FNO: InsureTech

Episode Description In Episode 316 of the FNO: InsureTech Podcast,  Dani Katz, Co-Founder and Director of Optalitix, joins David Prejeant for a discussion on one of insurance's most persistent technology challenges: spreadsheets. From underwriting and pricing to APIs, AI, reinsurance, and MGAs, Dani explains why so much of the industry's intellectual property is still trapped in Excel and what insurers can do about it.  Dani shares the story behind Optalitix, how the company discovered the "spreadsheet problem," and why digitization remains the critical first step before insurers can fully capitalize on AI. The conversation also explores the soft reinsurance market, MGA growth, and how modern underwriting organizations can improve governance, scalability, and decision making without rebuilding everything from scratch.  Key Highlights [03:00] The Story Behind the Optalitix Name Dani explains how the company name originated from combining "optimization" and "analytics" and how that mission continues to guide the business today.  [04:00] Discovering the Spreadsheet Problem While building software for insurers, Dani and his team uncovered a common challenge: critical underwriting and pricing knowledge trapped inside thousands of spreadsheets.  [05:30] From Consulting Firm to SaaS Company Dani reflects on the moment Optalitix realized this wasn't just a services problem but a scalable product opportunity.  [07:30] Learning Insurance Through Technology A discussion on the company's early days, cloud adoption in insurance, and how industry knowledge became one of Optalitix's biggest advantages.  [09:15] Why 87% of Underwriters Still Use Excel David and Dani explore why spreadsheets remain deeply embedded in underwriting workflows and whether that represents a problem or an opportunity.  [12:00] Turning Spreadsheets Into APIs Dani explains how Optalitix converts Excel models into scalable APIs and why that transformation unlocks governance, connectivity, and growth.  [13:00] Understanding Optalitix Models and Quote A look at the company's two core products and how they help insurers modernize pricing without sacrificing existing underwriting expertise. [15:30] Digitize First. Then Add AI Why successful AI adoption starts with modernizing legacy workflows and making pricing data accessible through connected systems.  [17:45] The Most Unusual Underwriting Workflow Dani shares a surprising client story involving an underwriting operation that operated without traditional pricing models.  [18:45] Reinsurance Market Explained A practical walkthrough of what a soft market actually means and the forces currently shaping reinsurance pricing and capacity.  [22:00] Why Pricing Matters More in a Soft Market As reinsurance capacity grows and rates decline, insurers need better visibility into risk accumulation and underwriting performance.  [24:00] Managing Risk Appetite in Real Time How digitized pricing systems allow insurers and reinsurers to adjust strategies dynamically as portfolios evolve.  [25:20] Why 2026 Is the Year of the MGA Dani explains why MGAs are thriving, how soft markets create growth opportunities, and why entrepreneurial insurance businesses are gaining momentum. A discussion on how AI, entrepreneurship, and technology are creating new reasons for young professionals to consider careers in insurance.  [32:00] One Thing Every Underwriter Should Do Today Dani shares a simple challenge: imagine what would happen if your most valuable spreadsheet became an API.  [33:15] Crossing Into Claims Dani discusses how pricing and claims data intersect and where Optalitix already supports claims related workflows. [35:00] AI's Future in Underwriting Looking ahead six months, Dani shares why AI will increasingly become embedded within underwriting and pricing systems without replacing underwriters themselves.  [36:00] Final Thoughts David closes the episode with a simple takeaway: before AI can transform insurance, the industry must first digitize the valuable data already sitting inside spreadsheets.

In Episode 315 of the FNO: InsureTech Podcast, hosts Rob Beller and David Prejeant welcome back Dave Tobias, Chief Product Officer at Nearmap, for his third appearance on the show. A familiar voice to longtime listeners, Dave reflects on his journey from insurance inspector to Betterview co-founder to product leader at one of the industry's most influential property intelligence companies.  The conversation explores how Nearmap's acquisitions of Betterview and ITEL have expanded the company's capabilities across underwriting, claims, catastrophe response, and property intelligence. Dave shares how these technologies are being combined to create new solutions that help insurers better understand risk, accelerate claims workflows, and improve customer experiences.  Rob and David also dive into the future of AI in insurance, the growing role of agentic workflows, and why the biggest challenge facing the industry may no longer be access to data, but getting the right data into the right workflow at the right time. Key Highlights [08:15] Inside the Chief Product Officer Role Dave discusses his transition from General Manager of Insurance to Chief Product Officer and what it means to lead product strategy across insurance, government, and commercial markets.  [10:00] Looking Back at the Betterview Acquisition A reflection on Nearmap's acquisition of Betterview and how the original vision of combining imagery, analytics, and underwriting intelligence has played out in the market.  [14:00] Why ITEL Changes the Game Dave explains how ITEL's material pricing and laboratory analysis capabilities complement Nearmap and Betterview, creating a unique property intelligence ecosystem.  [16:30] Building a Full Stack Insurance Data Platform How combining imagery, measurements, AI insights, and claims intelligence unlocks new opportunities for insurers across underwriting and claims.  [18:00] The Real Challenge Isn't Technology Why the biggest constraint isn't product innovation but changing workflows and helping insurers adopt new ways of working.  [19:00] Meeting Customers Where They Work The importance of integrations with platforms like Guidewire and Xactimate, allowing insurers to access data without changing their everyday workflows.  [22:00] Claims Use Cases in Action Dave walks through Nearmap's claims capabilities, from roof measurements and material matching to post catastrophe analysis and repair validation.  [23:00] First in the Air During Catastrophes How Nearmap captured imagery during active wildfire events and provides insurers with real time insights before many response teams arrive on scene. [24:30] Why Nearmap Still Flies Aircraft A look inside Nearmap's proprietary camera technology and why manned aircraft remain critical for capturing high resolution imagery at scale.  [28:00] The Balance Between Innovation and Regulation Dave discusses growing regulatory scrutiny around aerial imagery, data quality, and how insurers use property intelligence in underwriting decisions.  [32:00] AI Is Not New at Nearmap While many companies are just beginning their AI journeys, Nearmap has been applying computer vision and machine learning to property imagery for more than a decade. [ [34:00] Unlocking 130 Property Intelligence Signals How advances in AI and large language models are helping customers make better use of hundreds of property level data points.  [36:00] Using AI to Connect Data and Business Problems Dave explains how AI can map underwriting guidelines and claims workflows to available data, uncovering connections that humans may miss. [38:00] The Rise of Agentic Claims Workflows A look at how AI powered FNOL experiences could automatically combine claims information with real time property intelligence to improve outcomes and reduce friction.  [40:00] The Technology Is Finally Catching Up Why Dave believes today's AI advancements feel similar to the early days of the internet and what that means for insurance innovation.  [41:30] An FNO Exclusive Dave shares a little known fact about his background and reveals that he is also a licensed private investigator.  [44:00] Final Thoughts on the Nearmap Journey Rob and David reflect on Dave's evolution from startup founder to product executive and what Nearmap's expanding platform means for the future of insurance.

In Episode 314 of the FNO: InsureTech Podcast, hosts Rob Beller and David Prejeant welcome back Stan Smith, Founder & CEO of Gradient AI, for his second appearance on the podcast. It's been more than six years since Stan first joined FNO in Episode 49 back in 2019, when the industry was still talking about machine learning long before AI became today's biggest technology story.  Stan shares how Gradient AI evolved from its machine learning roots into one of the insurance industry's most established AI-native companies, helping insurers make better decisions across underwriting, claims, and healthcare. Along the way, he reflects on how AI has changed, what remains misunderstood, and why the industry's biggest challenge may no longer be technology, but adoption.  The conversation explores AI-driven decision support, data advantages, human oversight, healthcare expansion, and why speed is quickly becoming one of the most important competitive advantages in insurance. Stan also shares lessons learned from building Gradient AI, how the company leverages one of the industry's largest proprietary data sets, and where he sees AI heading next. Key Highlights [04:00] Welcome Back, Stan Smith Stan returns to the podcast for the first time since his appearance in Episode 49, reflecting on how much has changed in insurance and AI over the last six years. [05:00] The Origins of Machine Learning Stan shares the story of his early experience with machine learning, long before AI became a mainstream business discussion.  [06:00] From Machine Learning to Modern AI A look at how AI capabilities have evolved over the last decade and why today's models can solve problems that were previously out of reach. [07:00] Understanding Workers' Compensation Through Data Stan explains how temporal data transformed the ability to understand and predict claim outcomes in workers' comp.  [09:00] From Prediction to Action Why AI's biggest breakthrough isn't simply predicting outcomes, but helping users understand what actions to take next.  [11:00] How LLMs Changed the Game Stan discusses how large language models helped bridge the gap between technical predictions and real-world business decisions.  [13:00] Bringing AI Into Underwriting How AI is helping underwriters better understand risk, explain decisions, and communicate more effectively with brokers and customers.  [15:00] Building a Data Advantage The story behind Gradient AI's massive proprietary data assets and why data continues to be a key competitive differentiator.  [17:00] Why the Company Is Called Gradient AI Stan shares the surprisingly simple story behind the company name and why it ended up being the perfect fit.  [18:00] The Right to Win Stan explains Gradient AI's philosophy of helping customers gain a competitive advantage through better decision-making.  [19:00] What Insurance Still Gets Wrong About AI A discussion about industry fears, adoption challenges, and why falling behind may now be a bigger risk than moving too quickly.  [20:00] When Speed Becomes a Competitive Edge Why faster decision-making, better risk selection, and quicker market response are becoming critical advantages for insurers.  [22:00] Beyond Workflow Automation Stan explains why Gradient AI focuses on improving decisions rather than simply automating tasks.  [23:00] The Power of Renewal Analytics How insurers can learn from their existing books of business and use AI to improve future underwriting performance.  [24:00] The Data Flywheel Effect Why contributing data creates value for insurers and strengthens predictive performance over time.  [26:00] Technology Isn't Enough Stan argues that change management, leadership, and execution often have a bigger impact than the technology itself.  [28:00] Expanding From Workers' Comp to Healthcare How customer demand led Gradient AI into healthcare and why the opportunity continues to grow. [31:00] The Future of Healthcare Risk A discussion on self-funded plans, level-funded programs, and the changing economics of healthcare insurance.  [33:00] How Accurate Are AI Models? Stan discusses model performance, hallucinations, human oversight, and why AI continues to improve over time.  [36:00] The Human in the Loop Why AI works best when combined with human judgment and how underwriters can focus on the decisions that matter most.  [37:00] What AI Looks Like Six Months From Now Stan shares his perspective on the accelerating pace of AI innovation and how companies can prepare for what's next. [39:00] Final Thoughts Rob and David reflect on Stan's journey, Gradient AI's growth, and how quickly the AI landscape continues to evolve.

In Episode 313 of the FNO: InsureTech Podcast, hosts Rob Beller and David Prejeant sit down with Alex Schmelkin, Founder and CEO of Sixfold, for a fascinating conversation about AI, underwriting, and one of the fastest-growing areas in insurance technology today. Alex Schmelkin shares how a pre-ChatGPT idea evolved into an AI-native company focused exclusively on helping insurers improve underwriting outcomes through the use of AI-powered underwriting colleagues.  The discussion explores the evolution of AI in underwriting, what insurers are learning from AI-assisted decision-making, and why underwriting may be one of the most compelling use cases for generative AI. Along the way, Alex shares his entrepreneurial journey, lessons learned from prior startups, and his vision for how underwriters and AI will work together in the future.  Whether you're an underwriter, insurance executive, InsureTech founder, or simply curious about how AI is changing insurance, this episode delivers valuable insights from someone building at the forefront of the industry. Key Highlights [04:00] Meet Sixfold Alex Schmelkin explains how Sixfold is building AI underwriters designed to help insurers make underwriting operations faster, more accurate, and more profitable.  [05:00] The Origin Story Why the summer of 2022 became the starting point for Sixfold and how experimenting with large language models eventually led Alex back to underwriting. [08:00] Building an AI Company Before the AI Boom The unique timing of launching an AI startup just before ChatGPT introduced generative AI to the mainstream.  [09:00] Why Focus Matters Alex shares why Sixfold resisted the temptation to tackle all of insurance and instead focused exclusively on underwriting. [10:00] Measuring Success How insurers evaluate AI underwriting performance and the metrics that matter most when proving ROI. [13:00] What AI Does Better Than Humans A discussion about where AI excels, where humans still have the advantage, and why underwriting remains a partnership between both.  [15:00] The Evolution of Underwriter Attitudes Toward AI How industry conversations have shifted from fear of replacement to collaboration and augmentation.  [17:00] Making Underwriting Fun Again Why Alex believes underwriters should spend less time on repetitive tasks and more time making decisions that create value.  [19:00] Alex's Journey Into Insurance From e-commerce and banking to InsureTech and underwriting, Alex shares the path that led him into the insurance industry.  [23:00] What Makes an Underwriting Portfolio Successful? How Sixfold is helping insurers better understand the risks they write and why some portfolios consistently outperform others.  [26:00] From AI Assistant to AI Underwriter How Sixfold's technology evolved from helping underwriters gather information to supporting end-to-end underwriting workflows.  [28:00] Where Automated Underwriting Creates Scale A discussion on the types of insurance risks that are particularly well suited for AI-powered underwriting.  [30:00] The Future Role of the Human Underwriter Alex shares his vision for how underwriting professionals may evolve as AI becomes more deeply embedded into underwriting operations.  [32:00] Building the Underwriting Cockpit of the Future Why the future interface between underwriters and AI may look very different from today's underwriting systems.  [35:00] Looking Beyond Underwriting How Sixfold is beginning to explore adjacent opportunities where AI-driven risk analysis can create value.  [38:00] The Story Behind the Name Sixfold Alex shares the surprisingly personal inspiration behind the company's name.  [40:00] Why Insurance Matters One of the episode's most thought-provoking moments as Alex explains the critical role insurance plays in enabling economic activity around the world. [43:00] Running an AI-Native Company What makes operating an AI-native business different from building traditional software companies and why adaptability is critical in today's AI landscape. [46:00] Final Thoughts Rob and David reflect on the conversation, the future of AI underwriting, and why this is one of the most exciting periods in insurance technology.

In Episode 312 of the FNO: InsureTech Podcast, hosts Rob Beller and David Prejeant sit down with David Wald, President and Co-Founder of Aclaimant, for an in-depth conversation about risk management, RMIS technology, AI, and the future of RiskTech.  David explains how Aclaimant is helping organizations centralize risk data, manage workers' compensation and claims, improve safety, and uncover insights that help businesses become more proactive rather than reactive. The conversation explores the evolving role of risk managers, the growing importance of predictive analytics, and how AI is helping risk teams move faster and make better decisions in an increasingly complex business environment.  David also shares the founder story behind Aclaimant, his journey into InsureTech through the venture capital world, and why risk management is becoming an increasingly important strategic function for organizations of all sizes.  Key Highlights [06:00] What Is Aclaimant? David introduces Aclaimant and explains how the company helps organizations manage claims, safety, compliance, exposures, assets, and risk through a modern RMIS platform. [08:00] Why Risk Management Matters An overview of how risk management evolves as organizations scale and why businesses eventually need dedicated tools and teams to manage growing exposures and costs.  [10:00] Turning Risk Data Into Action David explains how risk managers use data to understand exposures, monitor incidents, identify trends, and create safer business environments.  [13:00] Finding Problems Before They Grow How technology helps organizations identify patterns, uncover hidden risks, and address issues before they become larger and more costly problems.  [16:00] AI, Automation, and Speed A look at how Aclaimant is leveraging AI, predictive modeling, and automation to accelerate workflows, improve data quality, and deliver insights faster.  [18:00] Real Customer Wins David shares examples of how better visibility into risk data helped customers uncover costly inefficiencies and improve operational outcomes.  [20:00] Integrations, Data, and Prediction Why RMIS platforms depend on integrating data from multiple systems and how predictive insights help organizations better understand future risk.  [23:00] The Workers' Comp Connection David discusses why workers' compensation remains one of the biggest drivers of risk management complexity and opportunity.  [25:00] The Origin Story of Aclaimant The story behind Aclaimant's founding, from a simple idea to modernize incident reporting to a growing RiskTech platform.  [26:00] From Venture Capital to InsureTech David shares how his experience in venture capital and exposure to early InsureTech innovators like Snapsheet helped shape his path into insurance.  [29:00] Leadership, Growth, and Kathy Burns A discussion about leadership evolution, scaling a company, and the decision to bring industry veteran Kathy Burns into Aclaimant's executive team.  [31:00] AI's Impact on the Business How AI has helped Aclaimant focus on innovation, product development, and improving customer outcomes while creating new operational efficiencies.  [34:00] The Future of Risk Technology David shares his perspective on increasing uncertainty, accelerating change, and why risk management will become even more important in the years ahead.  [40:00] Final Thoughts Rob and David reflect on the evolving role of RiskTech, the importance of RMIS, and why risk management may be one of the most critical functions in modern business.