Share
The Leadership in Insurance Podcast - Insurtech & Innovation
Putting Humanity in the Loop — How Symphony AI Is Redefining Insurance Claims Training : An Interview with Murtaza Ali, CEO and Co-Founder of Symphony
•
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 mba
If 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?
More episodes
View all episodes
From Loss to Leadership: Ron Gura on Building Empathy Into Insurance
32:36|Ron Gura didn't build Empathy because he saw a market gap. He built it because he'd lived through loss — including the death of his brother — and knew the industry was getting it wrong.Not on purpose. But wrong nonetheless.In the latest episode of The Leadership in Insurance Podcast, host Alex Bond sits down with Ron, Co-Founder & CEO of Empathy, for one of the most human conversations the show has had. Because at the heart of it, that's exactly what this is about.Ron explains how Empathy provides continuity of care through technology and services for life's hardest moments — bereavement, legacy planning, disability — partnering with insurers and employers to transform what has historically been a transactional process into something genuinely supportive.They also get into:✅ Why 91% of beneficiaries are satisfied with claims — but fewer than 1 in 10 repurchase from the same carrier✅ The "orphan claim" problem — 70% of US life insurance claims have no assigned advisor✅ How AI should make humans more human, not replace them✅ What the $100 trillion generational wealth transfer means for life insurers right now✅ Empathy's expansion into Canada and Europe — and what's coming nextWith 200 employees across multiple offices and a live partnership with Zurich serving over 3 million people, this is a company that's moved well beyond vision into execution.
From Startups to Shaping Canadian InsurTech: Finn Magee on Building a Movement and a Fund
30:49|Finn didn't come from insurance. He came from startups — real estate, entertainment, a TPA. But when he looked at the Canadian Insurtech landscape and saw how much was being left on the table, he decided to do something about it.He took over InsurTech Canada. And then he started rebuilding it from the ground up.In the latest episode of the Leadership in Insurance Podcast, host Alex Bond sits down with Finn for a wide-ranging conversation about what it really takes to build an insurtech ecosystem — not just talk about one.Finn shares how he transformed InsurTech Canada from a non-profit meetup organisation into a for-profit, deal-flow-focused platform with a curated membership of 27 companies. And he opens up about his next move: launching an InsurTech investment fund, focused primarily on Canadian companies but with eyes on the US and UK markets too.They also get into:✅ Why Canada lags 2–3 years behind other markets — and what needs to change✅ The talent drain pulling founders and operators south of the border✅ How to evaluate founders (and why people skills matter as much as product)✅ His vision for Canada to become a genuine global hub for InsurTech innovation✅ What it means to have "skin in the game" when you're championing an ecosystemWith a clear commercial mindset, a growing network across carriers, brokers, MGAs, and capital providers — and a fund on the horizon — Finn is one to watch.#LeadershipInInsurance #Podcast #Insurtech #InsurtechCanada #VC #Innovation #Insurance #Canada
Backed by Space, Built for Insurance: James Rendell, Founder of BirdsEyeView
28:51|In the latest episode of the Leadership in Insurance Podcast, host Dan Briselden sits down with James Rendell, CEO and founder of BirdsEyeView — a UK-based insurance technology company backed by the European Space Agency — for a conversation that spans the journey from Lloyds broker to InsurTech entrepreneur.James brings a rare blend of market knowledge and technological curiosity to the world of natural catastrophe modelling. His path didn't start with a lightbulb moment: it started with a genuine obsession with emerging technology, a willingness to show up alone to InsurTech events, and a growing conviction that satellite data could meaningfully improve how the insurance market models and manages catastrophe risk.In this episode, James and Dan explore:🔹 How BirdsEyeView secured backing from the European Space Agency and why that rigorous, year-long process turned out to be the best thing the business ever did🔹 Why building customer-first — really understanding the day-to-day problems underwriters face — has been the key driver of early traction across Lloyds, Australia and the US🔹 The challenge of selling into a market that's historically slow to adopt new technology, and how to shorten the sales cycle by starting niche and expanding from there🔹 Why secondary perils like wildfire and severe convective storm represent the biggest product opportunity and where BirdsEyeView is investing to stay ahead of the incumbents🔹 How AI has already transformed output at BirdsEyeView — and why James believes the science-heavy, domain-specific nature of catastrophe modelling keeps them well ahead of any AI-generated challengersJames also shares his vision for where BirdsEyeView is heading: to become the go-to tool for at-desk hazard modelling and exposure management — bridging the long-standing gap between the lightweight tools underwriters use daily and the sophisticated outputs of the traditional vendor models.If you work in underwriting, exposure management, or catastrophe risk — or if you're building a business in the Lloyds or cover holder market — this episode is full of honest, hard-won insight from a founder who's done it the right way.
CompScience's Josh Butler: Better Data, Better Safety, Better Underwriting
37:29|What happens when you bring self-driving car technology to workplace safety and what does it mean for the future of insurance?In the latest episode of The Leadership in Insurance Podcast, host Alex Bond sits down with Josh Butler, Founder & CEO of CompScience, to explore how AI and computer vision are fundamentally reshaping workers' compensation underwriting and loss control.Josh shares how CompScience was born from a personal moment — a family member's construction site accident — and how the same technology that powers autonomous vehicles is now helping carriers finally understand workplace risk at a level that was never before possible.The results speak for themselves. Customers are seeing injury rates drop by 20-30% — not by replacing loss control professionals, but by giving them the data and authority to act as true consultants rather than just salespeople.On what's driving CompScience's success, Butler is clear:"Leaders need to get hands-on with AI to understand the challenges and opportunities. You can't just watch from the sidelines."Josh and Alex also dig into the wider market landscape: how advances in LLMs and agentic AI have transformed who can build software, why problem-solvers are now more valuable than coders, and the regulatory risks that keep him up at night.A fascinating conversation for anyone at the intersection of AI, safety, and insurance.
Data First, AI Second: Stan Smith, Founder & CEO of Gradient AI
39:16|In the latest episode of the Leadership in Insurance Podcast, host Dan Briselden sits down with Stan Smith, CEO and founder of Gradient AI — one of the fastest-growing AI platforms in the insurance industry — for a wide-ranging conversation on data, decisioning, and what it actually takes to build something that sticks in this market.Stan is a six-time startup veteran who came to insurance not from the industry itself, but from a deep belief that machine learning could solve problems most insurers didn't yet know how to articulate. His route in — through Milliman's franchise model and a patient, trust-first approach to data partnerships — is one of the most instructive origin stories in InsurTech.In this episode, Stan and Dan explore:🔹 How Stan leveraged Milliman's brand to unlock carrier data at a time when no one was handing it over — and why that decision became the foundation of Gradient's competitive moat🔹 The real ROI numbers: from single-digit millions on smaller books to 10x returns confirmed by clients' own internal data science teams and why Stan measures success by value delivered, not just revenue earned🔹 How Gradient navigated the journey from MGA-focused startup to large carrier partner, and why the warmest first carrier deals came through MGAs using their paper🔹 Where AI is genuinely replacing human effort in insurance and where Stan believes human judgement will always be the differentiator, from complex claims to nuanced underwriting calls🔹 The governance and bias challenge in AI-powered underwriting, and why Stan thinks regulators will increasingly focus on what data models are fed, not just how they workStan also shares his vision for where Gradient is heading next — from individual healthcare lines like Medicare Advantage and MedSupp through to disability and life — and why he believes there has never been a better time to be building AI in insurance.If you work in underwriting, claims, or insurance technology — or if you're trying to understand what AI adoption actually looks like at scale across the carrier and MGA market — this episode is packed with hard-won insight from someone who has been building in this space for over a decade.
From Fintech to Insurtech: Nolana’s Ty Zamkow on his Journey into the Lloyd's Market
31:12|Ty didn't set out to disrupt insurance. He built his career at Google and Amazon, launched a fintech company and then found himself staring at one of the most fragmented, manual-heavy industries in the world.He saw an opportunity. So he built Nolana.In the latest episode of the Leadership in Insurance Podcast, host Alex Bond sits down with Ty, Co-Founder & CEO of Nolana, for an honest and wide-ranging conversation about what it really takes to bring AI into insurance operations.Ty shares how Nolana's AI-powered platform is tackling the complexity of claims processing — across voice, email, and chatbots — with a product built in three layers: an operating system for AI agents, a suite of pre-built agents, and a customisable agent builder for insurers who want to go further.They also get into:✅ Why the Lloyd's market is ripe for AI and uniquely challenging✅ How voice AI is changing the way FNOL is captured and understood✅ The team's experience inside the Lloyd's Lab accelerator programme✅ Their bold vision: same-day claims payouts, self-serve processes, and better loss ratios through smarter automationWith a small but mighty team of six and a growing list of mentors from AXA, Hartford, and Lloyd's itself, Nolana is one to watch.
Tanner Hackett, CEO at Counterpart: Why Awareness of AI Isn't Enough
28:06|This week, host Alex Bond sits down with Tanner Hackett, CEO of Counterpart, a management liability and professional liability MGA that has written 35,000 policies for small businesses and raised $106 million to take on the inefficiencies baked into traditional insurance.Tanner's background isn't in insurance — it's in technology. He built and sold companies in e-commerce and marketing tech before turning his attention to this industry. That outsider perspective shapes everything about how Counterpart operates.In this episode, they cover:→ Why the insurance industry now has collective awareness of AI's importance — but awareness and action are very different things→ How being built AI-first from inception gives Counterpart a different starting point to legacy carriers→ The case for flatter organisational structures and why giving people more information and autonomy leads to better outcomes than traditional hierarchy→ What's driving rising claims severity and frequency and how business pressures on small companies are feeding through into losses→ Counterpart's expansion into financial institutions coverage, and the product-launch infrastructure they've built to move fasterTanner also reflects on the unique challenge facing small businesses as AI becomes unavoidable and why he believes insurers should be doing more than just providing coverage.Well worth your time, wherever you sit in the industry.
What InsurTech 1.0 Got Wrong — Martin Fagioli, Foliume
27:53|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.
Will Ross, CEO of Federato: Why Layering AI on Legacy Systems is Holding Insurance Back
32:40|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 itThis 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.