Instech London Podcast

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

Even podcasters need a break, so we're borrowing the podcast for this episode from Supercede to bring you founders Ben Rose and Jerad Leigh interviewing InsTech's Robin Merttens. This was recorded back in August 2022 and reviews our Marketplaces and Exchanges report released at that time (available here). Topics include What Is a Platform? The Evolution of Technology Lessons from RI3K Challenges of Digital Risk Documents Vs. Data Difficulties of Industry Consensus The B3i Blockchain Initiative InsTech: Collaboration & Partnerships InsTech Marketplace & Exchanges Report Benefits to the End Consumer 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 Continuing Professional Development - Learning Objectives InsTech is accredited b

We’re back with our occasional “Partner Chats”. Robin Merttens and Matthew Grant reflect on what is going on in the world of innovation and insurance. As usual, there are some things to celebrate, and some things to grumble about. We are the guests of QBE Ventures, the venture investment and development arm of QBE Insurance Group for this episode. Peta Kilian, UK Head of Strategy and Partnerships, joined us ready with a list of questions from her colleagues across QBE. Talking points include: Does insurance need underwriters? What is algorithmic underwriting and does it really work? Sharing data between insurers and their partners - is there anything to celebrate in 2022? Energy transition and the move to reduce carbon emissions - what’s coming next? Cyber insurance - is now the time to get involved? And a lot more Thanks to QBE for inviting us and allowing us to record this session. For a quick look at what this looked like on the day take a look at our video here. If you like what you're hearing, please le

We’ve released over 200 podcasts through our usual InsTech channel. At InsTech, we’re also keen listeners of other people’s podcasts. During 2023, we will be sharing a selection of the podcasts that we like, or appear in, through an occasional mid-week or holiday season release. For this episode, we’re bringing you the “Making Risk Flow Podcast” from Cytora. Cytora’s Chief Commercial and Operations Officer, Juan de Castro, is talking to two insurance companies about the challenges that insurers and brokers are facing and how they’ve overcome those. Nic Brown, Divisional Director - Broker from Markel UK and James Wright, Head of Technology at Beazley Digital joined Juan in front of a live audience.  Topics include: How technology can add value to the broker The opportunities within the sector around data analysis  How Cytora helps companies to gain efficiency savings through automating processes You can learn more about Cytora and what we are doing with them from the company’s dedicated page on the InsTech we

In this episode we cover the highlights of our recent live event in London “Tropical Cyclone - Managing Tomorrow's Climate Risk Today with Reask and Fathom”. We heard about how insurers and portfolio managers are taking account of the increased need to understand the combined risk of floods and hurricanes. We were joined by some of the companies providing climate analytics and data including: 1:38 Jamie Rodney, CEO, Reask; Andrew Smith, Co-founder and Chief Operating Officer, Fathom; David Vicary, Research and Development Manager, Brit Insurance 15:01 Robert Porter, Product Director, VAVE; Oliver Wing, Chief Research Officer, Fathom; Sue Barenbrug, Independent Consultant 27.46 Paul Wilson, Partner, Securis Investment Partners; Thomas Loridan, Co-founder and Chief Science Officer, Reask 43.41 Dickie Whitaker, Founder and CEO, Oasis Loss Modelling Framework Talking points include: What a globally correlated cyclone model looks like The valuation of properties and how open data is impacting this Applying science

McKenzie Intelligence Services (MIS) provides catastrophe event response intelligence to the insurance market. It combines space and ground imagery with human intelligence and AI to estimate losses, helping insurers aggregate exposure data. Brush Claims is a US-based property and liability claims service provider. Matthew Grant and Ali Smedley spoke to Daniel Grimwood-Bird, Head of Sales and Marketing at MIS and Troy Stewart, COO and President at Brush Claims. They cover the way the two companies are working together and how responses to future events will change as a result. Other talking points include: MIS’ provision of event intelligence following Hurricane Ian How MIS integrates data from various sources into its GEO platform to estimate losses How MIS identifies flood and wind damage at the property level using satellites and Synthetic Aperture Radar Troy’s experience at the Lloyd’s Lab The detrimental impact of uncertainty on a claims process and how MIS and Brush Claims partnership is addressing this

PwC is a professional services network of firms. The company is one of the largest professional services networks in the world and is considered one of the Big Four accounting firms. Glynn Austen-Brown and Michael Cook, Partners at PwC, joined Matthew and covered topics including why insurance companies need to move to be fully digital and what that takes. Other topics include: Examples of where analytics are improving how companies support their customers How companies are overcoming the historical challenge of the “trust gap” Underinsurance in Southeast Asia and how insurtechs can address this market How PwC is working with companies in the insurance industry such as Admiral You can find PwC’s report referred to in the podcast here. Learn more about PwC including our past interviews, podcasts and reports from our dedicated website 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 v

Tensorflight uses AI, aerial and street view imagery to provide property data for risk analytics on commercial, personal and industrial properties globally. Matthew Grant was joined by Jacob Grob, the Chief Revenue Officer at Tensorflight. They discuss his personal experience with Hurricane Ian, some of the latest developments in providing property data and the challenges of social inflation pushing up costs.  Other topics include:  The difference in the way insurance is sold in the US compared to the rest of the world The “assignment of benefits” and how it impacts Florida Using data to make better decisions Learn more about Tensorflight including our past interviews, podcasts and reports from our dedicated website page.  If you like what you are 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.ins

Chubb is one of the largest global property and casualty insurance companies. It provides commercial and personal property and casualty insurance, personal accident and supplemental health insurance, reinsurance and life insurance to individuals, families and businesses of all sizes. Sean Ringsted is the Chief Digital Business Officer at Chubb and joined Matthew Grant to discuss developments at Chubb including Chubb Studio and increased use of IoT devices in insurance. Topics include: How Chubb is expanding its global client base with Chubb Studio Why the growth of neobanks in developing economies is making insurance easier to buy What artificial intelligence can do and what it cannot What to expect in 2023 Lessons for Chubb from building its own technology Learn more about Chubb including our past interviews, podcasts and reports from our dedicated website 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 InsTec

DQPro is a data monitoring platform designed for the operational and regulatory needs of the specialty insurance market. Nick Mair, DQPro’s CEO and Co-founder, joined Matthew Grant to discuss APIs, the London insurance market’s history and MGAs. Talking points include: The founder’s story - the problem Nick saw and what he has done to help fix it Why fixing poor data is now recognised at board level as a top priority The cost of the data being incorrect and the fines being levied A day in the life of a data quality analyst Why processes set you free Automation - what it can do and what it can’t do Essential skills for building a product - listening to your customers, but making your own decisions and knowing where to focus. Companies mentioned in this episode include Send Technology and VAVE. 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. Cont

Stripe provides technology infrastructure for the movement of money. Businesses use Stripe's software and APIs to accept payments and run financial operations in more than 100 countries. Robin Merttens sat down with the head of UK Enterprise Sales - Insurance & Insurtech, Calogero Scibetta. Talking points include: Why the insurance industry has been slow to embrace modern payment technology Supply chains, traceability and understanding transactions What an optimal payment infrastructure is and how it can be achieved How Stripe Climate is helping fund carbon capture projects 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

Loadsure is a Lloyd's backed MGA using analytics to automate the underwriting of shipped goods and cargo. Matthew Grant is joined by Johnny McCord, Founder and CEO of Loadsure. Topics they discuss include the benefits of an instant embedded solution to offer insurance, why traditional insurance is unable to offer flexible products and the importance of a strong company culture in attracting the right talent. Further talking points and learning points include Examples of how practical ways that improved use of technology and digital exchange of information support the customer needs. How the use of data and analytics can overcome shortcomings such as the difficulty for traditional freight insurance, to provide the necessary cover for products such as alcohol, foods, frozen produce and fireworks. Loadsure’s experience with the Lloyd’s Lab and how to make remote working a benefit for the business. The power and efficiency that comes from using existing categories and industry codes to gain a better understanding

Gamma is a location intelligence provider, offering solutions to geographical questions. It uses software, data and spatial analytics to help companies reduce the risk of losses. Matthew was joined by Gamma’s Chief Commercial Officer, Richard Garry and CEO, Feargal O’Neill. Talking points include: Overcoming the challenges of local address data in Ireland and the UK Creating complete crime data analytics from different sources Working with partners such as JBA Risk Management and Terrafirma (part of Dye & Durham) Case studies of how companies use Gamma’s data Scoring data quality The incentives available to people for reducing wind and flood impact to their properties 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

Súper is an MGA selling consumer insurance products in Mexico, including life, home contents and parametric earthquake cover. Matthew Grant and Henry Gale are joined by Dario Luna, Executive Chairman and Co-founder of Súper, to discuss parametric insurance, digital distribution and insurance trends in Latin America. Talking points include: How Mexico City is exposed to earthquake risk Why demand for earthquake insurance spikes in September Acknowledging how policyholders perceive risk Issues of underinsurance and how to distribute consumer insurance products in Mexico How parametric triggers can bring insurance to underserved communities How Súper is working with Munich Re and Swiss Re 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 Insti

Gaia uses medical data to offer personalised financial plans to remove the financial barriers to accessing fertility care. It is the world’s first IVF (in vitro fertilisation) insurance product that predicts fertility outcomes and insures against the risk of failure. Robin Merttens is joined by the Founder and CEO of Gaia, Nader AlSalim, to discuss why he wants to remove the financial barriers to fertility treatment. Talking points include: The insurance gap Nader’s personal journey that encouraged him to start Gaia Gaia’s experience with Lloyd’s Lab Gaia’s identity as a brand and the long-term plans for its evolution The partners they’re looking for as they expand into new markets and geographies More InsTech content featuring Gaia 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. Continuing Pr

Inari delivers core technology platforms that provide cloud-based end-to-end management for insurers and reinsurers. Since launching 5 years ago, Inari has helped its clients increase operational efficiency, business flexibility and provide data governance. Inari uses Distributed Ledger technology within its platforms to record every event in the life cycle of a risk. Frank Perkins, Founder and CEO of Inari, joined Robin Merttens to talk about: The benefits of interconnected systems The immutability of data and how it applies to distributed ledger technology Frank’s experiences of scaling up Inari Plans for partnerships and funding Frank’s experience as a professional gamer and how it makes him a better entrepreneur More InsTech content featuring Inari 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 m

Arbol provides parametric climate and weather risk management solutions for sectors such as agriculture, energy, maritime and hospitality. Siddhartha Jha, Arbol’s Founder, CEO and Chairman, joined Matthew Grant and Henry Gale to discuss how his experience of commodities trading helped inspire Arbol, how he built a company and a product and how it is addressing the needs of its customers with climate risk transfer. Talking points include: Insuring cotton gins against low yields Combining parametric and traditional property insurance in Florida Applying parametric triggers to reinsurance on an individual property level How Arbol’s parametric captive programme offers analytics and insurance to corporates The recent acquisition of Oasis Hub and how it will enrich Arbol’s dClimate network 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 Pr

Archipelago is working with large global corporations to identify and source information about a property that's then shared with insurers and brokers. The company has over 170 people and according to PitchBook, has raised $57 million. Co-founder Hemant Shah last spoke to us on episode 145 and returns to the evolution of Archipelago in the last year. Talking points include: How Archipelago is working with companies to collect information about properties for insurers and brokers Issues associated with matching loss history data to exposure data How exposure data is described, validated and standardised The potential role of intelligence augmentation and the process behind implementing machine learning How ESG requirements are changing resilience reporting 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 - Lear

JBA Risk Management provides catastrophe models, flood maps and analytics worldwide to the insurance, financial, property and international development sectors. Judith Ellison, the Climate Commercial Lead at JBA Risk, talks to Matthew about the challenges of meeting multiple demands from different clients and sectors, the importance of working with academics and industry specialists and how standardisation across the industry will increase resilience. Talking points include:  How JBA Risk can provide future flood risk data across the globe Understanding uncertainty in the context of different scenarios and timelines How regulation drives innovation and the impact that new reporting requirements will have on the insurance industry How Flood Re supports insurers and what drives the insurance industry to continue providing premiums and insights on flood risk The benefits of having a partner strategy and which companies JBA Risk is working with If you like what you're hearing, please leave us a review on whichev