InsTech - insurance & innovation with Matthew Grant & Robin Merttens

This week, we’re bringing you the highlights from our recent live event featuring companies providing and using near real time hazard data to speed up claims handling, reduce costs and provide more accurate underwriting. Data is only any good if it can be easily embedded in the workflow - so we get practical and specific with all our guests to explore real case studies and challenges they have overcome.  Matthew leads off talking to CEO and founder of ICEYE Rafal Modrzewski and Head of Insurance Solutions Lisa Wardlaw. Extracts follow from: Forbes McKenzie, CEO, McKenzie Intelligence Services Alun Jones, Chief Commercial Officer, Addresscloud Andrew Smith, Chief Operations Officer, Fathom Jonathon Hopper, Claims Manager, Atrium Underwriters Colin Masson, Head of First Party Complex Claims, Beazley Gethin Jones, Co-Founder & Executive Director, Skyline Partners Talking points include: Using radar satellite imaging technology to assess flood depths at individual building level Tracking climate risks and risk movements in near real time The potential and future role of parametric insurance for property risks How new data and technology is improving climate change models Using real time data to make faster claims payments If you would like to hear more about the companies featured on this episode, click the links above to see additional content on their InsTech London member profiles. Additional podcast episodes are also available for ICEYE, McKenzie Intelligence Services, Fathom, Atrium Underwriters and Skyline Partners. 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 our newsletter for a fresh view on the world every Wednesday morning. Continuing Professional Development - Learning Objectives InsTech London is accredited by The Chartered Insurance Institute (CII). By listening to any InsTech London podcast or reading the accompanying transcript, you can claim up to 0.5 hours towards the CII member CPD scheme. The Learning Objectives for this podcast are: Understand some of the ways that innovation is changing the claims process for climate risk Compare sources of hazard data and uncover its importance in the claims process Learn how better monitoring of hazard data could help improve the customer experience If your organisation is a member of InsTech London and you would like to receive a quarterly summary of the CPD hours you have earned, visit the Episode 167 page of the InsTech London website or email cpd@instech.london 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.

When it comes to innovation, claims technology has not always got the level of focus it deserves. That situation is changing though with several companies, including this week’s podcast guest, providing new technology solutions to speed up and improve claims processes. Matthew talks to Jeremy Hyams, CEO and founder of Claims Consortium Group, about building a claims service provider, innovating at speed during Covid-19, and how its Synergy Cloud platform is helping the AA to manage home insurance claims in-house. Talking points include: Claims handling technology in practice Building technology for third parties The growth in remote claims assessments Linking partners and customers through platforms Validating claims using real-time weather 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 London newsletter for a fresh view on the world every Wednesday morning. Continuing Professional Development - Learning Objectives InsTech London is accredited by The Chartered Insurance Institute (CII). By listening to any InsTech London podcast or reading the accompanying transcript, you can claim up to 0.5 hours towards the CII member CPD scheme. The Learning Objectives for this podcast are: Explore why only a small proportion of investment by insurers goes into claims Understand what claims handling technology is Compare some of the trends around remote claims assessment technology If your organisation is a member of InsTech London and you would like to receive a quarterly summary of the CPD hours you have earned, visit the Episode 166 page of the InsTech London website or email cpd@instech.london 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.

Descartes Underwriting, founded in 2018, has scaled quickly to provide parametric insurance against climate risks to corporate clients around the world. Co-founder & Head of Underwriting Sébastien Piguet joins Matthew on Podcast 165 to discuss trends in parametric insurance and Descartes' experiences with its clients. Talking points include: Why some corporates are replacing indemnity policies with parametric Educating brokers and risk managers about parametric Insuring solar and wind farms Data sources for natural perils The potential for parametric cyber insurance Descartes Underwriting was featured in our report Parametric Insurance - 2021 outlook and the companies to watch, which is available to download for free to InsTech London members. If you want to keep up-to-date with the latest parametric insurance news and developments, sign up for our Parametric Post newsletter. 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 London newsletter for a fresh view on the world every Wednesday morning. Continuing Professional Development - Learning Objectives InsTech London is accredited by The Chartered Insurance Institute (CII). By listening to any InsTech London podcast or reading the accompanying transcript, you can claim up to 0.5 hours towards the CII member CPD scheme. The Learning Objectives for this podcast are: Understand the value of parametric insurance Explore the role parametric insurance can play in climate change mitigation Compare some of the data sources for parametric insurance If your organisation is a member of InsTech London and you would like to receive a quarterly summary of the CPD hours you have earned, visit the Episode 165 page of the InsTech London website or email cpd@instech.london 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.

Start-ups looking to sell insurance products often struggle to secure the insurance capacity from incumbent (re)insurers they need as a managing general agent (MGA). Ensuro is piloting an alternative source of insurance capital: using cryptocurrency funds from investors, locked in smart contracts on a blockchain, to underwrite risks. Founder and CEO Marco Mirabella joins InsTech London's Henry Gale on Podcast 164 to discuss the opportunity for cryptocurrency to be used as insurance capital and how Ensuro's technology works. Talking points include: The crypto market and decentralised finance (DeFi) The regulatory landscape for crypto insurance Applications of parametric insurance An insurance use case for NFTs (non-fungible tokens) InsTech London's latest report, Demystifying Crypto: the insurance opportunities and challenges, sets out what the insurance industry should know about crypto in more detail.  To learn more about Ensuro, you can read an insight article we wrote about the company earlier this year, Cryptocurrency - the next capital pool for parametric insurance? 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 London newsletter for a fresh view on the world every Wednesday morning. Continuing Professional Development - Learning Objectives InsTech London is accredited by The Chartered Insurance Institute (CII). By listening to any InsTech London podcast or reading the accompanying transcript, you can claim up to 0.5 hours towards the CII member CPD scheme. The Learning Objectives for this podcast are: Understand how crypto can be used as a source of capital in insurance Explore some of the regulatory landscape around crypto Identify an example of how NFTs can be used in insurance If your organisation is a member of InsTech London and you would like to receive a quarterly summary of the CPD hours you have earned, visit the Episode 164 page of the InsTech London website or email cpd@instech.london 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.

The Managing General Agent (MGA) model has become a successful way for many insurtech startups to establish themselves, but the subject of this week’s podcast is a bit different to other MGAs in the marketplace. Pen Underwriting was created by bringing together 12 companies in 2014. Its work covers claims, pricing, and distribution with more than £650 million in gross written premium per year. Chief Business Development Officer Nick Wright joins Matthew on Podcast 163 to explain how Pen Underwriting supports its partners and why investing in innovation is a key part of the company’s approach. Talking points include: Advantages of the MGA model Creating products for insurer partners Monitoring the market and looking outside of insurance The growth of parametric and usage-based insurance Using telematics to mitigate risk More information on Pen Underwriting is available from the company’s InsTech London 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 London newsletter for a fresh view on the world every Wednesday morning. Continuing Professional Development - Learning Objectives InsTech London is accredited by The Chartered Insurance Institute (CII). By listening to any InsTech London podcast or reading the accompanying transcript, you can claim up to 0.5 hours towards the CII member CPD scheme. The Learning Objectives for this podcast are: Identify some of the benefits of innovation in insurance Understand what is unique about MGAs and some of their advantages  Determine how telematics can be used to mitigate risk If your organisation is a member of InsTech London and you would like to receive a quarterly summary of the CPD hours you have earned, visit the Episode 163 page of the InsTech London website or email cpd@instech.london 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.

We're bringing you the highlights and key insights from our property risk event at The Steel Yard in London. ‘Property Risk - What’s New and What Works?’ brought together experts in flood forecasting, digital twins, rebuild costs, remote assessment and more, to discuss new data and analytics solutions that are helping insurers understand the physical characteristics and risks of properties. The episode begins with Robin in conversation with Todd Rissel, Chairman and CEO of event sponsors e2Value, and is followed by interviews with:  Mark Cunningham, WhenFresh Olivia Iltcheva, Convex Anthony Siggers, Archipelago Jonathan Newbery, Zurich and Jonathan Jackson, Previsico Jay Gentry, SafeGraph Bob Frady, HazardHub (acquired by Guidewire) Anthony Peake, Intelligent AI Laurent de la Porte and Antonin de Benoist, Allphins Talking points include:  What is important for insurance companies when looking for property-related data What information has been hard to get, but is now available How information for the US varies from the UK What are some of the major sources of data from outside of the insurance industry What are some of the data hubs and platforms now being used If you would like to hear more about the work our guests and their companies are doing, click the links above to visit their respective InsTech London member profiles. Further podcast episodes are also available featuring Todd Rissel (Podcast 153), Mark Cunningham (Podcast 111), Archipelago (Podcast 145), and Bob Frady (Podcast 135). 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 London newsletter for a fresh view on the world every Wednesday morning. Continuing Professional Development - Learning Objectives InsTech London is accredited by The Chartered Insurance Institute (CII). By listening to any InsTech London podcast or reading the accompanying transcript, you can claim up to 0.5 hours towards the CII member CPD scheme. The Learning Objectives for this podcast are: Understand the potential for data to transform the understanding of property risk for insurers Explore some of the existing platforms and solutions available  Identify the factors that insurers should consider when selecting a property data partner If your organisation is a member of InsTech London and you would like to receive a quarterly summary of the CPD hours you have earned, visit the Episode 162 page of the InsTech London website or email cpd@instech.london 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.

Liberty Mutual Insurance is a global insurance company that embraces innovation, with a strong track record of building successful partnerships with technology companies. Matthew talks to Brendan Smyth, SVP, Global Risk Solutions Innovation, and Premal Gohil, Head of Innovation Partnerships & Investments, to understand how Liberty approaches innovation projects and works with third parties to understand new insurance trends.  The episode also includes advice for start-ups on how to approach insurers with new ideas and what Liberty is looking for from potential data and technology partners.   Talking points include: How to create a culture of innovation Balancing innovation projects with day-to-day business Building successful commercial partnerships The importance of ecosystems and efficient integration Comparing insurance innovation - differences between the US and Europe Premal’s article, 5 Tips for ensuring Startup-Corporate collaboration success, is available to read on LinkedIn. More information on Liberty Mutual Insurance is available on the company’s InsTech London 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 London newsletter for a fresh view on the world every Wednesday morning. Continuing Professional Development - Learning Objectives InsTech London is accredited by The Chartered Insurance Institute (CII). By listening to any InsTech London podcast or reading the accompanying transcript, you can claim up to 0.5 hours towards the CII member CPD scheme. The Learning Objectives for this podcast are: Identify some of the impacts of innovation and its importance in the future of the insurance industry Discern the roles required for successful innovation partnerships Understand how incumbents and start-ups can work together and learn from each other If your organisation is a member of InsTech London and you would like to receive a quarterly summary of the CPD hours you have earned, visit the Episode 161 page of the InsTech London website or email cpd@instech.london 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.

Robin is joined by Concirrus CEO and Co-founder Andrew Yeoman on Podcast 160 to discuss how commercial insurers are beginning to use algorithms to support underwriting decisions. The conversation covers the findings from the InsTech London report, A Practitioner's Guide: Algorithmic underwriting in commercial and specialty insurance, which examines where industry adoption is right now and what’s needed to move the technology forward. Andrew shares his insights on the potential of algorithmic underwriting, plus practical examples of how Concirrus is using algorithms to identify marine risks and build dynamic pricing models.  Talking points include: How underwriters are using algorithms The challenges to wider industry adoption Predicting behaviours through technology ‘Digital fracking’ and the importance of structured data Automation as a journey and where we are on it The balance of AI and human input A Practitioner's Guide: Algorithmic underwriting in commercial and specialty insurance is available to download from the InsTech London website. For more information about Concirrus, take a look at the company's InsTech London 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 London newsletter for a fresh view on the world every Wednesday morning. Continuing Professional Development - Learning Objectives InsTech London is accredited by The Chartered Insurance Institute (CII). By listening to any InsTech London podcast or reading the accompanying transcript, you can claim up to 0.5 hours towards the CII member CPD scheme. The Learning Objectives for this podcast are: Understand how algorithms are being used to build dynamic pricing models Recognise how algorithmic approaches support underwriting decisions Distinguish how structured data improves the efficiency of underwriting algorithms To continue learning about commercial insurance, visit the Concirrus profile page on the InsTech London website. If your organisation is a member of InsTech London and you would like to receive a quarterly summary of the CPD hours you have earned, visit the Episode 160 page of the InsTech London website or email cpd@instech.london 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.

Atrium Underwriters has been operating in the London market for almost 100 years and has established itself as one of the most forward-thinking insurers when it comes to innovation and new technology. Underwriters Simon Lewis and Matt Greaves join Matthew on Podcast 159 to discuss where that drive for innovation comes from. The conversation covers how Atrium assesses ideas and products for new opportunities like crypto, using technology to speed up claims and reduce costs, and how it supports start-ups through the Lloyd’s Lab and Product Innovation Facility (PIF) at Lloyds.  Talking points include: Aligning innovation with day-to-day underwriting Building an innovation culture Assessing viability and accepting “fast fails” Using natural language processing (NLP) to review claims Collating location data for catastrophe risk underwriting 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 London newsletter for a fresh view on the world every Wednesday morning. Continuing Professional Development - Learning Objectives InsTech London is accredited by The Chartered Insurance Institute (CII). By listening to any InsTech London podcast or reading the accompanying transcript, you can claim up to 0.5 hours towards the CII member CPD scheme. The Learning Objectives for this podcast are: Understand some of the opportunities that innovation can bring for insurers Recognise how insurers are supporting start-ups and the potential costs and benefits Compare some current forms of innovation and the impact they are having on the underwriting process If your organisation is a member of InsTech London and you would like to receive a quarterly summary of the CPD hours you have earned, visit the Episode 159 page of the InsTech London website or email cpd@instech.london 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.

For underwriters, time spent searching for information is time lost to underwriting. Terrene Labs, acquired by FRISS in April 2021, aggregates third-party data sources to help underwriters focus on the core of underwriting rather than the chore of data collection. The acquisition will expand FRISS's range of underwriting insights beyond risk detection analytics. Matthew speaks to Piyush Singh, CEO of Terrene Labs, on podcast 155 to discuss why he left his senior role to launch a start-up, how Terrene Labs built its client base and why his business was acquired by FRISS. Listen now to learn about: The importance of classifying businesses accurately How to find out a lot about a company from just four questions How the insurer can become an expert advisor to its customers The unusual data that can impact risk pricing that insurers don’t usually look at The opportunities in small commercial lines insurance in the US 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 London newsletter for a fresh view on the world every Wednesday morning. For more information on FRISS, go to friss.com Continuing Professional Development - Learning Objectives InsTech London is accredited by The Chartered Insurance Institute (CII). By listening to any InsTech London podcast or reading the accompanying transcript, you can claim up to 0.5 hours towards the CII member CPD scheme. The Learning Objectives for this podcast are: Realise how technology sales can happen in insurance and how this has changed in the pandemic Understand how businesses can be categorised and what happens with the data Recognise how data collection can be automated and the hurdles to overcome To continue learning about the essential data for underwriters, read our insight 50 free insurance data sets you'll need. If your organisation is a member of InsTech London and you would like to receive a quarterly summary of the CPD hours you have earned, visit the Episode 155 page of the InsTech London website or email cpd@instech.london 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.