Reinventing Finance

In this episode of the Reinventing Finance Podcast, KASKO⁠⁠ CEO & Co-Founder ⁠Nikolaus Sühr⁠ and ⁠VIG Platform Partners⁠⁠ CEO Dr. ⁠Ronald Engel speak with Nelius Strydom, CEO at Seamless Insure. As insurance distribution evolves beyond traditional channels, the discussion explores whether value is shifting away from products and towards orchestration, infrastructure, and ecosystem design.

Here are some of the key topics discussed in the episode:

• Why insurers may no longer be the primary owners of customer relationships
• How MGAs and distributors are capturing new insurance profit pools
• What separates successful ecosystem-driven models from failed embedded insurance programmes
• How infrastructure is becoming a competitive advantage beyond core systems
• Why activation and distribution increasingly matter more than product sophistication
• How technology enables faster experimentation and product iteration
• What role insurers play when distributors take greater control of product design
• Why coordination and orchestration may become the industry's key differentiators
• How AI is changing product development, compliance, and platform scalability
• What smaller insurers can do to compete with larger incumbents in a rapidly changing market
• Why the future winners may be those who manage complexity across products, partners, and markets most effectively
• How the MGA operating model is influencing the next generation of insurance businesses

A wide-ranging discussion on where value is migrating across the insurance ecosystem and what it takes to remain relevant as technology, distribution, and customer expectations continue to evolve.

In this episode of the Reinventing Finance Podcast, KASKO⁠ CEO & Co-Founder Nikolaus Sühr and VIG Platform Partners⁠ CEO Dr. Ronald Engel⁠ speak with Niels Van Quaquebeke, Professor of Leadership and Organisational Behaviour at Kühne Logistics University and Distinguished Research Professor at the University of Exeter. They explore why AI adoption is ultimately a leadership challenge rather than a technology problem, and what happens when management, coordination, and organisational design become increasingly AI-enabled.

Here are some of the key topics discussed in the episode:

• why most organisations still fail to extract consistent value from AI despite massive investment
• how AI exposes weaknesses in leadership, coordination, and organisational design
• what the “AI productivity paradox” means for insurers and knowledge-driven businesses
• why employees resist automation when leaders cannot articulate the future of work
• how middle management roles may fundamentally change in AI-first organisations
• what parts of leadership AI can already augment, automate, or outperform
• why coordination and collective alignment may remain uniquely human leadership tasks
• how AI changes decision-making, judgment, and evidence-based management
• what insurers can learn from AI-driven organisational redesign experiments
• why asking better questions may become more valuable than having all the answers
• how leaders can redesign workflows instead of running endless AI experiments
• what an “AI-first” operating model could mean for financial services firms

A thoughtful discussion on the future of leadership, management, and organisational design in an AI-enabled economy.

____Reinventing Finance Podcast is a proud partner of ITC Europe 2026!📍Barcelona | 28-29 MayGet your ticket now and save 10% with code NVDR64https://europe.insuretechconnect.com(not combinable with other discounts)

In this episode of the Reinventing Finance Podcast, KASKO CEO & Co-Founder Nikolaus Sühr and VIG Platform Partners CEO Dr. Ronald Engel speak with Jordi Pagés, CEO & Co-Founder of Weecover.

Here are some of the key topics discussed in the episode:

• how embedded insurance can reduce friction in customer journeys
• why partner commitment is critical for activation
• what insurers often underestimate about distribution
• how APIs and legacy systems can limit embedded models
• why speed is an early signal of partner quality
• what makes insurance products relevant at the point of sale
• how UX, pricing and communication affect attach rates
• why embedded insurance needs more than technology
• what MGAs and insurers should consider before building their own stack

The episode offers a practical view on what it takes to make embedded insurance work beyond the initial launch.____Reinventing Finance Podcast is a proud partner of ITC Europe 2026!📍Barcelona | 28–29 MayGet your ticket now and save 10% with code NVDR64https://europe.insuretechconnect.com(not combinable with other discounts)

KASKO CEO & Co-Founder ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Nikolaus Sühr⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠VIG Platform Partners⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ CEO Dr. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Ronald Engel⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ speak with Roger Peverelli, Author, Lecturer in InsurTech Innovation and Former Co-Founder of Digital Insurance Agenda, about the untapped potential of football as a platform for social impact. Here are some of the key topics discussed in the episode:– how football creates social impact at scale through its universal appeal– why insurers overlook existing social initiatives despite heavy sponsorship spend– what differentiates CSR from marketing when aiming for genuine impact– how insurers can leverage existing football ecosystems instead of building their own initiatives– why awareness, not budget, is often the biggest barrier to action– how social impact initiatives influence employer attractiveness and talent acquisition– what insurers can learn from initiatives like the Homeless World Cup, led by Mel Young– how to balance personal passion with organisational continuity in CSR programmes– why exclusivity thinking limits social impact and collaboration increases outcomes– how leading insurers integrate sponsorship with social purpose effectively– what practical steps insurers can take to activate existing partnerships for impactThis episode offers a pragmatic perspective on how insurers can rethink sponsorship and CSR to achieve meaningful, scalable impact.

Listen now!

⚽ If you like football, we recommend checking out Roger Peverelli's new book called "Eleven Beautiful Goals - How Football Is Changing Lives"!

____Reinventing Finance Podcast is a proud partner of ITC Europe 2026!

📍Barcelona | 28–29 May

Get your ticket now and save 10% with code NVDR64(not combinable with other discounts)

In this episode of the Reinventing Finance Podcast, ⁠KASKO⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ CEO & Co-Founder ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Nikolaus Sühr⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠VIG Platform Partners⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ CEO Dr. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Ronald Engel⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ speak with Harald Trautsch⁠, Founder & CEO of Dolphin Technologies⁠⁠.

Here are some of the key topics discussed in the episode:

– how telematics can move from post-accident response to predicting and preventing risk

– why 25% of accidents happen within the first three minutes of a trip, and what insurers can do about it

– how behavioural economics explains risky driving and how to counteract it

– what makes telematics programmes fail after initial engagement fades

– how to target the right customer segment instead of trying to “please everybody”

– why communication consent and contextual messaging are the real foundations of modern insurance

– how insurers can start with a low-cost pilot instead of a six-figure telematics rollout

– what it means to monetise risk reduction and reward safer behaviour

– how insurers can evolve from commodity and product thinking towards experience design

– why the future of telematics must extend beyond the car into broader mobility and life contexts

A strategic conversation for insurance leaders on how to connect data, behavioural science and communication to create measurable impact.

In this episode of the Reinventing Finance Podcast, KASKO⁠⁠⁠⁠ CEO & Co-Founder ⁠⁠⁠⁠Nikolaus Sühr⁠⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠⁠VIG Platform Partners⁠⁠⁠⁠ CEO Dr. ⁠⁠⁠⁠Ronald Engel⁠⁠⁠⁠ speak with Vincenz Klemm, CEO & Co-Founder of Baobab, about building a next-generation cyber MGA and what it really takes to underwrite digital risk.

Here are some of the key topics discussed in the episode:

– how Baobab evolved from a US insurtech success story to a European cyber MGA– why cyber insurance must integrate risk mitigation, not just risk transfer– what brokers need to actually sell cyber effectively in the mid-market– how to prove that “active cyber” prevention measurably reduces losses– why outside-in scanning alone is insufficient for robust underwriting– how accurate attack surface mapping improves speed and pricing– what NIS2 means for insurability and cyber investment across Europe– why rising cybersecurity spend does not reduce the need for risk transfer– how geopolitical tensions influence cyber risk awareness and demand

A practical discussion on underwriting discipline, prevention technology and the future of cyber insurance for European SMEs and the mid-market.

In this episode of the Reinventing Finance Podcast, ⁠⁠⁠KASKO⁠⁠⁠ CEO & Co-Founder ⁠⁠⁠Nikolaus Sühr⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠VIG Platform Partners⁠⁠⁠ CEO Dr. ⁠⁠⁠Ronald Engel⁠⁠⁠ speak with ⁠Mark Chemaly, CEO & Co-Founder of Assista Pilot, and Christian Chemaly, CTO & Co-Founder of Assista Pilot.

Here are some of the key topics discussed in the episode:

– how AI agents differ from chatbots, RPA and traditional automation in insurance operations

– what an AI agent actually is and how it takes action across systems

– why claims is the most impactful starting point for agentic automation

– how AI agents handle unstructured data from FNOL to decision-ready claims files

– what insurers need to solve before they are truly “AI-agent ready”

– how to combine deterministic systems, APIs and AI without replacing core platforms

– why modular, layered implementations outperform large rip-and-replace projects

– how to prioritise claims processes based on cost, customer experience and speed

– what insurers often underestimate when moving from pilots to production

– why voice and conversational claims journeys require a complete rethink of process design

The conversation offers a practical, experience-led view on how insurers, MGAs and TPAs can deploy AI agents in claims with measurable operational and customer impact, without over-engineering or unrealistic expectations.

In this episode of the Reinventing Finance Podcast, ⁠⁠KASKO⁠⁠ CEO & Co-Founder ⁠⁠Nikolaus Sühr⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠VIG Platform Partners⁠⁠ CEO Dr. ⁠⁠Ronald Engel⁠⁠ speak with Sung Feng Wu, CEO of Avata.

Here are some of the key topics discussed in the episode:

– how insurers currently misunderstand digital risk, gamer behaviour, and the scale of the gaming economy

– why gaming represents a mainstream, fast-growing multi-billion-euro market rather than a niche

– how to think about insuring digital assets, skins, accounts and hardware, and what makes valuation and evidence easier than in the physical world

– what digital communities expect from protection products and why language, credibility and cultural fit matter

– how embedded distribution works in gaming ecosystems and why federations, marketplaces and events offer strong entry points

– what drives B2B2C adoption, partner objections, and the actual timelines from first conversation to go-live

– why the future of gaming insurance is parametric, automated and AI-driven, with instant, event-based payouts

– what insurers can learn from gamer expectations around UX, transparency and community-centric product design

A deep dive into one of the fastest-emerging risk categories, and what it reveals about the next generation of insurance customers.

In this episode of the Reinventing Finance Podcast, ⁠KASKO⁠ CEO & Co-Founder ⁠Nikolaus Sühr⁠ and ⁠VIG Platform Partners⁠ CEO Dr. ⁠Ronald Engel⁠ speak with Aljoscha Ziller, Managing Director of Verivox Versicherungsvergleich GmbH.

Here are some of the key topics discussed in the episode:

– how Verivox Versicherungsvergleich GmbH as price comparison website (aggregator) positions itself within the German insurance market through trust, transparency and a holistic household-focused approach
– how understanding “household economics” shapes Verivox Versicherungsvergleich GmbH multi-vertical strategy across insurance, energy, telco and banking
– why Verivox Versicherungsvergleich GmbH avoids competing with insurers at the customer interface and focuses instead on triple-win partnerships
– how online portfolios can be profitable despite high acquisition costs, and what mix of channels and products makes it viable
– what claims insights mean for retention and how Verivox Versicherungsvergleich GmbH works with insurers to understand and influence portfolio quality
– how personalisation, modular funnels and data-driven recommendations improve customer journeys
– what role AI can play in supporting (rather than replacing) advisory functions in digital distribution
– how behavioural triggers, upselling approaches and abandoned-cart measures can be used responsibly to support customer choice
– what consolidation among European comparison portals means for competition and market entry
– why trust, personalisation and long-term customer relationships would sit at the heart of a “reinvented” aggregator model

A deep dive into digital distribution, ecosystem strategy and the evolving future of online insurance comparison.

In this episode of the Reinventing Finance Podcast, KASKO CEO & Co-Founder Nikolaus Sühr and VIG Platform Partners CEO Dr. Ronald Engel speak with Kyle Bryant, Head of International at Coalition.

Here are some of the key topics discussed in the episode:

– how “active insurance” combines live internet scanning with underwriting to prevent claims, not just pay them

– what signals actually predict loss (e.g., exposed VPNs, vulnerable perimeter devices, risky software)

– why static questionnaires and industry/revenue rating miss real cyber exposure

– how portfolio-level telemetry and honeypots cut noise and surface actionable alerts

– why AI hasn’t yet spiked claims and what’s really driving frequency (BEC and funds transfer fraud)

– how to think about systemic risk in the cloud and why some models overstate aggregation

– what an intermediated-only go-to-market means for brokers and SME penetration

– how Coalition Re/Helios gives reinsurers a bottoms-up technical view to attract smarter capacity

– what to ask before buying cyber: exposure, risk appetite, and who you call on a bad day

– how embedded services during the policy period reduce frequency without creating alert fatigue

– why talent (not regulation) is the hardest part of international expansion and market entry

A practical, no-hype conversation for insurers, MGAs and brokers on pricing, prevention and capacity in cyber.

Listen in to find out more.