In this episode of The Innovation Room, host Mike Echlin talks with Eshwar Pastapur, a former CIO and founder of Symplyphy.ai, about the evolution of innovation in the insurance industry—and why artificial intelligence is no longer optional.

They explore:

• How smaller insurers can still innovate without massive budgets

• The difference between tech hype and true transformation

• Why it’s time to stop the POCs and build an AI-first strategy

• The rise of InsurTechs, AI-driven claims, and the new customer expectations

• The future role of Chief AI Officers—and why it's more than a title

This is a candid, forward-thinking conversation about leading through change in a risk-averse industry. Whether you're in insurance, IT, or enterprise strategy, you'll walk away with insight and inspiration.

📌 Learn more: https://veritopa.com

#InsuranceInnovation #AI #DigitalTransformation #TheInnovationRoom

In our first mini-series blockchain/crypto episode, we talk to Daniel Alcivar. Daniel is Product Manager at Rand Labs (https://randlabs.io) and they have been pioneering products on the Algorand blockchain since 2019.

Daniel and I discuss their products and why create for Algorand? We also discuss the strength of the Algo community and explosive growth and adoption its seeing over the past 24 months.

We also talk about a bit about the future of blockchain and specifically, Algorand. Definitely an informative discussion and one you will want to listen to the end.

Thanks for listening and please give us a happy rating on your favorite podcast network!

Meet Dr. Nitha Fiona Nagubadi.  She's a Chicago-based entrepreneur who has developed an innovative approach to diversity and cultural openness. Her platform, ethnic.events strives to connect more people across cultural boundaries around the world.

When you think of innovation, the first thing that comes to mind is not necessarily tradeshows. But, in fact, that’s where a lot of innovation is being displayed out to the buyers in this world. In this episode, I talk to BJ Enright, President of Tradeshow Logic and she talks about how they are quickly evolving to meet the post-pandemic world of online and in-person trade show events and how they’ve adapted over the last year and a half. 

Choosing a college is hard. And for millions of kids, not even an option Perry Kalmus from goakala.com is changing all that with his innovative platform to help kids at an early age get on the right path to higher education.

What is vertical farming? How is it different than traditional farming?  Brac Webb from Fifth Season takes us through an amazing tour of this space in agriculture.  His company is innovating way beyond the run-of-the-mill organic process. They've built 42 bots that control the entire indoor growing process. Have a listen.

How is Artificial Intelligence being used to help keep customers longer?  Gaurav has an answer and his company involve.ai has a solution based on big data and AI.

eSports has exploded with young people over the past 5-10 years.  It's gotten so big that colleges are even offering scholarships and organized teams.

Evan and I discuss how Game Gym is helping these young people manage video gaming and helping them thrive in eSports.

In this episode, Jim and I talk about how the volume of surgeries are skyrocketing and the logistics problems that result.  Jim's company, Vested Medical has an innovative solution for sterilization of surgical equipment.

Welcome to the Innovation Room!  We talk to innovators and forward thinkers and find out how they are creating change.

Talk to me on Twitter! @mechlin