Instech London Podcast

With so much new technology and data available to insurers, it’s becoming critical to have an effective way to enable insurers to access these solutions in one place. Appian is working across many industries, using a low-code platform that improves access to legacy systems, joins up multiple solutions and increases the speed of implementation.  Gijsbert Cox, Industry Leader Insurance for Europe, Middle East and Asia Pacific at Appian, joins Matthew to discuss examples of what the company is doing, closing the technology gap in insurance and lessons from working in the insurance industry for over 15 years. Talking points include:  Appian’s workflow, process mining capabilities and flowchart concept How the low-code platform is distributed, taught and integrated  How they worked with Aviva to provide Robotic Process Automation Takeaways from the Forrester report on the economics of low code and application installation Overcoming the challenges of streamlining technological business practices and conne

Plnar’s technology platform allows users to capture detailed property and loss information on their phones, with the data being used by insurers to support underwriting and claim processes. Matthew speaks to CEO Andy Greff about how images captured remotely by policyholders are providing new insights on property characteristics, speeding up claims by removing the need for a home inspection and Plnar’s plans for further expansion.  Talking points include:  The importance of creating digital measurements when performing remote claims assessments How Plnar evolved during Covid-19  The importance of the policyholder and the role of “digital desk adjusters” in effective use of the system How developments in Artificial Intelligence enable essential loss details to be picked up when producing images from mobile phones 'Intelligent augmentation' vs Artificial Intelligence How Plnar is working with partners including CoreLogic Plnar is one of the companies featured in the InsTech report, Property Remote Claims Assess

Matthew talks to Nick Martin, Portfolio Manager of the Polar Capital Global Insurance Strategy to learn about the characteristics of successful insurers - with a focus on established companies.  Talking points include: How leading insurers are using innovative technologies The significance of ESG, climate and cyber in both underwriting and investing Observations about the performance of insurtech companies that are trading on the public markets The power of compounding in investment and life in general Attracting talent into insurance Nick's personal view on the future of insurance and innovation  Polar Capital have asked us state that past performance is not a guide to or indicative of future results. More InsTech content featuring Polar Capital is available on the company’s 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. C

Isabelle Santenac, Global Insurance Leader at EY, joins Robin on Podcast 193 to share her views on the future of insurance, digital transformation and why the industry needs to get better at attracting talent. The conversation covers the importance of 'human capital' to support automation and communicating career opportunities to people with digital and technology backgrounds. They also discuss how EY is supporting insurers in tackling legacy issues and emerging opportunities in ESG and embedded insurance. Talking points include: The importance of diversity and inclusiveness How to get younger workers interested in insurance Consumer expectations - why ESG matters The growth of ecosystems and open insurance Legacy investment vs greenfield development You can read more from Isabelle and EY about the topics discussed in this podcast by downloading the EY 2022 Global Insurance Outlook. More InsTech content featuring EY is available on the company’s member profile page on our website.  If you like what you're he

One of the strengths of using parametric insurance for climate-related perils and events is the ability to offer an immediate payout to policyholders who can’t afford to wait for financial assistance. AXA Climate Underwriter Mia Vioulès and Robert Schablik, Associate Vice President, Head of Global Risk Management Sales at CoreLogic, join Matthew to discuss how the two companies are providing parametric insurance for property damage and business interruption caused by hailstorms. The conversation covers how the technology behind the product works and the pain points being solved by parametric insurance. Talking points include: The data and triggers being used in CoreLogic’s hailstorm model Using parametric to overcome traditional barriers to underwriting hail Educating buyers on the potential of parametric insurance Working with clients and brokers to build appropriate coverage How the AXA Climate School helps clients understand their climate change exposures If you like what you are hearing, please leave us

Neil Eckert is a serial entrepreneur and pioneer in many areas of insurance and beyond. He was an early advocate for the benefits of digital innovation and had the vision to predict the need for companies to manage their exposure to carbon almost 20 years ago. Neil joins Robin to discuss how the insurance industry has changed throughout his career, how to recognise and respond to new opportunities in the climate space and his current work as Chairman of IncubEx and Conduit Re. Talking points include: Why the insurance industry is so reluctant to be truly digital Why he believes insurance is inextricably linked with climate change The genesis of IncubEx as an iteration of a carbon trading platform The role of carbon credits for insurers Where the next big opportunity in insurance lies Matthew's article, 'Data Disasters and Career Limiting Catastrophes' is available to read on LinkedIn. If you like what you're hearing, please leave us a review on whichever platform you use or contact Matthew Grant on LinkedIn.

Zesty.ai uses aerial imagery and artificial intelligence to assess the potential impacts of wildfires and other climate-related events on individual properties. Kumar Dhuvur, Co-founder and Head of Product, joined Matthew to discuss how the company helps insurers to understand climate risks and how personal experiences of wildfires in California led to the creation of Zesty.ai’s wildfire risk insights. Talking points include: The data sources being used to build risk models The benefits of assessing risk on the property level Using visual tools to help underwriters investigate property risks How Zesty.ai keeps up to date with structural changes to properties Making claims processing less wasteful You can get more information on the InsTech member profile page for Zesty.ai. 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 our next event, Making Payments Pay: Making the Most of Payments Technologies, is available f

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 y

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).

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 Technol

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 w

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 prerequisite

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 Insurtec

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

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

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

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

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.com and you can contact Alex on LinkedIn. The arti

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. Climate Change Risk, Regulation and M

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 our 'Insurance: to Embed, or not to Embed