InsTech - insurance & innovation with Matthew Grant & Robin Merttens

In this episode, Robin Merttens speaks with Sasha Haco, CEO and Co-founder of Unitary, about how AI is being applied in practical, high-impact ways across insurance operations.  Sasha’s route into the industry is far from typical. With a background in astrophysics and no prior experience in insurance, she set out to build something tangible using AI, focusing on real-world problems rather than theoretical ones.  What began as a mission to make the internet safer has evolved into a fast-growing platform that automates some of the most manual and time-consuming processes in insurance. From bordereaux handling to claims and policy administration, the focus is on removing repetitive work without requiring insurers to overhaul their existing systems.  Drawing on her experience building Unitary from the ground up, Sasha shares a clear and practical perspective on where AI is delivering value today, how insurers can get started quickly and what it takes to stand out in an increasingly competitive market.  At the heart of the discussion is a simple idea: meaningful progress often starts with tackling the most overlooked and operationally painful tasks.  In this conversation, Sasha shares:  Why coming from outside insurance can unlock new ways of solving entrenched problems   How virtual agents can replicate human workflows across legacy systems without integration   Where insurers are seeing the fastest returns from automation today   Why speed to ROI is becoming a defining factor in AI adoption   How trust and customer outcomes are emerging as key competitive advantages  What it takes to build and scale in a crowded AI landscape   Why the biggest barrier to automation is often mindset, not technology If you like what you’re hearing, please leave us a review on whichever platform you use or contact Robin Merttens on LinkedIn.  Sign up to the InsTech newsletter for a fresh view on the world every Wednesday morning.

In this episode, Matthew Grant and Robin Merttens hit the 400-episode mark and ask a slightly uncomfortable question: after all these conversations, are we still human or just very convincing AI?  What follows is a sharp, unscripted reflection on how the industry has evolved from early insurtech scepticism to today’s surge of enthusiasm around generative AI. But beneath the milestone moment is a more interesting story, how insurance has shifted from resisting technology to almost over-embracing it, and what happens next when the tools are no longer the problem.  Drawing on years at the centre of the market’s innovation community, Matthew and Robin explore the move from experimentation to execution, why “grown-up AI” is now the real challenge and where genuine commercial value is starting to emerge.     In this conversation, Matthew and Robin share:  Why the industry has gone from fighting technology to actively chasing it  What “grown-up AI” really means and why governance and orchestration now matter more than new tools  How underwriters and brokers are finally seeing immediate value from AI in their day-to-day work  The risk of being overwhelmed by point solutions and what happens without a coherent strategy  The two very different playbooks for building AI businesses and which one is gaining traction  Why revenue is arriving faster for startups and how that is reshaping investment dynamics  What is fuelling the current boom in MGAs and why now feels like a defining moment  The contrasting rise of younger founders and experienced operators launching their own ventures  Why much of the market is still writing familiar risks and what that says about true innovation  Whether insurers are losing their appetite for harder, more unusual risks  How community, curiosity and shared learning continue to underpin real progress in insurance  And why, despite everything, face-to-face conversations still matter more than ever  If you like what you’re hearing, please leave us a review on whichever platform you use or contact Matthew Grant or Robin Merttens on LinkedIn. 

In this episode, Robin Merttens is joined by Martha Dreiling, Co-founder and President of Reserv, to explore how AI is actually transforming claims, and why the biggest breakthroughs are happening in places most people overlook.  With a background spanning FinTech, InsurTech and risk analytics, Martha brings a practical perspective on how data and technology can improve decision-making, not just automate existing processes. At Reserv, she’s helping build a claims model that combines operational efficiency with quality, while challenging long-standing assumptions about how claims should be handled and paid for.  In this conversation, Martha shares:  Why the most valuable AI in claims is “boring but brilliant”, not flashy   How continuous monitoring is quietly improving claims outcomes at scale   Why efficiency alone is no longer enough, and what it takes to deliver quality alongside it   How claims data is becoming a critical input into underwriting and pricing decisions   The challenge of legacy systems and why data fragmentation still holds the industry back   What real AI adoption looks like, and why execution is starting to outpace strategy   How AI is exposing misaligned incentives in traditional time-and-expense TPA models   Why insurers need to rethink how they pay for claims services in an AI-driven world   The shift from technology transformation to human and workflow transformation  How reducing administrative burden can refocus claims handlers on empathy and judgement   Why better claims operations ultimately matter for affordability and customer outcomes If you like what you’re hearing, please leave us a review on whichever platform you use or contact Robin Merttens on LinkedIn.  Sign up to the InsTech newsletter for a fresh view on the world every Wednesday morning.

In this episode, Matthew Grant is joined by Richard Louden, Partner (Indirect Tax Financial Services) at KPMG, and Candy Staples, Director (Innovation Reliefs and Incentives), to explore a topic that many insurance and InsurTech businesses underestimate until it becomes expensive: tax.  While tax is often viewed as a back-office concern for finance teams, it can have a significant strategic impact on how insurance businesses operate, scale and ultimately exit. From the complexities of VAT and Insurance Premium Tax (IPT) to the opportunities created by R&D tax incentives and the Patent Box regime, the conversation highlights both the risks of getting tax wrong and the upside of approaching it proactively.  Richard brings more than two decades of experience advising insurers and intermediaries on indirect tax. He explains why VAT behaves differently in insurance compared with most industries, and why misunderstandings around exemptions, commissions and international services regularly create costly problems for growing businesses.  Candy focuses on the more positive side of the equation: how innovation incentives can help companies recover the cost of developing new technology. For InsurTech firms investing heavily in product development, these incentives can represent a meaningful source of funding and cash flow if captured correctly.  At the heart of the discussion is a simple message: tax is not just about compliance. Managed properly, it can influence profitability, operational efficiency and investment decisions across the insurance value chain.  In this conversation, Richard and Candy share:  Why VAT behaves differently in insurance and why exempt supplies can quietly increase operating costs  The common misconception that commission structures automatically determine VAT treatment  How the reverse charge mechanism on overseas services often creates unexpected liabilities  Why start-ups have a strategic advantage when designing tax processes from day one  How R&D tax credits can return meaningful cash to companies investing in innovation  Why capturing technical challenges and development work early is critical for successful claims  How the Patent Box regime can reduce corporation tax on profits linked to patented technology  Why tax incentives should be considered alongside broader decisions about where companies locate teams, IP and development hubs  KPMG are also hosting post-ITI drinks in London with Insurtech UK to navigate the headwinds of today's economic and regulatory challenges facing insurers and insurtechs alike over cocktails, food and conversation. Click here to register your interest: https://insurtechuk.org/events/0319-one-last-stop-from-headwinds-to-happy-hour/    Additionally KPMG Actuarial have released a white paper on Smarter Pricing, Smarter Insurance. How integrated data, AI and governance transform underwriting and growth. Download to read here: https://m.marketing.kpmg.uk/webApp/Smarter_pricing_Smarter_insurance_whitepaper    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.  

In this episode, Robin Merttens moderates a panel with Tessa Wardle of QBE, Emily Stanford of Gallagher and Jonathan Spry of Envelop Risk, recorded live at the InsTech London event Some lead, others follow: Smart underwriting and broking strategies for 2026.  As algorithmic underwriting and portfolio solutions reshape the London Market, insurers, brokers and reinsurers are rethinking how risk is placed, followed and managed at scale. Facilities are multiplying, digital trading models are emerging and data is becoming the foundation of increasingly automated underwriting decisions.  Drawing on perspectives from underwriting, broking and reinsurance, the panel explores what portfolio underwriting really looks like in practice today. They discuss how facilities are evolving, why broker strategies are changing and what it takes to run sustainable portfolio capacity in a market that is becoming more digital and more data-driven.   At the centre of the discussion is a growing tension between ambition and infrastructure. The market wants faster placement, smarter capital allocation and more algorithmic decision-making, yet many firms are still wrestling with fragmented data, legacy systems and inconsistent standards.  In this conversation, Tessa, Emily and Jonathan share:  Why portfolio solutions have become one of the fastest-growing models in the London Market  How brokers are evolving their placement strategies as facilities and pre-placed capacity expand  Why selecting the right portfolio leader is critical for long-term facility performance  How improving data quality is becoming a prerequisite for digital trading and algorithmic underwriting  Why incentives across brokers, carriers and reinsurers matter when it comes to better data  How AI is reshaping risk, creating new liability exposures and changing how insurers analyse emerging threats  Why capital providers are increasingly demanding greater transparency and portfolio insight If you like what you’re hearing, please leave us a review on whichever platform you use or contact Robin Merttens on LinkedIn.  Sign up to the InsTech newsletter for a fresh view on the world every Wednesday morning.

In this episode, Matthew Grant sits down with Nicola Turner and Alex Ley, co-founders of Scrub AI, to explore one of the most pressing strategic questions facing insurers today: Build vs Buy in the age of generative AI.  Five years into building an AI-driven data cleansing platform for carriers and brokers, Nicola and Alex have seen the market shift from scepticism to urgency. Boardrooms are now asking how AI is being embedded into underwriting workflows, and whether those capabilities should be developed internally or sourced from specialists.  Drawing on their experience building deterministic AI models for exposure data and catastrophe modelling, they offer a grounded perspective on what works, what breaks and where the real risks sit.  At the heart of the discussion is a simple truth: getting to 80% is easy. Getting the final 20% right is where strategy, domain expertise and long-term thinking matter most.  In this conversation, Nicola and Alex share:  Why Build vs Buy has intensified as generative AI moves from experimentation to executive priority  How investor pressure and board-level scrutiny are shaping AI strategy inside large carriers  Why generative AI can accelerate development but does not remove the complexity of insurance data  The danger of plausible but wrong outputs in exposure management and catastrophe modelling  Why deterministic AI still plays a critical role in delivering consistent, renewal-ready data  How inconsistent data cleaning can distort underwriting decisions and renewal pricing  The hidden cost of technical debt when insurers attempt to build internally  Why maintaining and iterating ai tools is often harder than building the first version  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.

Frank Perkins, CEO and co-founder of Inari, builds underwriting software for specialist MGAs across Europe. He talks about democratized tech literacy, the rise of niche MGAs and why platforms must coexist with legacy stacks. He explains practical insurance AI, how AI speeds integrations and onboarding, and why local teams, speed and domain culture matter for European growth.

Zoe Woods, Claims Improvement Manager at Lloyd’s, shares market innovation and oversight work. Simon White, Chief Claims Officer at Apollo, explains large‑scale claims automation wins. Aidan O’Neill, CEO of DOCOsoft, focuses on claims tech and dashboards. They discuss why specialty claims can be automated, real-world rollouts, data and dashboards, modular plug‑and‑play services, and balancing innovation with market oversight.

Marek Shafer, Vave leader in cyber underwriting; Tom Squires, AEGIS/Opal insurance executive who digitised US property products; Jonathan Spry, Envelop Risk co-founder building AI-driven underwriting. They discuss where automation actually adds edge, why complex risks often benefit most from algorithmic approaches, platform and data discipline lessons, and how generative AI and specialist underwriters reshape underwriting workflows.

What happens when AI meets the backbone of the insurance industry - policy administration systems? In this episode, Liselotte Munk, CEO of Fadata, joins Robin Merttens to unpack how artificial intelligence is reshaping the software layer of insurance.  With candid insights into Fadata’s AI strategy, Liselotte reveals how the company is using AI to accelerate software development and reduce implementation costs while improving quality. She tackles the big question: will AI make policy admin systems obsolete? Her answer offers a pragmatic view on cost, complexity, compliance and collaboration.  In this conversation, Liselotte shares:  How AI is already streamlining configuration, documentation and testing in core systems Why the true opportunity lies in faster implementations and reduced transformation costs How the role of developers is shifting, and what this means for insurance talent Why insurers should invest in AI to enhance - not replace - their core platforms What the smartest insurers are doing now to future-proof operations in an AI-first world If you like what you’re hearing, please leave us a review on whichever platform you use or contact Robin Merttens on LinkedIn.  Sign up to the InsTech newsletter for a fresh view on the world every Wednesday morning.