InsTech - insurance & innovation with Matthew Grant & Robin Merttens

Tristan Fletcher, Co-founder and CEO of ChAI, shares his journey from hedge funds to revolutionizing insurance for manufacturers. He discusses how ChAI uses AI and financial market techniques to protect businesses from raw material price volatility. Tristan explains the innovative insurance solutions created for sectors like food and recycling, and how they've navigated regulatory challenges. Plus, learn about 'Eigenzeit' and its impact on timing in insurance. This is a compelling look at democratizing financial tools for real-world applications!

Sarah Russell, General Manager at Bellwether and an innovator from Google X, dives deep into creating a pioneering wildfire prediction engine. She explains how machine learning beats traditional physics-based models, revolutionizing insurance analytics. Sarah highlights the ability to identify overlooked low-risk zones, delivering 10% improvements in loss ratios for insurers. She emphasizes the importance of explainable AI to build trust and outlines future developments like agentic AI. This discussion reveals how technology can reshape wildfire risk assessment and insurance workflows.

Jeff Radke, Co-founder and CEO of Accelerant, discusses the transformation of specialty insurance through their innovative risk exchange platform. He shares the importance of building trust in data-driven systems and how AI is revolutionizing portfolio management and loss ratios. Radke emphasizes long-term partnerships and transparent dealings in a rapidly changing market. With Accelerant supporting over 200 underwriting teams globally, he highlights the transition towards a platform-based trading model as a key to future industry success.

Neena Saith, a former catastrophe risk analyst and now a stress and resilience specialist, dives deep into personal resilience and stress management. She discusses the significance of mental health in high-pressure roles, sharing practical techniques for maintaining well-being. Neena emphasizes the mind-body connection and how organizations can foster a supportive culture. She highlights the dangers of work addiction and the need for boundaries, while offering her insights on empowering personal growth and the importance of collaborative environments.

The insurance industry is at an inflection point—legacy processes are still widespread, yet AI and automation are enabling smarter, more efficient workflows. But how do insurers cut through the noise and apply technology in a way that truly transforms their operations? In this episode, Matthew Grant sits down with Nigel Walsh, newly appointed at ServiceNow, to discuss how AI, digital agents and workflow automation are reshaping insurance. With 500 insurers already using ServiceNow, Nigel shares why he joined, what ServiceNow does beyond IT service management, and how its AI-powered workflows are tackling the industry’s “messy middle.” Key Talking Points AI-driven insurance workflows – how ServiceNow is helping insurers streamline underwriting, claims and customer service beyond traditional IT service management. Agentic AI in action – the role of digital agents in automating insurance processes, reducing inefficiencies and enhancing decision-making. The changing face of VC funding – why AI is reshaping startup strategies, reducing team sizes and altering investment dynamics. Bridging the data gap in catastrophe insurance – lessons from California wildfires and the challenge of accurately assessing risk and rebuilding costs. Enhancing claims efficiency with AI – how insurers can leverage automation to improve claims workflows and customer experience. Navigating insurance thought leadership – the challenge of cutting through LinkedIn’s noise and building meaningful industry conversations. AI adoption in 2025 and beyond – the rise of digital workers, the evolution of enterprise AI and the potential for insurers to orchestrate thousands of agents. If you like what you’re hearing, please leave us a review on whichever platform you use or contact Matthew Grant on LinkedIn. You can also contact Nigel Walsh on LinkedIn to start a conversation! Sign up to the InsTech newsletter for a fresh view on the world every Wednesday morning. Continuing Professional Development This InsTech Podcast Episode is accredited by the Chartered Insurance Institute (CII). By listening, 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 the evolving role of AI in the insurance industry, including its influence on venture funding and business models. Define the challenges insurers face in catastrophe modeling and data accuracy for risk assessment. Identify the potential applications of AI-driven orchestration platforms in improving enterprise-wide insurance operations. 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 345 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.

The automotive industry is undergoing a transformation—electrification, changing ownership models and evolving customer expectations are reshaping the market. But how does insurance fit into this shift?  In this episode, Robin Merttens speaks with Nimeshh Patel, CEO of Wrisk, about how the company is helping major automotive brands embed insurance seamlessly into the car-buying journey. With a customer-first digital experience, Wrisk enables instant, hassle-free insurance at the point of sale, eliminating outdated manual processes.  The discussion also covers Wrisk’s international expansion, its Series B fundraising and why the company focuses on collaboration rather than disruption in the insurance ecosystem. Key Talking Points Embedded insurance at the point of sale – how Wrisk makes car insurance frictionless for customers Why  Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEMs) care about insurance – supporting after-sales revenue, finance uptake and customer retention Scaling success with global automotive brands – from BMW to Mercedes-Benz, how Wrisk is powering insurance for top manufacturers The power of quiet ego – why Wrisk has focused on collaboration rather than disruption Expanding beyond the UK – launching a European MGA and the roadmap for international growth The Series B strategy – raising funds to scale technology, data capabilities and global operations The future of automotive insurance – could Wrisk eventually take on risk itself and build OEM-backed captives? If you like what you’re hearing, please leave us a review on whichever platform you use or contact Robin Merttens on LinkedIn. You can also contact Nimeshh Patel on LinkedIn to start a conversation! Sign up to the InsTech newsletter for a fresh view on the world every Wednesday morning. Continuing Professional Development This InsTech Podcast Episode is accredited by the Chartered Insurance Institute (CII). By listening, 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 how embedded insurance enhances the vehicle purchasing experience by integrating seamless coverage at the point of sale. Explain why collaboration between insurers and OEMs is critical to the success of embedded insurance models. Define the role of a managing general agent (MGA) in enabling scalable, brand-aligned insurance solutions for automotive manufacturers. 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 345 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.

Agentic AI - the buzzword of 2025. But what is it and how can it help claims? The insurance industry has long struggled with manual, time-consuming claims processes that create bottlenecks and put pressure on adjusters. Now, Agentic AI is emerging as a solution: automating administrative tasks and enabling claims teams to work faster and more efficiently. In this episode, Matthew Grant speaks with Robin Roberson, co-founder of Agentech, about how digital agents are reshaping claims handling. By leveraging Agentic AI, Agentech is reducing processing time from 30 minutes to 30 seconds, enhancing subrogation workflows and helping insurers streamline claims without removing human expertise. Robin, a veteran in InsurTech and former WeGoLook founder, shares her journey from launching startups to pioneering AI-driven claims solutions. She also discusses why mentorship is crucial for new entrepreneurs, how working with design partners ensures AI solves real-world problems and why reducing adjuster burnout is a core focus of Agentech. Key Talking Points: The rise of Agentic AI – how digital agents are reshaping claims handling and automating administrative tasks From 30 minutes to 30 seconds – how AI is streamlining pet insurance claims processing and boosting efficiency AI-powered subrogation – identifying recovery opportunities and reducing claims leakage with automated analysis The role of design partners – why collaboration with insurers is key to building AI solutions that solve real-world problems Improving adjuster productivity – how Agentech’s AI-driven approach is reducing workload and preventing burnout The future of AI in claims – exploring voice-enabled AI, smart routing and automation for catastrophe response Lessons from a serial entrepreneur – Robin’s insights on launching startups, scaling innovation, and finding the right market fit If you like what you’re hearing, please leave us a review on whichever platform you use or contact Matthew Grant on LinkedIn. You can also contact Robin Roberson on LinkedIn to start a conversation! Sign up to the InsTech newsletter for a fresh view on the world every Wednesday morning. Continuing Professional Development This InsTech Podcast Episode is accredited by the Chartered Insurance Institute (CII). By listening, 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: Specify how AI-powered subrogation tools help insurers identify recovery opportunities and reduce claims leakage. Define the concept of Agentic AI and how it differs from traditional AI and generative AI in insurance applications. Identify the future trends in AI-driven claims processing, including voice-enabled AI and smart claims routing. 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 344 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.

In this enlightening discussion, Will Ross, CEO and Co-founder of Federato, shares his journey from wildfire modeling to launching an AI-driven RiskOps platform for insurers. The conversation dives into how AI is transforming traditional underwriting by automating workflows and prioritizing risks, cutting response times by up to 89%. Ross discusses Federato's impressive 3x growth and its recent $40 million Series C funding, emphasizing the distinct tech adoption strategies in the US and UK markets. Get ready for insights on the future of underwriting!

Graeme Asquith, UK Managing Director at mea platform, discusses how AI and machine learning are revolutionizing insurance document processing. He highlights the shift towards algorithmic underwriting, emphasizing the necessity of automation for efficiency. Graeme shares insights on extracting data from unstructured documents and the importance of partnerships with industry players like Accenture. He also explores future trends in insurance technology and how swift, accurate AI solutions can redefine underwriting and claims management.

Alex Cardona, CEO and Co-founder of Recorder, shares his insights on revolutionizing broker management in the commercial insurance sector. He discusses how inefficiencies like manual data entry hinder the industry's progress and the transformative role of APIs in facilitating real-time connections between brokers and underwriters. Alex highlights the significance of standardizing risk data and automating data ingestion to enhance underwriting accuracy. Additionally, he touches on building a liquid marketplace and innovative funding strategies that allow for scaling without heavy investments.