insurance UK, Google Cloud along with some of the partners they are already working with. Take a trip with us down memory lane to hear more from Cytora, Quantiphi, Quantexa, Aviva and Apigee.
A written summary of Episode 74, plus a gallery of photos for you to view, download and share, is available on the InsTech London website.
Continuing Professional Development - Learning Objectives
InsTech London is accredited by The Chartered Insurance Institute (CII). By listening to an InsTech London podcast, or reading the accompanying transcript, you can claim up to 0.5 CPD hours towards the CII member CPD scheme.
After listening to Episode 74 you wil…
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Mar 22, 2020
Gary Hoberman: CEO & founder of Unqork: Accelerating innovation with no-code (73)
This week's episode, recorded in February 2020 - is a great lesson in the "art of the possible" when it comes to having, and delivering on a bold vision.
CEO & founder Gary Hoberman and his team have raised more than $150m for Unqork since the company was founded in 2017, to provide "no code" solutions to insurers. Today the company is working with a number of insurers, and at scale. Wondering if legacy is still a problem? Keep listening.
Matthew Grant finds out how and why Gary founded the company on Episode 73 and why their no-code solution is capturing so much attention.
Topics include:
* what no-code actually means
* how companies are managing the move from legacy systems
* making an impact with key decision-makers and investors
* building a business and team at speed
A written summary of the key insights is on the InsTech London website podcast page
Keep up to date with all of our podcasts and the latest news from InsTech London members by subscribing to our weekly n…
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Mar 15, 2020
Pandemic Podcast Special: Matthew Grant speaks to the industry experts (72)
This week we have a "pandemic podcast" special edition. A series of interviews recorded on Thursday 12 March, the day after the WHO had declared Covid-19 Coronavirus a pandemic.
In this 40 minute edition Matthew Grant sets the scene for exploring the potential for new and established innovation, analytics and data to help manage the spread of the virus in the short term, and improve insurance offerings and understanding and mitigation of the risk in the future.
Matthew reviews the context of the pandemic to understand how what we are hearing in the news compares to medical opinion, talking to Dr Chris Martin. Whilst there has been modelling of pandemics and research in the medical community, it's been somewhat limited for insurance purposes. Robert Muir-Wood, Chief Research Officer for RMS, the catastrophe modelling company provides an overview of the issues, the impact from an insurance perspective and how Covid-19 can be modelled and losses estimated.
The impact on the insurance i…
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Mar 13, 2020
Andrew Yeoman: CEO and Co-founder of Concirrus: A connected future for commercial insurance (71)
Concirrus is one of the most well-known companies in London to have emerged in recent years, providing analytics for commercial underwriting to a growing list of insurers.
CEO and Co-founder Andrew Yeoman joined Matthew on Episode 71 to talk about his motivation for starting the company, how Concirrus has grown and the future opportunities for helping insurers and companies with risk selection and risk prevention.
Topics include:
* How to be relevant when talking to potential clients
* Finding relevance and insight in third-party data
* New technology and the challenges and opportunities facing the industry
* Developments in marine underwriting and commercial fleet insurance
Read and share our summary here
You can hear more from Concirrus at our Lessons from Insurance Innovations in Motor, Mobility and Beyond evening event on 30 March, with Chris Gill among the speakers. More about what we are up to at: www.instech.london
To keep up to date with future podcasts and news f…
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Mar 1, 2020
David King: Founder of Artificial Labs: Organising the world's data (70)
After honing his skills and gaining experience in other industries, David King settled on insurance and, with co-founder Johnny Bridges set up Artificial Labs in 2013. Today Artificial is helping deliver major efficiencies for insurance companies in how they collect and analyse third-party data. David joined Matthew on Episode 70 of the InsTech London podcast and topics include:
* Why the insurance industry is a great place to launch a business
* The benefits of different accelerators and incubators
* Lessons learned from Ping An and the Chinese market
* Identifying the right technology mix for different clients
* When to bring in a CEO
* The importance of networking and relationship building
You can read more key highlights from Matthew and David’s conversation on the InsTech London website. David also appeared on Episode 22 of the podcast, appearing on stage at our event in April last year to discuss the launch of Tarian’s new cyber MGA.
Membership details and othe…
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Feb 23, 2020
John Cavanagh: Co-founder Beat Capital: Supporting entrepreneurial underwriting at Lloyd's (69)
Proving that it's never too late to start a new business, John Cavanagh retired as CEO from Willis Re in 2017 to set up Beat Capital with Tom Milligan (previously Co-CEO of Ariel Re). Today Beat Capital is supporting multiple underwriting businesses, set up by experienced and entrepreneurial underwriters.
John has been working for over 45 years in insurance, including 21 years at international specialty reinsurance broker RK Carvill where he was joint CEO. In addition to running Beat Capital, John is Chairman of Slipcase, founded by Alex Hearn.
It was a real pleasure to speak to such an experienced and well known figure from the global insurance market. Matthew has known John for many years and he is a long time supporter of the use of technology, data and analytics to enhance underwriting and risk management.
This wide-ranging discussion includes:
* Launching a start-up
* The importance of Lloyd's in the global insurance market
* The balance between using analytics and under…
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Feb 16, 2020
Richard Hartley: CEO & Co-Founder of Cytora: Underwriting analytics for commercial insurers (68)
As data becomes more widely available, underwriters may have more information to select and price the business they are taking on, but they don't have more time. This week Matthew Grant talks to Richard Hartley about how Cytora has grown since 2014, the challenges of being a founder and how the company helps insurers identify and focus on the accounts that are going to be more profitable. Topics include:
* Finding investors as a start-up and scale-up
* The challenges of building a team as the company evolves
* Cytora's clients
* Distributing through other platforms
* The role of accelerators and incubators
For a written summary of this discussion - and more information about Instech London go to https://www.instech.london/podcasts
Membership details and other enquiries: hello@instech.london
InsTech London Podcast Host: Matthew Grant
Produced by Simon Fyles: simon@instech.london
Edited by Peter Roach: visualmonkeys.co.uk
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Feb 9, 2020
Future of Payments in Insurance: Mastercard and Davies Group (67)
Live highlights from the InsTech London "Future of Payments" evening at The Steelyard on 21st January 2020 hosted by Robin Merttens and Matthew Grant
Mastercard's Ian Slater & Ruth Polyblank discuss:
* Why Mastercard is so enthusiastic about the opportunities of working with partners in insurance
* Lessons from the banks and fintech - and relevance for insurtech
* Why data will change perceptions of insurance
* How insurers can collaborate with Mastercard
Followed by Laura Harvey, Strategic Director at Davies Group on the benefits of virtual credit numbers (VCN) to speed up payments to policyholders.
A written summary of Ian, Ruth and Laura’s conversations is available on the podcast section of our website - https://www.instech.london/podcasts
You can also download the full agenda and photos from our Past Events section - https://www.instech.london/past-events/future-of-payments-in-insurance
Membership details and other enquiries: hello@instech.london
InsTech London Po…
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Feb 2, 2020
Nick Mair: CEO & Founder of Atticus DQPro: Delivering Data Certainty (66)
Data is at the heart of many decisions in insurance - pricing, risk mitigation, claims and capital management. But data needs to be high quality - and that requires constant diligence.
CEO and founder of Atticus DQPro Nick Mair is Matthew’s guest on Episode 66. Nick talks about how he has successfully built a business, with no external funding, and which in only a few years has signed up a number of major insurance companies to help them manage and measure data quality.
Their conversation covered:
* Awareness and adoption of data monitoring tools
* Building a business without external investment
* Make B2B sales to commercial insurers
* Learning how to define and build products
* Tips for aspiring founders
* Podcasts and book recommendations
* Pros and cons of accelerators and incubators
Read (and share) the highlights from this episode on the Podcast section of the InsTech London website, along with all previous episodes.
If you are listening through a podcast pla…
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Jan 26, 2020
Erik Abrahamsson: CEO & Founder, Digital Fineprint: Discovering the data to drive decisions (65)
Ask someone to name some of the more successful UK insurtech scale-ups and Digital Fineprint (DFP) often gets a mention.
In 3 years CEO and Founder Erik Abrahamsson has taken DFP from holding meetings in a garden shed to raising £7m in funding and securing an impressive list of clients.
He joined Matthew on Episode 65 of the InsTech London podcast for a conversation that covered:
* Using new data sources for selecting and pricing SME insurance
* Tips for a new company on pitching to prospective clients
* Why in a world that is turning digital, personal contact still matters in insurance
* How DFP is able to recruit senior people from established insurers
* Lessons learned from working in the Lloyd’s Lab
If you liked what you have heard then please leave us a review or a comment on your chosen podcast platform. Look out for the shareable summary of this episode at https://www.instech.london/podcasts
Membership details and other enquiries: hello@instech.london
InsTech…
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Jan 19, 2020
Martha Notaras: Managing Partner, Brewer Lane Ventures: Investment, insight & influence (64)
The launch of a new Insurtech fund – Brewer Lane Ventures – was announced earlier this month. Martha Notaras will be Managing Partner along with founder John Kim. Martha was formerly part of the team at XL Innovate – investing in successful startups such as Lemonade, Cape Analytics and Slice and she has many years of experience in identifying and investing in technology companies in and outside of insurance.
Martha is also well known as a lively and informed presenter and panelist at insurance and technology conferences. Matthew talks to Martha from her office in California. The topics they cover include:
* New opportunities in insurtech including climate change and cyber. Why the past is not a good guide to the future.
* Data and the challenges for insurers.
* How the reaction of incumbent insurers to the relevance of insurtech has changed over the last few years.
* The best way to keep up to date with what is happening in insurance and technology
* The goals for Bre…
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Jan 12, 2020
Bernard Goyder: Senior Reporter, Insurance Insider: An Englishman in New York (63)
This week we're talking once again to Bernard Goyder, a journalist with Insurance Insider. Bernard is currently on a posting to New York, having previously been the Insurance Insiders' technology correspondent in London. We last featured Bernard in June 2019 shortly after he arrived in the US and Matthew catches up to find what the world of insurance, technology and insurtech looks like from the US.
The areas we cover include:
* A review of the end of year reinsurance renewals (and what they are)
* What's happening in the casualty market
* Why MGAs and insurance brokers have been such attractive acquisition targets
* Commercial auto in the US and why this is an opportunity for insurtech
* Telematics, modelling wildfire, cyber and property exposure
* Disruption opportunities in the claims market
* Will Lloyd's of London move to profitability this year?
* Scale-up Insurtechs to look out for
If you enjoyed this, then take a look at our website www.instech.london to find…
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Jan 5, 2020
Insurance leadership: what do they really care about? (62)
We've interviewed well over 100 people in 2019 and you can hear most of them on the InsTech London podcasts. Our guests share fantastic insights - whether on stage speaking to us at our events, or for Matthew's longer in-depth interviews. The leaders from insurance companies, the founders and CEO of technology companies (small and large) that they are working with and others that are truly influencing the shape of the industry.
Over the break we've been looking to see what consistent themes have emerged during our chats to some of the leading figures from a handful of the largest and most well-known insurance companies in the world. Some of the most frequent topics that came up were:
* Why it's important to look at the customers' problems when considering innovation opportunities.
* How data is really being used, with a particular emphasis on what the future of IOT holds.
* The importance of partnerships between insurtech and other technology providers and insurers.
* The eme…
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Dec 29, 2019
Jacqueline McNamee: CEO &Founder: C-Quence Building a Management Liability MGA (61)
The role, and potential, for MGAs has been much discussed in 2019, with some significant fundraising and acquisitions.
Jacqueline McNamee, a former underwriter, became frustrated with the speed of innovation at her previous employer and launched C-Quence in 2017. Matthew interviewed Jacqueline for one of the keynote presentations at the Cytora conference in November and this episode has the highlights of their discussion. Topics covered include:
* What is Management Liability insurance
* The sources of data used for underwriting
* Why C-Quence built its own technology stack
* The importance of speed
* The value of the broker channel
* Use of Cytora product
Information on all our podcasts can be found here
To find out about our forthcoming events, how to become a member and register for our newsletter go to www.instech.london
Read Matthew's article "MGAs the fast track to insurance innovation?"
Produced by Simon Fyles, simon@instech.london
Edited by Peter Roach, visua…
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Dec 22, 2019
The InsTech Partners' wrap up: Looking back, looking forward (60)
Robin and Matthew grabbed some time out from a busy year-end to review their personal highlights from the past 12 months, and take look at what's coming up in the next few months. Topics included:
* Redefining insurtech
* From start-ups to the big guys: innovation on all fronts
* Funding
* The growth in the Life & Health market
* Our plans for 2020
Thank you for your downloads and support. If you have liked what you have heard, then please leave us a review on your chosen podcast platform
You can get the latest InsTech London news and event announcements by signing up to our weekly newsletter.
Produced by Simon Fyles, Simon@Instech.london
Edited and angel dust by Peter Roach, visualmonkeys.co.uk
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Dec 15, 2019
Trevor Maynard: Head of Innovation, Lloyd's: New solutions, new markets & the future of Lloyd’s (59)
We've been hearing a lot recently about how Lloyd's of London is looking to harness innovation across many areas to expand the range of insurance it can cover, improve efficiency and find new ways to measure and reduce risk.
The Lloyd's Lab has become an important part of identifying companies that can help Lloyd's and the managing agents writing business there. In previous podcasts we've spoken to founders from companies that have taken part in one of the three cohorts.
For this episode Matthew finds out from Trevor Maynard, the person responsible for the Lab and overseeing innovation across Lloyd's, what the Lab offers and the other initiatives he is leading. Topics include:
* How the ten-week cohorts are structured
* Why and when Lloyd's selects start-ups, scale-ups and mature companies
* The role of mentors from managing agents and the benefits seen from getting this direct access to the market
* The link between the Lab and the Future at Lloyd’s programme
* Building…
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Dec 8, 2019
Ryan Kottenstette: CEO & Founder of Cape Analytics: Geospatial imagery and aerial insights (58)
Ryan Kottenstette founded Cape Analytics in 2014 to help companies identify building characteristics based on aerial imagery.
Five years on and Cape has analysed 80% of the US population (in terms of physical property risk) with the resulting data being used to help price and manage insurance policies and reinsurance portfolios by over 30 companies. Today the company ranks as one of the best known technology companies in insurance to have emerged in the last few years.
Ryan and Matthew's topics discussed:
* the challenges (and successes) he has seen when building a company
* using satellite, aircraft and drone data for more accurate pricing
* use of third-party data
* dealing with uncertainty
* the growth in "insurtech" and insurance innovation
* understanding wildfire risks through artificial intelligence
* approving new class plans and rate filings
* the importance of focussing on customer needs
If you want to hear more from Cape Analytics, they will be in London…
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Dec 1, 2019
Bob Reville: CEO of Praedicat: How to build a liability model (57)
Bob Reville founded Praedicat in 2011 and the company has gone on to create one of the most credible models for understanding emerging risks.
The idea was born out of a research and development project, with Praedicat now using data science and AI to build products for some of the world’s largest insurers and global investors.
Matthew Grant finds out how Praedicat, which recently completed its time in Lloyd's Lab cohort 3, is helping insurers and others manage large scale liability risks, the impact of regulation and the threat to insurers from a new wave of litigation issues.
You can keep up to date with everything that is happening at InsTech London - past and present - by visiting instech.london. Sign up to our weekly newsletter for our weekly look at what we think is interesting and relevant.
The InsTech London podcast is supported by the Insurance Insider, who are offering our listeners a free copy. You can download the latest issue from insuranceinsider.com.
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Nov 24, 2019
Michele Williams: Head of XSE, Allianz Global Corporate & Specialty (56)
Allianz is one of the world's largest insurance companies, so how does an organisation that size stay ahead when it comes to innovation?
Matthew talks to Michele Williams, Head of Allianz Global Corporate Corporate & Specialty's central innovation unit XSE, to find out what the group is doing, and the areas of analytics and data they are interested in. Michele explains Allianz's strategy for producing new ideas - which are focussed around their clients' needs - and how they work with start-ups, scale-ups and technology providers.
Michele explains how Allianz's Trend Compass tool has become a central focus for looking at which directions the insurance market might head in. The tool is available for anyone on the Allianz website - https://tci.agcs.allianz.com/
To find out all that we are up to at InsTech London - including our growing corporate member list, and details of last two years events take a look at www.instech.london. Our events begin again in January 2020.
We're delighted…
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Nov 17, 2019
Platform & Ecosystems: Part Two - Axa, ICE InsureTech, DMS & RiskBook (55)
In our last episode we brought you the first half of our event on the 22nd October on Platforms and Ecosystems. We're back with the second part of the evening this time. Robin's on stage talking to four companies (three of whom are corporate members and one a start-up) all with very different approaches to providing access to data, analytics from third parties.
Kelly Ward, Sales, Marketing and Distribution Director, AXA Partners (2:10)
Andrew Passfield, CEO and Al Robertson, CTO, ICE InsureTech (9:00)
Mark Dreux, Head of Strategy and Business Development, DMS (16:00)
Jerad Leigh & Ben Rose, Co-Founders, RiskBook (24:00)
You can read the summary of the evening, see photographs from the event and the full agenda on the dedicated event page on our website at https://www.instech.london/past-events/emerging-ecosystems-and-platforms-for-insurance
And check out all our podcasts, events and future activities at www.instech.london
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Nov 10, 2019
Platform & Ecosystems: Part One - Novidea, Salesforce and their partners (54)
Platforms are emerging as one of this year's top topics for insurance and technology - and we are going to hear a lot more about them in the next year. Start-ups have been finding it hard to get the attention of insurers, and experience is showing that most insurers are not really set up to nurture early stage companies. Insurance technology platforms provide a way for insurers to more easily access data, analytics and the related services they need to improve efficiency and engagement - and for technology companies to get to insurers. Our event on 22nd October at The Steelyard featured companies talking about their platforms and their ecosystems. In this, the highlights from the first half of the event, Matthew is on stage with our sponsors Novidea, their platform Salesforce and their ISVs (Independent Software Vendors) Conga and Financial Force.
You can read our summary of the whole event on the dedicated page on our website - and see photos and details of all the speakers. Look out…
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Nov 4, 2019
Mark Bates: CEO and Founder of RDT: 50 million server calls a day (53)
Not every innovative, fast-growing technology company in insurance is a start-up. RDT was founded in 1991, but Mark Bates has the energy, enthusiasm and tech driven vision more commonly founded in early-stage companies. He's grown RDT to be one of the leaders in the UK providing the core underwriting platforms to 19 insurance companies and MGAs around the world. RDT is exploring new technologies such as voice, as well as creating its own consumer app.
Matthew finds out how (and why) Mark founded the company, what they are working on today and exactly why one of their clients is responsible for 50 million calls on the RDT server each day.
RDT is one of the many InsTech London corporate members. Find out more about what we are up to at www.instech.london
We're delighted to be bringing you this podcast with support from the Insurance Insider. For a free copy follow this link - http://campaigns.insuranceinsider.com/instechlondon/
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Oct 27, 2019
Amrit Santhirasenan: CEO & Founder of Hyperexponential - Modelling reimagined (52)
We're back in the Lloyd's Lab for this week's episode talking to Amrit Santhirasenan. Amrit, a qualified actuary, founded Hyperexponential having become frustrated by the lack of available tools he could use to run his actuarial models. Previously head of pricing and analytics at Tokio Marine Kiln, Amrit founded Hyperexponetial (or HX) in 2017 and already has clients and revenue. Matthew finds out from Amrit how his time in the Lloyd's Lab Cohort 3 has been accelerating the company's success in finding supporters and clients in Lloyd's and beyond.
Look out for our write up of this interview coming soon, and save time from taking your own notes by reading the transcript on www.instech.london (available a few days after our podcasts are released).
The Instech London podcasts continue to be supported by Insurance Insider, one of the best and fastest providers and insights of information for the global commercial, speciality and reinsurance markets. Get your free copy here -- http://camp…
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Oct 20, 2019
Part two of the Insurers Reverse pitch - Allianz and Renaissance Re (51)
One of our most lively and most popular events so far - in this, the second half of our "Reverse Pitch" event from The Steelyard that we held on 24th September, Matthew Grant is on stage talking to Hayley Maynard, Chief of Staff to the CUO of Allianz ACGS and Karl Stanley VP Technology Ventures, Renaissance Re. Two great guests from two of the world's biggest insurers.
You can find out highlights from every speaker on the night - and what help they are looking for - on the event section of www.instech.london
Enjoyed this? If you haven't found the first half yet - it's Episode 49.
Please do drop us a line if you like what we are up to - or what to know how you can get involved with InsTech London (made in the UK but connecting globally) to Hello@Instech.london.
And we are still offering our Insurance Insider free copy - more details here - http://campaigns.insuranceinsider.com/instechlondon/
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Oct 15, 2019
Rob Galbraith; Director of Innovation at AF Group, author, prophet and business lubricant (50)
We were delighted to be able to find some time with Rob Galbraith whilst he was over in London recently. Rob is well known for his commentary on insurance, insurtech and all things related. Join us to find out why Rob, author of the recent insurance bestseller "The end of insurance as we know it", has been called "the most interesting man in insurance" and "the WD40 of insurance". Matthew and Rob compare notes about the latest issues in insurance and technology, mutual friends, finding information and other hot topics from around the world. (Note - since we recorded this, Amazon lowered their UK price of Rob's book in line with the US price)
This is a special mid-week release. Too much to talk about and not enough time!
Check us out at www.instech.london.
And not forgetting the free Insurance Insider issue to all our listeners. Download it from http://campaigns.insuranceinsider.com/instechlondon/
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Oct 13, 2019
Reverse Pitch: What the insurers want - Part One: Talbot, Bupa, Brit plus Experian (49)
The summer is over and we're back in the Steelyard for our autumn season of evening events. There are many opportunities to find out what technology companies offering product and services to insurance have to offer, but how often do we know what the insurers really want? In this episode, from the first half of our Reverse Pitch event on 24 September, Robin Merttens is on stage with our guests, finding out what they are up to and where they need help. Part Two coming soon. Who needs Vegas?
Jamie Garratt, Head of Underwriting Strategy - Talbot (2:00)
Madeleine Durand, Senior Strategy Manager - Bupa (8.25)
Jason Smith, Deputy Lead, Data Exchange - Experian (12.35)
And our very own Paolo Cuomo in his new role as head of Strategy at Brit (18:00)
No need to take notes - get the summary of what we heard at the event, and all 20 requests for help from our speakers in the article on the event specific section on our website www.instech.london. You will also find photos from the event and…
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Oct 6, 2019
Trevor Davis, Managing Director, Life & Health at Instanda (48)
The curse of "legacy" is often blamed for lack of innovation in established insurance companies - but is that really the problem? Instanda was founded 7 years ago and has proved it can successfully build new systems for insurers and work alongside, and with, legacy and still deploy its solutions quickly and relatively cheaply. With 40 companies drawn mostly from P & C, Instanda is now branching out in Life & Health. Trevor Davis joined Instanda last year from Swiss Re. In this episode he talks to Matthew Grant about how the company builds its products, why it has been successful, the new opportunities arising in the Life & Health space and what the future for System Integrators may look like.
This autumn our podcasts are being supported by Insurance Insider and they are offering a free issue to all of our listeners. Download it from http://campaigns.insuranceinsider.com/instechlondon/
To find out what we are up to at InsTech London - our future events, past events and our weekly news…
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Sep 29, 2019
James Slaughter; Chief Underwriting Officer; Global Risk Solutions at Liberty Mutual Insurance (47)
Liberty Mutual is the world's fifth-largest property & casualty insurer. James Slaughter is responsible for setting the overall underwriting strategy - which includes pricing, risk appetite, distribution and innovation - for the global commercial & specialty lines business of Liberty Mutual.
Matthew talks to James about what drew him to insurance and the challenges of bringing change and new technology to the underwriting of large and complex risks. Topics include lessons to be learnt from personal lines, creating an internal culture of innovation and how the market will evolve in the next few years.
More information on James and the head of innovation partnerships, Premal Gohil
To find out what we are up to at InsTech London, our past and future events go to www.instech.london
For your free copy of Insurance Insider go to http://campaigns.insuranceinsider.com/instechlondon/
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Sep 22, 2019
Balance sheet risk, subrogation, crypto currencies & wine; the Partners' chat (46)
A short episode this week as Matthew and Robin talk about what they have been up to recently, the latest trends catching their eye and what the autumn has in store for InsTech London and our community of 4,000 people supported by 80 corporate members.
Find out about our events, members and views at www.Instech.London. To get more pithy insights and early notification of our forthcoming events try our weekly newsletter
We're delighted to have Insurance Insider as our sponsor for the next couple of months. Sign up for your free issue here http://campaigns.insuranceinsider.com/instechlondon/
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Sep 15, 2019
Making the Financial Director's life easier - Phinsys at the Lloyd's Lab (45)
The finance teams in insurance companies often struggle as much as others when it comes to bringing together multiple sources of data, and identifying key business metrics. Improving efficiency is one of the foundations of the "Future of Lloyd's" strategy and the 3rd cohort in the Lloyd's Lab brings together scale-ups rather than start-ups.
Phinsys, founded in 2010, was chosen because of its record in providing systems to speed up and improve reporting capabilities to leading insurers.
In this week's episode Matthew is back in the Lab talking to CRO Stuart Conibear and Marketing Director Ian Jones about what the company does, why they joined the Lab, and their experience so far. We also hear why Phinsys became a corporate member of InsTech London and what gets Stuart and his team to give up his evenings to join us at our events.
We're delighted to bring you this podcast with the support of Insurance Insider. We know from experience that Insurance Insider readers are the first to hea…
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Sep 8, 2019
Bevis Tetlow CEO Imaginera. Reinsurance underwriter and technologist (44)
Bevis Tetlow returned earlier this year to his roots in technology, joining Imaginera as CEO after having spent 13 years as a reinsurance underwriter for Hiscox. Prior to leaving Hiscox, Bevis was chair of North American underwriting for Bermuda and London operations of Hiscox Re, as well as Head of Underwriting Systems.
The debate continues about whether insurers can evolve and innovate on their own, will become increasingly reliant on third parties for new ideas, or perhaps even disappear. Matthew talks to a former colleague from the early days of catastrophe modelling about what reinsurers really need, how to give it to them and what blind spots still remain for property reinsurers. Bevis reveals that despite 30 years since catastrophe models first emerged there are still lots of opportunities for companies that have data to solve problems for re/insurers that the models still can't solve (fraud being one).
Bevis signed up bespoke software developer Imaginera to build the reinsura…
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Sep 1, 2019
Mark Geoghegan, Editorial Director, Insurance Insider (43)
Mark Geoghegan started his career as a broker in 1992 and has run Insurance Insider since 2008. In that period he has got to know all of the leaders in the London market and further afield. Over the years he has seen the industry try, but frequently fail, to adopt technology to try to mprove efficiency, decision making and the flow of information around the market.
Mark and his team are frequent visitors to our InsTech London evening events. In addition to reporting on the core insurance activities, and ups and downs of the market Insurance Insider also follow what is happening amongst the new entrants and the established re/insurers. In this episode Mark talks to Matthew about the changes he has been seeing in recent years that are making him more optimistic that finally even Lloyd's, and the traditional specialty insurance market, is going to be able to fully embrace new opportunities in data, tech and analytics.
We also find out why the reinsurance market heads off to Monte Carlo…
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Aug 25, 2019
Adrian Jones, Head of Ventures & Strategic Partnerships, SCOR (42)
In this episode Matthew Grant talks to Adrian Jones who heads up Ventures & Strategic Partnerships at SCOR Global P&C, the #5 global reinsurer.
Adrian's P&C Ventures team at SCOR invests in carriers, MGAs, and technology companies. P&C Ventures, one of the more active VCs in re/insurance, is fully embedded within SCOR and invests in support of the core business. Adrian is also a well-known speaker and writer on innovation and technology in insurance via LinkedIn.
To learn more about the growing InsTech London community of people from insurance, technology, start-ups, scale-ups and investors - take a look at www.instech.london
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Aug 18, 2019
Insurers' innovations: still just digital lipstick on a legacy pig? (41)
Paolo catches up with Matthew and Robin to check in on the summer's activity in tech, data and analytics. Are insurers finally making meaningful moves to being digital, or is it still mostly digital lipstick on a legacy pig?
The three InsTech London Partners talk about what's been grabbing their attention in August including Convex, Floodflash and Google Cloud and preview what's coming up next for InsTech London's autumn season.
Find out more at www.instech.london
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Aug 11, 2019
The Describe Data team on Lloyd's Lab & their D & O analytics tool (40)
Finding a new area of risk to model is a great way to get attention as an insurtech start-up, particularly when the founders have a deep history in insurance, analytics and technology.
In this episode Matthew talks to the founders of Describe Data - Michael Crawford, Gerard de Vere and Mick Cooney about their experience of being on the Lloyd's Lab cohort 2. After day two Michael already realised that "it was going to be amazing". When we spoke they were coming up to the end of their time in the lab and they weren't disappointed by what they had been through.
They built a prototype in 3 weeks for a product to help underwriters assess their D & O (Directors' and Officers' liability) risk. During their time at the lab they had 10 - 15 companies from Lloyd's engaging with them and finish the cohort with a strong pipeline of opportunities.
The Describe Data team are usually based in Dublin, but travel to London frequently. Gerald De Vere is a founder member of Insurtech Ireland, which li…
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Aug 4, 2019
Google Cloud, Genasys, Xtract and Hitachi. Insurtech as Service: Part Two. (39)
So what is Insurtech as a service? In these highlights from the second half of our 8th July event recorded in front of a packed room Matthew talks to Stewart Reeder of Hitachi (13:45) and three more of their partners, Damion Thompson Insurance Lead at Google Cloud, Michael Flanagan, CEO and founder of Xtract (17:15), Craig Olivier, VP of tech stuff at Genasys (22.10).
We continue our discussion (from podcast 38) about how Hitachi identify which companies to work with and put in front of their insurance clients and how they assess them as fit for purpose to ensure ease of integration, and value add for their Insurtech partners.
Google sees a lot of data. The Google Cloud team don’t have access to that data, but they do see trends. 15% of the search terms each year are entirely new, and customers are becoming more and more inquisitive and impatient. Damion talks about Google Cloud’s start up programme and other ways of getting involved with them. More information can be found here…
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Jul 28, 2019
Hitachi, Munich Re Digital Partners, Kasko, Shepherd and QBE. Insurtech as a Service: Part One. (38)
Another fast moving series of chats with more leaders from insurance, technology and data. In this episode, the first half of our 8th July evening at The SteelYard, Robin investigates how Hitachi (2:00), the 7th largest technology group in the world, is making it easier for established insurers to work with the emerging providers of data for trains, buildings and a whole lot more. Serif Otterburn, Business Development Manager, and Insurance Subject Matter Expert “Everything Hitachi builds, from trains to medical equipment, requires insurance. A lot of insurers use historical data to calculate risk, but Hitachi is using its expertise in IoT to assist insurers to develop newer better risk models". Joining Robin and Serif are Chris Gill from QBE (7:50) and Stephen Chadwick from Shepherd (16:00).
Munich Re Digital Partners (22:00) are well known for supporting a whole range of new MGAs and technology companies with capacity and sometimes investment. We get a peek behind the kimono at ho…
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