

InsTech - insurance & innovation with Matthew Grant & Robin Merttens
InsTech
Bringing together the best technology and innovation for insurance and risk management together from around the world. Podcast hosted by Matthew Grant.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Jul 2, 2023 • 31min
Andy Moss: Co-founder and CEO, Send: The one-stop shop for managing insurance submissions (253)
Send offers modular commercial insurance software to insurers, reinsurers and MGAs. The core offering is an underwriting workbench that supports from initial enquiry to bind. It’s a single place for underwriters to access data, documents and decision points. New insurers can use it as a core system, or for more mature companies, it can be bolted onto existing systems, including legacy. Send was founded in 2017 by three insurance veterans.
Topics covered include:
How to sort through underwriting information that is unstructured and often unwanted
How large insurers are able to accelerate the adoption of new technology
How ChatGPT is being used to make sense of email
Reducing the cost and risk of deployment
How to avoid the challenge of making simple things simple but complex things impossible
Revealing Send’s strategy of “continuous development”
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 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 by The Chartered Insurance Institute (CII). By listening to any InsTech podcast, you can claim up to 0.5 hours towards your CPD scheme.
By the end of this podcast, you should be able to meet the following Learning Objectives:
Describe some of the advantages of using ChatGPT as an administration tool
Explain the methods used to increase efficiencies when sorting data
Summarise the key challenges faced when trying to solve complex issues
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 253 page of the InsTech website or email cpd@instech.co 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

Jun 28, 2023 • 31min
Peter Lacovara: Head of Commercial, Floodbase: Making parametric flood insurance possible (252)
Flood events are increasing around the world, with many losses uncovered by insurance. Whilst parametric solutions can help provide new capacity to insure catastrophic risks and widen access to insurance, parametric flood insurance is not yet as widespread as parametric covers for hurricanes or earthquakes, due in part to data and modelling challenges specific to flood.
Henry Gale speaks to Peter Lacovara, Head of Commercial, Floodbase about how the company is working to make parametric flood insurance possible with satellite imagery, machine learning and partnerships with insurers and brokers.
Topics include:
Peter's experience leading parametric broking in North America at Marsh
The types of companies looking for parametric flood insurance
Training a machine to find flood water in satellite images
What 'fractional flooded area' is and how it can be used as a parametric trigger
Floodbase's work with FEMA on the US National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP)
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 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 by The Chartered Insurance Institute (CII). By listening to any InsTech podcast, you can claim up to 0.5 hours towards your CPD scheme.
By the end of this podcast, you should be able to meet the following Learning Objectives:
Explain some of the data & modelling challenges flood insurance encounters
Describe how using satellite imagery can provide a solution to flood insurance
Identify the key benefits of having different partnerships
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 252 page of the InsTech website or email cpd@instech.co 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

Jun 25, 2023 • 33min
David Schmid, Reask & Brian Espie, Kettle: Building transparent coverage for hurricane risks (251)
The Florida insurance market has faced numerous challenges in recent years. For insurers to underwrite profitably in Florida, having the right hurricane reinsurance is essential. David Schmid, Head of Parametric Products, Reask and Brian Espie, Chief Underwriting Officer, Kettle, join Henry Gale to discuss the new parametric reinsurance solution Kettle and Reask have created for Florida hurricane risks.
Topics include:
Why parametric can help insurers buy reinsurance that reflects their own view of risk
The advantages of parametric reinsurance over industry loss warranties (ILWs)
The data sources Reask uses to calculate hurricane wind speed at different locations
How Hurricane Ian's wind patterns were unusual and why it matters
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 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 by The Chartered Insurance Institute (CII). By listening to any InsTech podcast, you can claim up to 0.5 hours towards your CPD scheme.
By the end of this podcast, you should be able to meet the following Learning Objectives:
Describe some of the ways analysing natural disaster behaviours can help to underwrite
Identify different reinsurance options and understand the importance of choosing the correct one
Explain why calculating hurricane wind speed is essential
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 251 page of the InsTech website or email cpd@instech.co 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

Jun 18, 2023 • 31min
Louw Hopley: Co-founder and CEO, Root: Move fast and stay flexible with embedded insurance (250)
Matthew Grant is back talking to another co-founder of a successful technology company. Louw Hopley is Co-founder and CEO of Root which is providing technology to support embedded insurance for companies in South Africa, UK and other countries.
Topics include:
The advantages of building technology for companies in South Africa
What an API really is and how it works
The emerging use of Generative AI for writing and testing code
Finding your business partner
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 by The Chartered Insurance Institute (CII). By listening to any InsTech podcast, you can claim up to 0.5 hours towards your CPD scheme.
By the end of this podcast, you should be able to meet the following Learning Objectives:
Describe some of the advantages geographical locations have when considering where you should build-a-business
Explain the pros and cons of using AI across insurance platforms
Identify some of the successes partnering with smaller start-up businesses can bring
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 250 page of the InsTech website or email cpd@instech.co 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.

Jun 11, 2023 • 29min
Roger Ferrandis: COO and Co-founder, Wenalyze: Finding the risk, growing your premium income (249)
One of the fundamentals of Insurance is understanding the nature of the risk. What happens when a bookshop adds in a coffee shop - is that riskier? Has this been communicated to the insurer? Does the premium change to reflect that? Matthew Grant is talking to Roger Ferrandis, COO and Co-founder, Wenalyze about how the company is helping insurers identify significant changes in their portfolio.
Topics include:
How a leading insurer increased annual premium income by repricing its clients' business
Building a start-up and surviving two pivots
Sources of data around the world
Making it easy to integrate into workflows
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 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 by The Chartered Insurance Institute (CII). By listening to any InsTech podcast, you can claim up to 0.5 hours towards your CPD scheme.
By the end of this podcast, you should be able to meet the following Learning Objectives:
Identify some of the different methods used to increase business premiums
Explain how to evaluate the level of risk in insurance
Summarise how to effectively use data from a global perspective
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 249 page of the InsTech website or email cpd@instech.co 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.

Jun 4, 2023 • 22min
Daren Rudd: VP Consulting - Head of Insurance Business & Technology Consulting, UK, CGI: Computers, people and the love of dancing (248)
With all the new technology emerging - and insurers thirsty for knowledge - there’s a growing need for someone to help figure out how to join it all together. Robin Merttens talks to Daren Rudd, VP Consulting - Head of Insurance Business and Technology Consulting, UK at CGI. You’ll hear about Daren’s personal experience and how he and his colleagues are helping insurers engage with new and innovative technology, data and analytics.
Topics covered include:
The most notable developments in how insurers engage with digital from the last decade
Why technology is the new Lego
Why we are looking in the wrong place to solve the industry’s data problem
Success stories in implementing IOT for insurers
Go digital but allow time to dance
The book recommendation from this week’s guest Daren is Digital Darwinism: Survival of the Fittest in the Age of Business Disruption by Tom Goodwin.
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 by The Chartered Insurance Institute (CII). By listening to any InsTech podcast, you can claim up to 0.5 hours towards your CPD scheme.
By the end of this podcast, you should be able to meet the following Learning Objectives:
List some of the recent technological advancements in the insurance industry
Explain how the nature of technology is changing and why our relationships with technology must develop with it
Outline a range of examples of successful IOT implementation by insurers
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 248 page of the InsTech website or email cpd@instech.co 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.

May 28, 2023 • 34min
Tom Burroughs: Chief Technology Officer, Synergy Cloud: Building a frictionless claims process (247)
This week we’re back talking to Synergy Cloud - it's about claims - and Matthew Grant is talking to Tom Burroughs, Chief Technology Officer, the intrapreneur within the parent company Claims Consortium Group creating a new product and a new business. We cover a range of topics relevant to anyone building or using software, not just in claims, including:
What insurance can learn from the travel industry
How to build technology in collaboration with the customer
It plugs but does it play? Tips for finding the best integrations tools for your product
Designing with your customer’s customer in mind
Digital collaboration today in a post-pandemic world
To learn more about what you should value when you are developing software, podcast guest Tom recommends the Agile Manifesto.
If you enjoyed this episode and want to keep listening, we recommend Episode 166 with Jeremy Hyams, CEO of Claims Consortium Group.
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 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 by The Chartered Insurance Institute (CII). By listening to any InsTech podcast, you can claim up to 0.5 hours towards your CPD scheme.
By the end of this podcast, you should be able to meet the following Learning Objectives:
List some of the considerations made by product developers when selecting appropriate integration tools
Explain the role of the customer in technology development and the importance of effective collaboration
Summarise the benefits and limitations of digital collaboration for software providers
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 247 page of the InsTech website or email cpd@instech.co 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.

May 21, 2023 • 24min
Brian O’Reilly and Nicole Van Allen: Greenlight Re: A different kind of reinsurer (246)
Reinsurers are often the leaders in innovation - and usually identify earlier trends before they go mainstream. In this episode, Robin Merttens talks to Brian O'Reilly, Head of Innovation and Nicole Van Allen, Associate, to discover what Greenlight Re looks for in its business partners.
Topics include:
What to look for in founders
Why actuaries still have a critical role
Where to find the best innovation
What the future will look like
Examples of companies Greenlight Re has worked with
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 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 by The Chartered Insurance Institute (CII). By listening to any InsTech podcast, you can claim up to 0.5 hours towards your CPD scheme.
By the end of this podcast, you should be able to meet the following Learning Objectives:
Describe the key attributes of a successful founder
Identify the role of an actuary and the significance it has in measuring risk
Explain the challenges investing brings to start-up businesses
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 246 page of the InsTech website or email cpd@instech.co 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.

May 17, 2023 • 23min
Tim Smith & Lisa Balboa: Hannover Re: Innovation and the Life and Health protection gap (245)
We’re back talking about life and health for this week’s special edition with Tim Smith and Lisa Balboa from Hannover Re. Robin Merttens leads the discussion.
Topics include:
The role of a reinsurance company in providing protection for insurers and their clients
An update on the use of wearables
Making health insurance affordable for many
How Hannover Re nurtures innovation
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 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 by The Chartered Insurance Institute (CII). By listening to any InsTech podcast, you can claim up to 0.5 hours towards your CPD scheme.
By the end of this podcast, you should be able to meet the following Learning Objectives:
Describe the key attributes of reinsurance companies and the significant role they undertake
Identify some of the ways technology can help to assess risk levels within health insurance
List some of the reasons there are gaps in life and health insurance and what can be done to overcome them
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 245 page of the InsTech website or email cpd@instech.co 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.

May 14, 2023 • 33min
Andrew Yeoman: Co-founder and CEO, Concirrus: Real time insurance for a real time world (244)
Concirrus was founded in 2012 and has evolved to become one of the leaders in supporting marine underwriting through tracking ships and managing data. Today the company is expanding into a platform for multiple risk types and provides analytics into areas including aviation and liability. The goal is to make all underwriters as smart as the smartest underwriter in a company using AI tools. With his fourth appearance on the InsTech podcast and third dedicated interview, Co-founder and CEO Andy Yeoman explains to Matthew Grant the lessons and insights since founding the business.
Topics include:
Creating “decision optimizations solutions” and what they are
How to make technology work better for underwriters
What it means to move AI from a point solution to a platform solution
Lessons from Silicon Valley to Silicon Roundabout
When looking to the future, consider the “but for…
Why insurers should study the designed instability of the F-35 fighter jet
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 by The Chartered Insurance Institute (CII). By listening to any InsTech podcast, you can claim up to 0.5 hours towards your CPD scheme.
By the end of this podcast, you should be able to meet the following Learning Objectives:
Describe the different components of an optimisation solution and how to implement each one
Identify the key advantages of using a platform system with AI instead of a single-use approach
Explain the significance of advanced technology to create underwriting efficiencies
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 244 page of the InsTech website or email cpd@instech.co 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.