Instech London Podcast

As climate extremes worsen, insurance plays a more important role in helping people recover from disasters. Yet even many of the most exposed people do not buy the coverage they need, while the global protection gap continues to widen as more homes are developed in high-risk areas. In this episode, InsTech's Ali Smedley and Henry Gale talk to Carolyn Kousky, Associate Vice President for Economics and Policy, Environmental Defense Fund and author of 'Understanding Disaster Insurance: New Tools for a More Resilient Future'. The book provides an overview of disaster insurance markets and the role of the public sector, then focuses on how innovations in insurance, such as parametric coverage and community-based catastrophe insurance, can build resilience. Topics include: Encouraging risk reduction and mitigation How to design effective parametric microinsurance products Implementing community-based flood insurance in New York City How insurance can help create a nature-positive economy The roles of the public and

Guidewire is known for providing technology to the property, casualty and workers' compensation insurance industry. The company is expanding its analytics capabilities and also has an open ecosystem of partners which offer a variety of hardware, consulting and application services. Matthew Grant is joined by Charles Clarke - Group Vice President, Sales and Advisory and Chris Cooksey - Senior Director, Advanced Analytics. Topics covered include: Overcoming the challenges of interoperability for insurers How to deliver data to underwriters when they need it and where they need it Introducing change one step at a time Opportunities for more industry collaboration The problems Guidewire is solving for its clients You can learn more about Guidewire at our forthcoming event in London on 27 June. Registration details here We’d love to know what you think about this episode - click here and add your thoughts to our LinkedIn post about it. If you like what you're hearing, please leave us a review on whichever platfor

With all the sophisticated models, data and tools available to insurers, it's as important as ever to know where something is. Managing aggregation is vital for successful underwriting and we are going to be seeing a lot more about platforms that bring together different data sources. In this episode Matthew Grant talks to Jacqueline Legrand, Co-founder & CEO, Maptycs. She had a problem - so she built a company to fix it. Topics include: How a problem for insurance brokers inspired the founder of Maptycs Why understanding risk aggregation is so important What risk managers, insurers and others need to know Why getting simplicity right requires complex coding A partnership strategy to deliver data How to build software that is easy and intuitive to use Data quality is important but API quality is essential To learn more about Maptycs, visit their member profile page here. We’d love to know what you think about this episode - click here and add your thoughts to our LinkedIn post about it.  If you like what

Insurance runs on data which has to be moved between counterparties. Insurers, brokers, MGAs and many others still rely on spreadsheets (or worse) to do that, which causes friction and errors. In this episode, Robin Merttens talks to Dave Connors, Founder and CEO of distriBind, about why he set up the company and how they are working with insurers and others to provide a way to move beyond spreadsheets at the pace that suits them best.  Topics include: Avoiding million-dollar mistakes through more robust data transfer Why spreadsheets for data transfer doesn’t work Validation and reconciliation Why the industry has found it so difficult to wean itself off spreadsheets Common data standards - does the industry need them? The benefits of being in the Lloyd’s Lab What the future holds We’d love to know what you think about this episode - click here and add your thoughts to our LinkedIn post about it.  If you like what you're hearing, please leave us a review on whichever platform you use or contact Matthew Gran

We might be buying our personal insurance directly these days, but brokers still play a key role when it comes to all but the simplest of coverage. Costero goes one step further and finds solutions for risks that are unusual, and often hard to place but which are solving some of the world’s insurance protection gaps. Intrigued to learn more? This week Matthew Grant joins Managing Director Jamie Webb and Divisional Director James Gadbury, of Costero Brokers. UK-based - but with global clients. Topics include: The role of a broker for speciality business Why US businesses come to Lloyd’s to find insurance and capacity Supporting hard-to-place risks such as micro-mobility, autonomous vehicles and cryptocurrency  Solutions for new companies pushing the boundaries of insurance such as Coincover, Nirvana, Thimble, ChAI and Aurora Partnerships with Atrium, Markel and others How Lloyd’s is helping create a market and opportunity for new solutions We’d love to know what you think about this episode - click here and a

No technology innovation survives long without a client. Chaucer Group is well known as a successful Lloyd’s insurer and embodies the spirit of Lloyd’s by underwriting unusual and complex business.  Matthew Grant is joined by Duncan Gemmel, Chief Strategy Officer, and Hayley Maynard, Head of Innovation, Chaucer Group, for a live recording. Topics covered include: How to engage underwriters in new opportunities  Why it pays to go narrow and go deep What Chaucer look for in technology and data offerings The opportunities to provide insurance cover for IVF Treatment, Political Violence, Carbon Offsets and pandemic-related losses Building a business for the future whilst generating results in the short term We’d love to know what you think about this episode - click here and add your thoughts to our LinkedIn post about it.  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 e

The consequences of non-damage business interruption (NDBI), when events like pandemics don't cause physical damage to a business but do result in significant drops in revenue, have been particularly clear since 2020. Small businesses and gig workers are particularly vulnerable to losses of income during events beyond their control, but these losses tend to be uninsured. OTT Risk, an MGA founded during the Covid-19 pandemic, is developing new approaches to underwriting non-damage business interruption insurance. It's now partnered with Apollo ibott Syndicate 1971, at Lloyd's, to offer revenue protection to the users of digital economy platforms. Topics include  How the principle of parametric insurance is extending from covering catastrophic events to non-physical losses Examples of how small businesses and gig workers could be affected by future NDBI events How digital economy platforms could offer revenue protection to their users The data sources you need to underwrite NDBI insurance OTT Risk's experience

With the increasing choices that insurers have of data sources to identify property characteristics, choosing the right level of detail and certainty is essential. This week Matthew travels virtually around the world to talk to Tony Agresta, EVP and General Manager of Nearmap and Dr Michael Bewley VP of AI and Computer Vision. Topics covered include: Achieving 3-D imagery and creating virtual images of property to walk around Differences between aerial imagery from aircraft compared to satellites Working with partners The future opportunities following the Thoma Bravo acquisition We’d love to know what you think about this episode - click here and add your thoughts to our LinkedIn post about it. If you like what you're hearing, please leave us a review on whichever platform you use or leave a post on Linkedin or contact Matthew Grant on LinkedIn. Sign up to the InsTech newsletter for a fresh view on the world every Wednesday morning. To find out more about InsTech, our membership and offerings visit www.inst

With so much data now available from above us and around us to help understand properties, how should insurers, governments and others know which is the most reliable to use - and importantly - how to deal with the uncertainty and sometimes conflicting opinions? This week Matthew Grant is talking to Rachel Olney, Founder and CEO of Geosite. Join us to discover: The key problem Geosite is solving for insurers and others How Rachel discovered that insurance offered the biggest opportunity to launch a new business Lessons from working with the US Department of Defense Why does “accuracy” mean different things when identifying building locations depending on the hazard? What are the top three attributes founders need to be successful? We’d love to know what you think about this episode - click here and add your thoughts to our LinkedIn post about it. If you like what you're hearing, please leave us a review on whichever platform you use or leave a post on Linkedin or contact Matthew Grant on LinkedIn. Sign up to

We hear a lot about insurance protection for major catastrophes, but losses from frequent, local events now cause as much damage as the larger disasters that make the news. But insurance coverage is lagging behind leaving insurers and enterprises exposed to loss with no insurance protection. The Demex Group, a spin-out from reinsurer Munich Re is offering parametric cover to fill that insurance gap. This week Matthew Grant and Henry Gale are talking to President & CEO Bill Clark and Chief Risk Officer Matt Coleman, both of whom bring deep industry expertise to Demex. Topics include: Why traditional insurers and reinsurers are reducing their insurance cover for weather risks The impact of climate change on frequency and severity Why brokers are supporting the Demex offering The problem of lack of insurance and the “stub period” Understanding hyper localisation We’d love to know what you think about this episode - click here and add your thoughts to our LinkedIn post about it. If you like what you're heari

Digital innovation is creating new opportunities to support customers and create efficiencies for claims handling. Oliver McGuinness, CEO of RightIndem, and Tim Rankin, Managing Director of AA Accident Assist, join Robin Merttens to discuss how the two organisations are working together. Talking points include: How RightIndem has evolved since being launched in 2016 with a new founder and new focus The opportunities presented by Electronic First Notification of Loss (EFNOL) Advances in claims for motor and auto The role of "estimatics" We’d love to know what you think about this episode - click here and add your thoughts to our LinkedIn post about it. If you like what you're hearing, please leave us a review on whichever platform you use or leave a post on Linkedin or contact Matthew Grant on LinkedIn. Sign up to the InsTech newsletter for a fresh view on the world every Wednesday morning. To find out more about InsTech, our membership and offerings visit www.instech.co or contact us hello@instech.co Continu

Oliver Werneyer launched his first business aged 16 and later went on to launch Imburse when he discovered the true cost to insurance companies of collecting premiums and paying claims. Another fascinating story about building a business, identifying opportunities and building confidence with clients. Imburse is the glue and pipeline between insurers, their clients and payment providers. Join Matthew and Oliver as they cover topics including: How to find a problem to solve - then build a business Revealing the true cost of inefficient processes - and fixing them Gaining confidence and credibility with insurance buyers Why the regulator is your friend Why Imburse built its technology in-house The importance of partnerships We’d love to know what you think about this episode - click here and add your thoughts to our LinkedIn post about it. If you like what you're hearing, please leave us a review on whichever platform you use or leave a post on Linkedin or contact Matthew Grant on LinkedIn. Sign up to the InsT

We’re covering two main themes here - building a business that survives and thrives after ten years - and assessing the growing risk from a flood. We’ve been working closely with Fathom for many years. In Matthew Grant’s discussion with the co-founders of Fathom, you’ll discover topics such as: The advantages of building a business with close links to a university How increases in the resolution of data and increased computing power have fundamentally changed flood modelling in 10 years Why and when co-founders should bring in an external CEO Why insurers are better at understanding risk than many other industries How to represent uncertainty in decision making River gauges and aerial images - creating credible data sources to plug the information gaps Working with partners such as Reask If you enjoyed this, we recommend Episode 220 for more information about Fathom, Reask and climate assessment. We’d love to know what you think about this episode - click here and add your thoughts to our LinkedIn post about

Eigen Technologies provides natural language processing (NLP) technology to clients across multiple sectors. Chris Mullan, SVP of Product; and Tim Crowe, Director of Insurance Solutions, joined Robin Merttens on this episode to discuss how they help the insurance industry get access to all the insightful data trapped in the many bespoke, complex and rapidly changing documents that the industry relies on. Talking points include: Unstructured data and the inherent issues it causes in the insurance process The unique issues that arise from London’s Market reform contracts Past experiences of the insurance industry, including the overpromising of vendors and failure to deliver The role of AI, Machine Learning and how to accurately describe them How documents vary across geographies and the issues that creates. We’d love to know what you think about this episode - click here and add your thoughts to our LinkedIn post about it. If you like what you're hearing, please leave us a review on whichever platform you use

This week Matthew Grant is talking to Nigel Walsh, Managing Director of Insurance, Google Cloud. You'll find out why Google launched its recent “start-up” - Google Cloud - growing in excess of 36% quarter to quarter. Nigel is well known for his love of insurance and engagement across a whole range of innovative topics - and his annual predictions. He relocated to the US from the UK last year so we get a perspective of how attitudes, and technology, vary on both sides of the Atlantic. Topics include What’s changed since the phrase “Insurtech” was invented 7 years ago? What consumers really want? Don't mistake a clear view for a short distance Are insurers returning as investors with a fresh appetite for innovation? Predicting the future and scoring past forecasts We’d love to know what you think about this episode - click here and add your thoughts to our LinkedIn post about it. If you like what you're hearing, please leave us a review on whichever platform you use or leave a post on Linkedin or contact Matt

This week we are back talking to another leader from one of the largest insurance companies in the world. Liberty Mutual. Parul Kaul-Green is Chief Digital Strategy Officer for Liberty Specialty Markets. Parul is at the sharp end of driving innovation across many of Liberty’s businesses as the company moves to digital. Join us as Matthew Grant discovers how Parul is supporting Liberty’s underwriters and its clients including some of the following: All insurers are moving to become truly digital, but how does a Chief Digital Strategy Officer achieve that? Parul has a team around the world - how does she bring the underwriters and other business units along with her? What are the differences between “outputs” and “outcomes” and why is that important? Liberty’s three areas of focus: digital distribution, analytics and digital products Examples of companies that Liberty is working with If you like what you're hearing, please leave us a review on whichever platform you use or leave a post on Linkedin or contact M

Cytora is well known in London and increasingly in the US too, as providing analytics for insurers - founded in 2014 and with some well-known clients including Allianz, Beazley and Markel - this is another company that’s made the transition from start-up to scale-up.  Richard Hartley is the Co-founder and CEO. In this episode you will discover why the company pivoted from its original premise of sourcing data to help with commercial underwriting pricing - to its new solution, which is making underwriters' lives better,  improving, as Richard puts it, how information glides through companies. You will also hear: How Richard and his team refocused the business when they realised that it's not the lack of data that is often holding insurers back, but too much data and data that’s hard to organise. When insurers should be making decisions to buy versus build their own technology Some of the differences between those of you in the US compared to us here in the UK. When it's better for hiring to go and find people

Since being founded in 1688  Lloyd’s of London has grown into a marketplace supporting over £35 billion of premium. Innovation is at the heart of its success. More recently the “Lloyd’s Lab” has supported over 100 companies from around the world that are helping insurers find new solutions for the insurance protection gap and improving efficiencies. Dawn Miller joined Lloyd’s of London as the Commercial Director in 2022 after a career with some well-known global insurers - having cut her teeth as an investor and entrepreneur. One of Dawn’s responsibilities is helping the Lloyd’s market (which includes 50 insurance companies and 380 brokers) identify new types of insurance to offer, improve efficiencies  - and support customers from global enterprises to small businesses around the world. Join us for this episode to discover: The range of Dawn’s responsibilities which includes the Lloyd’s Lab, the Product Launch Lab and FutureMinds. Some of the milestones and success stories from the Lloyd’s Lab. What is invo

There are some fascinating stories about companies that have existed for 10 years. At this point, almost every company will have found its product-market fit, be generating revenue and, in most cases, moved beyond start-up to scale up - but each of them will also have had to navigate through some tough headwinds and in many cases shift tack to identify what their clients really need. Praedicat is one such company and Matthew Grant caught up again with Bob Reville, Co-founder and CEO. With a mission to help insurers, and others, understand the emerging risks and potential litigation costs from substances that have the potential to be as expensive as asbestos is - Bob and his team reveal some of the hidden problems facing society, and insurers, in the years ahead. But you don’t have to be a casualty underwriter, or even have any knowledge of liability insurance to find a lot of value from this discussion. We cover a lot. Bob explains why a change of name from its original offering - as a casualty catastrophe mo

It's New Year's day as we release this so we're giving our regular listeners a break with just a quick word from the InsTech podcast. Matthew Grant reflects on the takeaways from 2022 and a brief look at 2023. Only 4 minutes. Back with our full schedule of great guests in January. 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. To find out more about InsTech, our membership and offerings visit www.instech.co or contact us hello@instech.co