The Leadership in Insurance Podcast - Insurtech & Innovation

Alex Bond

The insurance industry gets better through sharing innovation. On the Leadership in Insurance Podcast we speak to insurance thought leaders that are changing the game. The LIIP is a podcast helping Insurance professionals, Investors and supporters learn what it takes to achieve and succeed in the global insurance industry. We specifically look at what it takes to build a modern insurance business and how great teams are built, we share their stories to educate and inspire change to help build the future of insurance. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  1. What InsurTech 1.0 Got Wrong — Martin Fagioli, Foliume

    3d ago

    What InsurTech 1.0 Got Wrong — Martin Fagioli, Foliume

    What if the broker channel — often written off as too traditional, too slow, too analogue — is actually where AI's impact on insurance will be felt most? Alex sits down with Martin F., co-founder of Foliume, to explore exactly that question in this week's episode. Founded in 2022, Foliume is on a mission to reinvent insurance distribution by putting AI at the centre of how brokers and agencies work — reducing the administrative burden that consumes their days and giving them back time to do what they do best: build relationships, understand risk, and serve customers. Martin breaks down Foliume's dual AI approach — assisted tools that keep brokers in control, and autonomous systems capable of handling customer interactions end-to-end across channels like WhatsApp — and explains why getting that balance right is everything. The conversation covers: 🌍 Why Spain was the proving ground and why the UK is next 💰 Foliume's recent funding round with PitchDrive and Telefónica 🤖 Why AI is creating a genuine opening to challenge the legacy software houses that have long dominated the broker market 📈 The $3 trillion opportunity Sequoia identified — and what it means for insurance distribution "InsurTech 1.0 was about distribution. This wave is about relationships." A fascinating episode for anyone thinking about where AI, brokers, and the future of insurance distribution intersect. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    28 min
  2. Will Ross, CEO of Federato: Why Layering AI on Legacy Systems is Holding Insurance Back

    Jun 1

    Will Ross, CEO of Federato: Why Layering AI on Legacy Systems is Holding Insurance Back

    This week, host Alex Bond sits down with Will Ross, co-founder and CEO of Federato — the AI-native core platform transforming the full insurance policy lifecycle, from underwriting to claims and billing. Will and his Stanford AI research co-founder built Federato on a simple but bold premise: AI should support high-value human decision-making, not just cut costs. And they're putting that conviction to the test. In this episode, Alex and Will discuss: 🏗️ Why legacy "old core" insurance systems can't be fixed by bolting AI on top and what a genuinely AI-native alternative looks like 📈 The results that speak for themselves: one client saw a 2.2x increase in quote volume, an 89% reduction in time to quote, and improved high-appetite risk selection from 1 in 10 to 6 in 10, all within 90 days 💰 Why Federato raised $100 million in Series D funding from Goldman Sachs even though they didn't need the capital 🔄 How the conversation around AI in insurance has evolved from cost-cutting to genuinely transforming outcomes 🤝 Why Will believes in being radically honest with clients about the scale of change required and why that's built trust rather than lost it This is a conversation about what it really takes to modernise insurance from the inside out and why incremental change isn't going to cut it. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    33 min
  3. Stephen Stonberg, Tabit: Bitcoin on the Balance Sheet

    May 25

    Stephen Stonberg, Tabit: Bitcoin on the Balance Sheet

    This week, host Dan Briselden sits down with Stephen Stonberg, CEO & co-founder of Tabit Insurance — a company bridging the world of Bitcoin and the balance sheet of a regulated insurer. Stephen shares how Tabit is using centuries-old Lombard lending principles to do something genuinely new: bringing Bitcoin onto an insurance balance sheet — dollarising it, holding it securely, and opening up a fresh source of capital for an industry that's long relied on the same investor pool. In this episode, you'll hear Stephen's take on: Why Barbados is a top-10 global captive domicile and why that matters for cryptoThe tax problem that stops Bitcoin holders from generating yield and how insurance solves itWhy the insurance industry is the hardest audience to convince (harder than capital markets)How AI is already reshaping how Tabit thinks about distribution and staffingThe new insurance lines that don't yet exist and who's going to build them "The insurance industry needs new capital. Bitcoin holders need yield. It's not rocket science — you just need all the right ingredients." — Stephen Stonberg Whether you're in reinsurance, capital markets or just watching the crypto-insurance space evolve, this is a conversation worth your time. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    31 min
  4. Beyond the Expo Floor: Scout InsurTech, MGAs & the AI Revolution

    May 18

    Beyond the Expo Floor: Scout InsurTech, MGAs & the AI Revolution

    In the latest episode, host Alex Bond sits down with Chris Luiz, the founder behind one of Insurtech's most community-driven conferences: the Scout InsurTech event in Columbus, Ohio, which has grown to over 80 startups and nearly 500 attendees this year. What makes the Scout InsurTech conference different: 🚫 No expo floor, no paid mainstage slots, no junior salespeople filling seats 🤝 Structured networking designed to create real business interactions 🎯 Decision-makers only — the kind of room the bigger Vegas and New York events can't replicate What else they cover: 💡 The real state of MGA innovation — where VC has pulled back and where opportunity still exists in parametric and embedded insurance💰 Why a PE-style model might suit MGA builders better than traditional venture capital🤖 How AI is levelling the playing field between large tech-forward carriers and mid-sized mutuals — and what that means for the next decadeWhether you're building an MGA, thinking about where smart capital should go next, or simply want a front-row seat to where Insurtech is heading, this episode is a genuinely honest conversation from someone who has been at the heart of the community for years. #LeadershipInInsurance #InsurTech #MGA #AI #Insurance #Podcast #ScoutInsurTech Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    33 min
  5. James Thom, CPO at Vertafore: Why Playing it Safe is the Biggest Risk in Insurance's AI Era

    May 11

    James Thom, CPO at Vertafore: Why Playing it Safe is the Biggest Risk in Insurance's AI Era

    This week, host Alex Bond sits down with James Thom, Chief Product Officer at Vertafore, the insurance technology company powering agencies, MGAs, and carriers across the US and Canada. James brings a fascinating perspective: from consulting at McKinsey to leading product at scale, he's seen first-hand why making the leap from recommendation to real-world implementation changes everything. In this episode, we get into: 💡 Why AI transformation requires more than piecemeal adoption — and why the companies going all-in are seeing 2x–3x productivity gains 🏗️ How Vertafore's new Velocity AI platform is embedding AI natively into the tools insurers already use every day 🔄 The "human plus" moment — giving every individual a team of AI agents to multiply their impact ⚖️ How regulation shapes product development in a highly governed industry — and why that's not a bad thing 🤝 Why the build vs. buy debate has come roaring back, and how smart operators are thinking about their "secret sauce" James also opens up about what's kept him at Vertafore for eight years — and it speaks volumes about the community they've built. Whether you're in insurtech, distribution, or just fascinated by how AI is reshaping industries from the inside out, this one is well worth your time. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    24 min
  6. "No More Time to Wait: Kyle Nakatsuji on Taking AI from Clearcover to the Whole Industry with Dearborn Labs”

    May 4

    "No More Time to Wait: Kyle Nakatsuji on Taking AI from Clearcover to the Whole Industry with Dearborn Labs”

    What does it take to make AI work in insurance, not just in a pilot, but in production? In the latest episode of the Leadership in Insurance Podcast, host Alex Bonds sits down with Kyle, founder of Clearcover and the newly launched Dearborn Labs, for a candid conversation about the realities of AI adoption in the insurance industry. Kyle brings a rare perspective: a decade of building one of insurance's most tech-forward carriers, and now a mission to bring those hard-won lessons to mid-market insurers everywhere. He shares how Clearcover achieved over 90% of claims intake through AI agents and 93% of policies found digitally - and why getting there was far harder than it looked. In this episode, Kyle and Alex explore: 🔹 Why traditional AI pilots are "a bridge to nowhere" and what truly embedded implementation looks like instead 🔹 The "last mile problem" holding insurers back from real AI value 🔹 How mid-market carriers and MGAs are being underserved by legacy consulting models 🔹 What it takes to embed AI directly into production workflows, not just bolt it on 🔹 The mindset shift required to move from cost centre to P&L impact With AI capabilities evolving at unprecedented speed, Kyle's message to the industry is unambiguous: "there's no more time to wait." The technology is ready. The hard part is making it fit the business - and that's exactly what Dearborn Labs was built to solve. Whether you're a carrier, MGA, or insurance leader trying to cut through the AI noise, this episode is essential listening. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    30 min
  7. From Silicon Valley Hyper-Growth to Insurance AI : Lessons from Kasey Roh, Upstage AI

    Apr 27

    From Silicon Valley Hyper-Growth to Insurance AI : Lessons from Kasey Roh, Upstage AI

    In the latest episode of the Leadership in Insurance Podcast, host Alex Bond sits down with Kasey Roh, Head of US at Upstage AI, for a conversation that stretches from the lessons of large-scale manufacturing automation to the cutting edge of AI-powered document processing in insurance. Kasey brings a rare perspective — shaped by hyper-growth stints at Meta and Tesla — to the world of enterprise AI. She reflects on witnessing Tesla's journey to scale Model 3 production, where the hard-won lesson was clear: attempting to automate before truly understanding every step of the process is a costly mistake. Only by mapping workflows end-to-end with domain experts first did the operation find its footing — a principle she carries directly into how Upstage approaches AI adoption in insurance today. In this episode, Kasey and Alex explore: 🔹 Why understanding end-to-end workflows is non-negotiable before any automation begins 🔹 How Upstage made the leap from the Korean enterprise market — where it now powers over 60–70% of claims processing — to cracking the US market 🔹 The critical difference between how Asian and North American enterprises buy technology 🔹 Why OCR and LLM technology is transforming underwriting and claims processing, handling the complex "tail end" of documents that traditional systems simply can't 🔹 Whether AI will truly disrupt existing carriers, or whether it's the new AI-native players who will reshape the industry first Kasey also shares her candid take on AI adoption in insurance: the proof-of-concept phase is ending, and organisations that haven't figured out governance and human oversight are going to struggle in the scale-up. Whether you're in underwriting, claims, or leading digital transformation at a carrier, this episode is packed with hard-won lessons from someone who has scaled technology at some of the world's most demanding and successful companies. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    31 min
  8. Sixfold's Alex Schmelkin: Better Risks, Better Relationships, Better Underwriting

    Apr 20

    Sixfold's Alex Schmelkin: Better Risks, Better Relationships, Better Underwriting

    What does the future of underwriting look like and how close are we to getting there? In the latest episode of The Leadership in Insurance Podcast, host Alex Bond sits down with Alex Schmelkin, Founder & CEO of Sixfold, to explore how AI is fundamentally reshaping the underwriting landscape. Alex Schmelkin shares how Sixfold has evolved from building a helpful assistant for underwriters into developing end-to-end underwriting agents, capable of producing quotes as polished as those from senior underwriters, straight from a broker submission. The results speak for themselves. One customer cut quote turnaround time by half and increased bind rates by 18% - not by replacing their underwriters, but by freeing them up to do what humans do best: build better relationships and find better risks. On what's driving Sixfold's success, Schmelkin is clear: "You can't be all things to all people in this AI world. Develop your killer product and bring it to your customers." Alex and Alex also dig into the wider market landscape: why so many insurers are stuck in pilot purgatory with multiple AI solutions, and what it actually takes to find best-in-class capabilities that scale globally. A fascinating conversation for anyone navigating the intersection of AI and insurance #InsurancePodcast #LeadershipInInsurance #AIUnderwriting #InsurTech #Sixfold #Insurance Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    28 min
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About

The insurance industry gets better through sharing innovation. On the Leadership in Insurance Podcast we speak to insurance thought leaders that are changing the game. The LIIP is a podcast helping Insurance professionals, Investors and supporters learn what it takes to achieve and succeed in the global insurance industry. We specifically look at what it takes to build a modern insurance business and how great teams are built, we share their stories to educate and inspire change to help build the future of insurance. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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