The Insurtech Leadership Podcast

It’s One Thing to Be Able to Collect Data, Another to Predict It, and Yet Another to be Able to Use it Realtime (w/Woody Klemmer, Bill Conners at ForMotiv)

Bill Conners is the CEO and Woody Klemmer is the Head of Growth at ForMotiv, a behavioral intelligence platform that helps insurance carriers predict user intent, in real-time, by analyzing digital body language as users engage with insurance applications and claims forms. 

ForMotiv uses Java snippets that embed in tags or source code to collect data at-scale, so know which behaviors are indicative of certain outcomes, which are the good and bad customers, and provide insurers these insights in real-time. It's taken four years to perfect, but similar to Netflix each user's experience can be tailored to see the 'right' products and experiences. It can also detect which customers have not been transparent about their health conditions or can help reduce fraud losses.

The company has a fun widget on its website to 'spot the real fraud' using gut instinct versus data analysis, you can try it at https://formotiv.com/insurance-fraud-detection-solution/. 

Prior to ForMotiv, Bill was an early employee at Relay Network a mobile messaging platform that works closely with healthcare payers, banks, and telecom companies and Woody founded GladlyDo, an on-demand odd job & staffing app connecting college students with gig work.

Follow the Insurtech Leadership Podcast airing weekly hosted by Joshua R. Hollander. We give you up-close access and personal insights from the leaders of the fastest-growing #insurtechs and most innovative #insurance carriers and brokers.

People Hate Shopping for Insurance, So Embedding is Key for our Industry (w/Matt Chesky, Insuritas)

Matt Chesky is the President of Insuritas a leading provider of embedded insurance solutions for financial institutions in the U.S.

Matt says the process of ensuring you are getting the right coverage at the right price is painful. Insuritas believes part of the solution is to embed access to insurance products in environments where customers are already used to spending time.

Insuritas is an 'original' insurtech, founded in the late 90s to help banks and credit unions run their own insurance agencies as a turnkey solution, so have two decades of experience with embedded insurance platforms. 

Matt relays that every customer who walks into a bank is already an insurance buyer, so discovering the way to identify the right timing and solution in their hands, for example embedding auto insurance at the point of a new car loan in the bank branch. The second key is making the buying process as easy as possible, by pre-filling as much information as possible. The third key is having the insurance conversation in a highly-trusted relationship as an extension of the local bank where insurance represents the 4th or 5th product in the relationship.

Consumers are not singularly focused on price, they want the right coverage and a trusted relationship, so enabling banks and credit unions to provide personal insurance remains a highly attractive opportunity space.

Matt is widely recognized as a thought leader in the banking and insurance verticals, and has been recognized by the Hartford Business Journal and Connecticut Magazine’s ’40 Under 40’ lists. He graduated from Yale University.

Follow the Insurtech Leadership Podcast airing weekly hosted by Joshua R. Hollander. We give you up-close access and personal insights from the leaders of the fastest-growing #insurtechs and most innovative #insurance carriers and brokers.

Unlocking the Biggest Missed Opportunity for Insurance Customer Engagement of the Last Decade (w/Bobbie Shrivastav, CPO Benekiva)

Meet Bobbie Shrivastav, Co-Founder and Chief Product Officer at Benekiva where she leads the product development, customer care, and delivery of transformational technology solutions to help modernize the insurance industry. Bobbie’s unwavering commitment to innovation, her customer-centric approach and thoughtful development of industry-evolving solutions have earned her the reputation as an industry leader. 

She is instrumental in Benekiva’s evolution to become the only technology solution on the market that delivers straight-through, next-generation claims and policy servicing transformations, with asset retention enablement. 

Prior to Benekiva, Shrivastav has been in senior leadership roles with organizations such as, United Guaranty - a division of AIG, AON and Pepsico where she led several large-scale multi-million-dollar, enterprise-level transformation initiatives.

Follow the Insurtech Leadership Podcast airing weekly hosted by Joshua R. Hollander. We give you up-close access and personal insights from the leaders of the fastest-growing #insurtechs and most innovative #insurance carriers and brokers.

Unlocking Under-served Insurance Markets by Embedding Insurance at the Right Place (w/Harry Croydon, CEO MIC Global)

Harry Croydon is the founder of STP Group and the President and CEO of MIC Global.

MIC Global provides simple insurance that is accessible, affordable, and relevant, by creating highly relevant insurance products that attract and retain customers enhancing customers' brand and drive growth. 

Their overarching goal is to make the safety net of insurance available to all. The big idea behind MIC Global was to focus on straight-through-processing (STP), with high volume sales, and the ability to process claims very efficiently.

Harry describes technologies that create embedded insurance solutions for platforms that provide services. Embedded insurance brings together key insurtech themes such as Gig/ Sharing/ Creator economies, Payment Gateways and IoT Device Manufacturers.

Follow the Insurtech Leadership Podcast airing weekly hosted by Joshua R. Hollander. We give you up-close access and personal insights from the leaders of the fastest-growing #insurtechs and most innovative #insurance carriers and brokers.

What Speciality Underwriting Does and How Risk Capital Providers Work (w/Jeffrey Radke, Co-Founder & CEO at Accelerant)

Meet Jeffrey Radke, Co-Founder & CEO at Accelerant, a successful insurtech with more than 150 employees.

Accelerant has created a common cause of loss nomenclature across multiple areas and countries. Working across jurisdictions adds complexity, but also informs discovery of new market opportunities for underwriters. 

Culturally, Jeff notes a key challenge is finding experienced insurance executives who are not afraid to make a decision, and have a high willingness to collaborate. 

Jeff sees a significant opportunity in bundling insurance in such a way that underwriters do not need to look at individual policies as a decision-point in their process, leveraging data science and embedded insurance as a lever to scale.

Prior to co-founding Accelerant, Jeff was an Executive Committee Member, Global Head of Strategic Initiatives, of Syndicate, Head of Europe at Argo, CEO at PXRE, CEO and President at Select Re. His experience includes underwriting, operations and management of insurance, and reinsurance in global markets. This experience base has given him a deep understanding of the entire insurance value chain, from the original insured, retail and wholesale brokerage, insurance, and reinsurance to alternative capital and traditional shareholders.

Follow the Insurtech Leadership Podcast airing weekly hosted by Joshua R. Hollander. We give you up-close access and personal insights from the leaders of the fastest-growing #insurtechs and most innovative #insurance carriers and brokers.

How to Build Insurance Products that are Fun and Accessible to Everyone (w/Mike Cavanaugh, VP Insurtech Growth at Boost)

Meet Michael Cavanaugh Vice President of Insurtech Growth for Boost Insurance, where he is responsible for the development, implementation, and success of new & emerging products for Insurtech businesses. Whether Pet, Renters or Cyber - Boost is enabling companies to write the new fun and profitable lines of insurance and remove barriers to entry.

Before his move to Boost, Mike was with Apogee Insurance Group for 12 years where he led the growth and development of the Tech & Cyber product broking team.As a graduate of the St. Joseph’s University School of Risk Management and a Certified Ethical Hacker, Mike leverages this experience to address the gap in technology and insurance that prevents many companies and individuals from understanding the benefit of Cyber Insurance. Mike’s background in Insurance and Computer Science allows him to provide insight into the changing Cyber Security Risk Management environment and the Insurtech landscape for the Insurance community.

Follow the Insurtech Leadership Podcast airing weekly hosted by Joshua R. Hollander. We give you up-close access and personal insights from the leaders of the fastest-growing #insurtechs and most innovative #insurance carriers and brokers.

Why Being Investors in Early Technologies Put insurers at a Longer-Term Disadvantage (w/Matthew Jones, MD Anthemis)

Matthew Jones is a Managing Director at Anthemis, where he is responsible for sourcing, analyzing and executing investments as well as providing support for Anthemis’ portfolio companies. He brings in-depth knowledge of the insurance sector and focuses on investments in insurance and risk-related technology.

Matthew’s areas of interest include analytics and data, artificial intelligence and automation, asset management, digital health, mobility, new insurance propositions and risk management. Prior to joining Anthemis, Matthew was at Swiss Re, with roles across non-life and life insurance and reinsurance in both London and Zurich.

Matthew previously served on the boards of Flock, Hokodo and Stable and is the resident venture investor for Carrier Management’s VC Viewpoint series. He holds a bachelor’s in business administration from the University of Bath and also studied at Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario.

Follow the Insurtech Leadership Podcast airing weekly hosted by Joshua R. Hollander. We give you up-close access and personal insights from the leaders of the fastest-growing #insurtechs and most innovative #insurance carriers and brokers.

Insurtech Hartford Helps Companies Grow and Prosper (w/Stacey Brown, Insurtech Hartford and AXA-XL)

Today meet Stacey Brown who is Head of Global Technology Innovation at AXA XL, a Division of AXA, and Founder at InsurTech Hartford. Stacey is an insurance technology executive with a strong tech background with over 20 years industry experience developing high-performing IT teams and strategic solutions. Atop his responsibilities as an IT executive, Stacey is most recently known for his role in jumpstarting the one of the world’s most successful InsurTech ecosystems, InsurTech Hartford.

Stacey founded Insurtech Hartford by a genuine interest, he saw the insurtech scene happening in other places and didn't see it outside his window in Hartford. His mission since then has been to host events and bring people together, he struggled on his own for a while but then met the folks at Upward Hartford in a partnership to run networking, hackathon and startup pitch night events.

Stacey says the activity around insurtech has changed, with valuations drastically increasing, and having more VCs in the game than five years ago. As an industry insider, Stacey's broad definition of insurtech as, "Applying technology to make the insurance industry better." He is witnessing the transformation where once 'edge' technologies such as advanced analytics, #machinelearning and #AI as becoming more commercially viable and get down to solving real problems.

Follow the Insurtech Leadership Podcast airing weekly hosted by Joshua R. Hollander. We give you up-close access and personal insights from the leaders of the fastest-growing #insurtechs and most innovative #insurance carriers and brokers.

#insurtechhartford

We’re From a Tough Neighborhood, Independence and Innovation are our Culture (w/Kobi Bendelak, CEO Insurtech Israel)

Happy to chat with Kobi Bendelak, Founder and CEO of InsurTech Israel. We met Kobi at a recent event in Stamford, CT and his super-high energy and inside knowledge of Insurtech from the Israeli market is such a welcome voice! 

The company has four areas of activity: Investment, Consulting, Events and News and the Israeli Insurtech Accelerator. This combination of activities make InsurTech Israel one of the leading and most active participants in the global Insurtech ecosystem.   

Kobi has a deep InsurTech knowledge base with 22 years of experience in the insurance industry, is former CEO of a Migdal / Assicurazioni Generali subsidiary. Kobi is a Colonel (Reserve) in the Israeli defense forces, a mentor in three accelerators programs around the world, Lloyds Lab, SBC USA and GIA. Kobi was chosen by the Daily Fintech magazine to be among the 34 respected resources people in the InsurTech industry in both 2019 and 2020.

Follow the Insurtech Leadership Podcast airing weekly hosted by Joshua R. Hollander. We give you up-close access and personal insights from the leaders of the fastest-growing #insurtechs and most innovative #insurance carriers and brokers.

Four out of Five Clients Want to Do Everything Online: Empowering Independent Agencies to Go Digital (w/Jason Keck, CEO at Broker Buddha)

Jason Keck is a seasoned technology entrepreneur, bringing 20 years of experience across digital and mobile to the insurance industry. Before founding Broker Buddha, he led business development teams at industry unicorns, including Shazam and Tumblr. A Harvard graduate with a degree in Computer Science, Jason also worked at Accenture and Nextel prior to building innovative brands and gaining success in the startup world.

Broker Buddha creates value in creating smart forms for insurance agents, creating a simple way to transport data into core insurance systems without extracting data from pdfs.

Their agency core success metric is submission counts, or numbers of policy submissions in terms of time, volume and quality. Larger agencies can be completely online in under 90 days, and smaller agencies can onboard in only a few weeks.

Follow the Insurtech Leadership Podcast airing weekly hosted by Joshua R. Hollander. We give you up-close access and personal insights from the leaders of the fastest-growing #insurtechs and most innovative #insurance carriers and brokers.