The Leadership in Insurance Podcast - Insurtech & Innovation

I was joined this week by Murtaza Ali, CEO & Co-Founder of Symphony (YC F24), for a conversation about how he’s tackling some of the biggest challenges in the insurance industry with cutting-edge voice AI — without losing sight of the human touch.A bit of context: Murtaza’s journey insurtech journey started at McKinsey before joining Tractable to build out their platform. He’s seen firsthand how AI can transform industries — but also where it can fall short without humanity in the loop. That insight became the driving force behind Symphony AI.What we covered in this episode: 🔍 From Tractable to Symphony: Why Murtaza left a leading AI scale-up to build his own YC-backed startup focused on the insurance sector. 🧑‍💼 The insurance industry’s talent gap: How Symphony AI is tackling high turnover and lengthy onboarding by using voice AI to simulate real-world claim calls. 🎭 AI-powered role-play: How claims adjusters practice tough conversations with AI personas — from handling a frustrated customer to delivering empathetic responses during stressful moments. 💡 Humanity in the loop: Why empathy will always be a competitive edge — and how AI can enhance it, not replace it. 🔄 AI adoption in traditional industries: The importance of messaging AI tools as training allies — not threats to jobs. 🚀 Insights from Y Combinator: How YC’s “make something people want” mantra helped shape Symphony’s roadmap — and what other founders can learn from it. 🔮 The future of claims handling: How automation may shift claims adjusters into project manager roles, overseeing AI agents while focusing on complex cases that demand human understanding.My key takeaway? Tech is powerful — but putting people first is what makes it stick. Symphony’s approach is a great reminder that the best AI solutions augment human skills, they don’t replace them.We've also got to give a special shout out to the I Love Claims team - and a huge congratulations to Murtaza and his co-founder Shobhit Srivastava for winning their pitch competition! We work with the ILC team every year to help them scout the latest in claims innovation and we're so glad that we were able to put these masterminds together! Sue Whyte Jonathon Valentine Mark Hadaway mbaIf you work in insurance, customer experience, AI, or just want to hear how real startups navigate AI hype vs. real-world impact — give this one a listen. 💬 I’d love to hear your thoughts — where do you see the balance between AI and the human touch going next? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

I'm excited to share this week's conversation on The Leadership In Insurance Podcast with no other than JP Fabri, CEO of myUbuntu all about transforming agricultural insurance in Africa 🌱🎙️ Tune into the episode: "From Risk to Resilience: Empowering Africa's Smallholder Farmers"We discuss a whole host of topics, here are some of the highlights... 👇 📌 JP's mission of targeting 200+ million smallholder farmers most vulnerable to climate change and their ambitious goal got insure 20 million farmers within 10 years ✨ 📌Their journey developing parametric insurance products with blockchain-powered technology platform designed to scale📌 We look at their unique distribution approaches: partnering with agricultural cooperatives and banks, engaging through religious organizations like Catholic parishes, leveraging mobile wallet technologies for rapid fund transfer and simplifying insurance concepts for farmers unfamiliar with traditional models📌 How to focus on mission-driven impact: helping farmers maintain economic stability during climate events, enabling children to stay in school during crop failures, providing immediate financial resilience and transforming agricultural risk managementThank you JP for joining me for this one - a powerful narrative of how technology, empathy, and innovative thinking can create meaningful social change in the insurance industry. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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🏠 Unlocking the Future of Short-Term Rental Insurance with Safely's CEO Andrew Bate Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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Tune into our latest episode of The Leadership In Insurance Podcast Podcast, where I was joined Rory Pyke at Insurtech Insights, to unpack the real state of innovation in insurance.👉 We discuss the truth about AI in insurance - separating hype from real innovation and how InsurTech Insights is catalysing industry transformation👉Upcoming event insights, including a keynote by chess legend Gary Kasparov and the critical role of events in connecting industry innovators👉 Challenges of qualifying genuine tech solutions vs. "AI cowboys" Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jared Kaplan, CEO of Indigo Insurance and a tech-savvy entrepreneur, shares his insights on modernizing medical malpractice insurance. He discusses the challenges of traditional players and emphasizes the need for innovation through automation. Kaplan highlights the power of alternative data in transforming underwriting processes. He also touches on the advantages of incubated companies in reducing risk for startups. Additionally, he offers lessons in leadership, focusing on building a strong company culture and the importance of learning from failures.

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As a first in a webinar series, GTM lead, Connor Berry invites senior sales leaders from the InsurTech industry to discuss what is actually driving sales in 2025 and what's just noise. The panel discuss AI, Social selling, Cold calling & how to attract and build a successful sales team.Also, if you enjoy these conversations, make sure to follow The Leadership in Insurance Podcast—we’re talking to the people leading real change in the industry every week.Would love to hear your thoughts on this "Finpro Presents ... InsurTech Sales: What's driving deals in 2025 (and what's not)" Let’s chat in the comments.#LeadershipInInsurance #Podcast #Insurtech #AI #InsuranceInnovation #CommercialInsurance #FutureOfInsurance #Fairmatic #RiskManagement #AutoInsurance #InsuranceTech Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.