

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

Apr 30, 2023 • 29min
Jacqueline Legrand: Co-founder & CEO, Maptycs: To see is to understand (241)
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 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:
Define risk aggregation and the critical role it plays in insurance
Explain some of the advantages of having a business strategy, especially between partners
Summarise the tools required for successful underwriting
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 241 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.

Apr 23, 2023 • 22min
Dave Connors: Founder and CEO, distriBind: Curing the industry’s obsession with spreadsheets (240)
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 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 negative impacts of transferring data when using dated systems
List some of the advantages for businesses evolving into a digital world
Identify the key pieces of information required to create maximum efficiency when processing data
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 240 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.

Apr 16, 2023 • 36min
Jamie Webb & James Gadbury: Costero Brokers: Filling the gap – solutions for complex risk (239)
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 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 or reading the accompanying transcript, you can claim up to 0.5 hours towards the CII member CPD scheme.
By the end of this podcast, you should be able to meet the following Learning Objectives:
Identify some of the challenges insuring unusual and riskier events creates
Summarise the key differences between an insurer and a broker and understand their roles
Describe some of the ways new companies can protect themselves whilst still offering insurance solutions
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 239 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.

Apr 9, 2023 • 28min
Duncan Gemmel & Hayley Maynard: Chaucer Group: Innovation success - go narrow, go deep (238)
Duncan Gemmel and Hayley Maynard from Chaucer Group discuss engaging underwriters, going narrow but deep, and finding value in technology offerings. They explore insurance opportunities for IVF treatment, political violence, carbon offsets, and pandemic losses, all while building a future-focused business.

Apr 2, 2023 • 32min
Quentin Saleur & Matthew James: OTT Risk: Business Interruption for the sharing economy (237)
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 in the Lloyd's Lab
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
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.
By the end of this podcast, you should be able to meet the following Learning Objectives:
Describe some of the challenges faced by small businesses during non-damage business interruption events (NDBI)
Identify the advantages of using digital economy platforms and how they can offer revenue protection
Summarise the obstacles underwriters face with NDBI insurance and the tools required 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 237 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.

Mar 27, 2023 • 23min
Dr Michael Bewley & Tony Agresta: Nearmap: Property in three dimensions (236)
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.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 or reading the accompanying transcript, you can claim up to 0.5 hours towards the CII member CPD scheme.
By the end of this podcast, you should be able to meet the following Learning Objectives:
Describe some of the advantages using aerial imagery from aircraft has, as opposed to satellites.
Define what makes a partnership compatible and the benefits of collaboration
Summarise how to best use data to make it useful to 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 236 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.

Mar 19, 2023 • 41min
Rachel Olney: Founder & CEO, Geosite: Your gateway to global geospatial data (235)
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 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 or reading the accompanying transcript, you can claim up to 0.5 hours towards the CII member CPD scheme.
By the end of this podcast, you should be able to meet the following Learning Objectives:
List some of the opportunities the insurance industry presents for start-ups
Describe some of the key differences between organisations when it comes to decision-making
Identify the different solutions to some of the biggest challenges insurers face
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 235 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.

Mar 12, 2023 • 32min
Matt Coleman & Bill Clark: The Demex Group: Insuring the gap - protection for frequent weather losses (234)
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 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
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.
By the end of this podcast, you should be able to meet the following Learning Objectives:
Describe some of the disadvantages climate change is having on the insurance industry
List some of the benefits of small-scale insurance cover
Explain how the use of hyper-localisation can increase business efficiency
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 234 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.

Mar 5, 2023 • 28min
Oliver McGuinness, RightIndem & Tim Rankin, AA Accident Assist: Partners providing value in digital claims (233)
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
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.
By the end of this podcast, you should be able to meet the following Learning Objectives:
Summarise some of the opportunities that digital claims handling can create
Describe a range of the key points and considerations in evolving a business
Identify how new digital tools such as estimatics can enhance the digital claims experience
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 233 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.

Feb 26, 2023 • 37min
Oliver Werneyer: Co-founder and CEO, Imburse: Painless payments and the accidental entrepreneur (232)
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 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 or reading the accompanying transcript, you can claim up to 0.5 hours towards the CII member CPD scheme.
By the end of this podcast, you should be able to meet the following Learning Objectives:
Explain some of the advantages using in-house technology creates
Describe the importance of maintaining processes for business efficiency
Identify the significance of building a strong network of partners
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 232 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.


