Ep 316: Dani Katz, Director & Co-founder, Optalitix
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...
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Ep 315: David Tobias, Chief Product Officer, Nearmap
FNO: InsureTech
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...
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Ep 314: Stan Smith, Founder & CEO, Gradient AI
FNO: InsureTech
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,...
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Ep 313: Alex Schmelkin, Founder & CEO, Sixfold
FNO: InsureTech
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...
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Ep 312: David Wald, Co-founder & President, Aclaimant
FNO: InsureTech
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...
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Ep 311: Wayne Slavin, CEO & Co-Founder, Sure
FNO: InsureTech
In Episode 311 of the FNO: InsureTech Podcast, hosts Lee Boyd and David Prejeant sit down with Wayne Slavin, CEO and Co-founder of Sure, for a conversation that spans embedded insurance, AI, digital distribution, and the future of insurance innovation. What begins with a story about turbulence on a flight quickly evolves into a fascinating discussion about how insurance can become a seamless part of everyday consumer experiences. Founded in 2015, Sure has built an AI-enabled platform that helps some of the world's largest carriers and consumer brands launch and operate fully digital...
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Ep 310: Kat Gordienko, Co-founder & CEO, Builty
FNO: InsureTech
In Episode 310 of the FNO: InsureTech Podcast, co-host David Prejeant sits down with Kat Gordienko, Co-founder and CEO of Builty, to explore one of the most overlooked and underutilized data sources in insurance: building permits. What began as a personal home improvement project during the pandemic ultimately sparked the creation of a company focused on transforming fragmented permit records into actionable intelligence for insurers. Kat shares her journey from analyzing streaming data at Netflix to tackling the complex world of permit data, where information is scattered across more...
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Ep 309: Chris Touchton, Chief Insurance Officer, Nearmap
FNO: InsureTech
In Episode 309 of the FNO: InsureTech Podcast, hosts Rob Beller and David Prejeant welcome Chris Touchton, Chief Insurance Officer at Nearmap, for a deep dive into the evolving world of property intelligence, claims technology, and AI driven insurance innovation. Chris shares how Nearmap has transformed from an aerial imagery provider into a comprehensive property intelligence platform through strategic acquisitions and a relentless focus on data. The conversation explores Nearmap's journey from aerial imagery to AI powered property insights through the acquisition of Betterview, and later...
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Ep 308: Tim Welsh, President, CCC Intelligent Solutions
FNO: InsureTech
In Episode 308 of the FNO InsureTech Podcast, hosts Rob Beller and Lee Boyd welcome Tim Welsh, President of CCC Intelligent Solutions, for a powerful conversation on one of the most important and emotional moments in insurance: the accident experience and how it can be improved through better connectivity, data, and orchestration across the ecosystem. Tim shares his unique journey from consulting at McKinsey to banking and now leading a cornerstone InsureTech platform that connects insurers, repair facilities, OEMs, and service providers. He explains how CCC has been building toward this...
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Ep 307: Aman Gour, Co-Founder & CEO, Further AI
FNO: InsureTech
In Episode 307 of the FNO: InsureTech Podcast, hosts Rob Beller and Lee Boyd welcome Aman Gour, Co-founder and CEO of FurtherAI, joining from San Francisco, the epicenter of today’s AI revolution. Aman shares his journey from Microsoft to second time founder, and how he is now building one of the most ambitious AI driven companies in insurance. Aman discusses how FurtherAI is helping insurers automate real work across the entire policy lifecycle using AI agents that can process documents, make decisions, and execute workflows end to end. He explains why insurance, with its reliance on...
info_outlineIn 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.