Tim Graham

Our very own Jake Wells made the front page of Insurance Post this week. He spoke with Damisola Sulaiman about what’s broken in SME insurance and how we’re using AI to fix it. Brokers spend too much time on admin. Insurers keep adding portals that create more work. And somewhere between 40-80% of SMEs end up underinsured because of it. We’re building AI agents that chase insurers for updates, rekey data across systems, and synthesise documents so brokers don’t have to. Tasks that used to take an hour now take minutes. That means brokers can focus on customers. And customers can stop overpaying. Read the full Q&A now!! https://lnkd.in/eAig5h7m

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Niche products need clarity. Generic marketing won't cut it. Accident Credit Group Ltd are the UK's largest insurance claims funding partner - the kind of business that wins when customers actually understand what they do. So Liam Cowling and the team came to us with a clear brief: help us translate the complex, clearly. What we built wasn't a one-off shoot. It was a system: • A proper kickoff strategy session — so we understood the products, not just the visuals • Four animated videos designed to work across social, web, proposals and sales • Visual identity translated cleanly into every frame • Ongoing optimisation so the content kept earning views long after launch Strategy first. Content second. Outcomes not outputs. #ContentSystems #B2BMarketing #IndustrialMarketing

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Meshed secures £950K to use AI to cut insurance costs for underinsured UK small businesses. The Glasgow and London-based startup just closed an oversubscribed pre-seed round backed by Haatch, Aviva via Founders Factory, and others. Meshed is rebuilding commercial insurance brokerage with AI agents that handle quoting and data collection, allowing human brokers to focus on high-value client relationships. The timing couldn't be better - approximately 80% of UK SMEs are significantly underinsured due to outdated, manual brokerage practices. Early customers are already seeing up to 52% savings on their premiums. "Insurance is still too reliant on paperwork, underinsurance is far too common, and fees are often higher than they should be" said CEO Mark Costello, who brings nearly 20 years of industry experience to the challenge. Published by Startup Newswire Read more: https://lnkd.in/d-t4JZZ6

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Parsyl CEO Ben Hubbard recently sat down with Samuel Casey at Insurance Insider for a candid conversation, from Parsyl’s origins to the role of AI in insurance and how leadership expectations shape AI adoption. 🎧 Tune in now: https://lnkd.in/gjnUwZHN

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The Founder’s Paradox: Why the harder you work, the slower you scale. 🛑 Huge congratulations to the 25 scaleups recently chosen for Tech Nation’s Future Fifty. It’s a massive milestone for the UK tech scene. But for every founder on that list, there are thousands of brilliant SMEs currently stuck in the "Owner-Operator Trap." You know the feeling: * You are the primary salesperson. * You are the chief problem solver. * You are the bottleneck for every major decision. In the startup phase, being the "everything person" is a badge of honour. But in the scaling phase, it’s a death sentence for growth. As Warwick Business School recently highlighted, the transition from "owner-operator" to "strategic manager" is where most small businesses become "vulnerable and fragile." You can’t build a £10m company with a £1m infrastructure—and you certainly can’t do it if you’re still horizontal in the day-to-day weeds. Scaling isn't just about doing more; it’s about doing less of the wrong things. Whether you were selected for a national cohort or not, the challenge remains: how do you build a business that can breathe, grow, and innovate without you in every meeting? At Business Growth Support Services, we specialise in helping founders break the cycle. We provide the strategic framework and operational support to move you from the engine room to the captain’s bridge. You don't need a prestigious title to scale. You need a system that works when you aren't there. Stop working in your business and start working on it. Let’s build your exit strategy from the day-to-day. 👉 Start your scaling journey by booking a Clarity Call: link in the comments #ScaleupStrategy #FounderLife #SMEGrowth #TechNation #BusinessSupport #LeadershipTransition #OwnerOperator Mathew Boyle Belinda Boyle Simon Drake Roland Emmans Dirk Schaefer ------------------------------

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Reform UK is now leading election polls, and if you’re a startup founder, here’s what you need to know! Far from expectations, 𝐑𝐞𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦 𝐡𝐚𝐬 𝐣𝐮𝐦𝐩𝐞𝐝 𝟏𝟔% 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐩𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐬. Like it or not, they’re not just beating Labour but are even projected for 344 seats. So I went through their manifesto 😥 on behalf of all of you. Here’s what they offer the tech sector, kept easy to digest, but still buckle up! Directly about tech: not much. Just a vague line of “we’ll help it grow faster!” What!!! The only detail → Incentives and tax breaks for Britain’s defence manufacturing and tech sectors. 𝐈𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐥𝐲 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐡: → A corporation tax-free allowance of £100k profit → VAT threshold raised to £150k (from £90k) 𝐋𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐬 𝐠𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐨𝐧 𝐩𝐚𝐩𝐞𝐫. A win for small, profitable startups and sole traders approaching VAT registration. Tech goes hand in hand with immigration and foreign investment, but Reform’s core pillar is freezing non-essential immigration. → Employers would pay 20% NI for foreign workers vs 13.8% for British staff (exceptions: health, social care, very small businesses). 𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐦𝐞𝐚𝐧𝐬 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐮𝐩𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐀𝐈, 𝐛𝐢𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐡, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐝𝐞𝐞𝐩 𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐡 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐠𝐠𝐥𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐚𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐥𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐲 𝐬𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐔𝐊. No word on global talent policy [yet]! Scrapping net-zero targets is another. 𝐂𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐧-𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐡 𝐛𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐬 (𝐬𝐨𝐥𝐚𝐫, 𝐰𝐢𝐧𝐝, 𝐄𝐕 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐛𝐨𝐧) 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐛𝐞 𝐚𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐝 the most as they rely on policy certainty to draw investors. Many will have to pivot abroad. Reform doesn’t show a clear “tech spokesperson.” Buuuuuttttt they did set up a “Department of Government Efficiency” briefly led by tech entrepreneur Nathaniel Fried (later resigned). Somehow like Elon Musk and his Doge 👀. 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐚𝐥𝐬𝐨 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐜𝐫𝐚𝐩 𝐃𝐄𝐈 𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐬. UK gov grants like Digital Inclusion Innovation Fund or Disabled Facilities Grants will be gone and the ones that have partnership with gov might be affected. Like F100 Growth Fund and Black Founders Programme (Creative Industries). UK tech is already behind, only 2% of VC funding goes to women. So imagine this. So what do you think? Terrified or looking forward to it? Follow Jasmine Sayyari for more on the future of work (and a bit of politics).

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An awesome opportunity for any early career types excited by talent, AI, and how one of the world's most forward thinking governments on AI is thinking about how to best deploy it to their citizens!

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The UK insurance broking industry has long been hindered by a "walled garden" mentality when it comes to technology vendors. Many brokers we have spoken with have faced significant challenges with incumbent vendors making it difficult to manage data effectively. This creates friction, slows innovation and confines businesses to rigid ecosystems. At Recorder, we assert that your data belongs to you, not your software vendor. Our role as a technology vendor is to facilitate the use of your data to meet your business objectives. To address this, we are developing an entirely Open API ecosystem. Whether you need to import customer data from external CRM platforms or export your bordereaux data into third-party systems, our aim is complete interoperability. We strive to empower our clients to create the tech stack they need to thrive, rather than trapping them in a closed system which makes it difficult to stand out from the crowd. The future of insurance intermediary technology will not be dominated by closed and siloed systems; it is about being open, connected, and collaborative. For those tired of legacy technology holding their data hostage, we invite discussions on how an open ecosystem can transform operations. All Recorder clients can now access and utilise the public API free of charge, providing secure access to their own data. This enables integration of Recorder into existing technology stacks or custom workflows without the need for a complete system overhaul. #Insurtech #UKInsurance #OpenAPI #DataFreedom #Innovation #BrokerWorkflows

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There’s a dangerous assumption quietly running your strategy. Most financial products are built for a person who doesn’t exist. Nick Sherrard and I talked about finance’s Weird Science-like tendency to build for a fantasy on The Future of Wealth Lab podcast. There are very few customers who are consistent, rational, and knowledgeable in every interaction with financial service providers. Who among us reads all the fine print? Or keeps current records of every item they own? Most good customers are messy. Service providers need to make decisions that benefit real customers if they want better outcomes: fewer complaints, disputes, repeat contacts, and escalations — and more trust with less emotional labor draining your workforce. When fiction becomes strategy — shaping pricing, coverage, claims, and service decisions — real people lose. Because real customers are more complicated than a fantasy. #TheBurdenTax #DesignScalesBusiness #ForesightInAction

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2 Year Fhunded Snapshot: 💰£21M+ early-stage equity raised through the Fhunded VC community 🧑‍💼 Around 40 new, high-skilled jobs created across Lancashire 🌹 19 leading VC's engaged with Lancashire-based deals via Fhunded events 🪽 Launch of the Fhunded Angel network 💻 Roll-out of Lancashire's bespoke Dealroom platform Read more: https://lnkd.in/eCX353jb

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How do you balance scaling a business whilst retaining company culture? In this week's episode of The Leadership In Insurance Podcast, Georgie Simister, Commercial Partnerships lead Artificial Labs tells host Alex Bond how Artificial are scaling culture, not just the business, as they grow from a 'family to a village'. The key? A genuine passion and enthusiasm for the industry. To listen in full, see links 👇

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Caught up with a few brokers at BBS yesterday and asked a simple question: What’s the hardest part of onboarding new clients? The answers were pretty consistent. → Chasing clients → Back-and-forth → Manual processes Keen to hear how others are finding it 👇 Christopher Keshishian Mansour Soltani Sevag Sarkissian Mohit G. #theadviser #betterbusinessummit #mortgagebroker

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A must-listen episode of Making Risk Flow! Juan de Castro sits down with Mark Allan, CEO of Ki Insurance, to explore how Ki built a billion-dollar business by combining algorithmic underwriting with five-second decision times - setting a new benchmark for speed and efficiency in the London Market. A fascinating conversation on balancing tech with underwriting expertise and how data-driven discipline powers scalable growth. 🎧 Listen to the full episode: https://lnkd.in/dgFgKEdZ

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Tom Butler and Martin Billington have launched Hardings Insurance Brokers, Insurance Age can reveal, as the pair explain how they are looking to build a senior-led trusted broker in its space, achieving organic growth through “cold hard prospecting”. https://hubs.li/Q045x0Bs0

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One of our Trustees, Matt Quine, was recently given the opportunity to take part in the Careers in Insurance video interview series with Finance Isle of Man. We believe that when the right reasonable adjustments are in place, neurodivergent people are often able to not just cope in the workplace — but truly thrive! In this video, Matt shares his experience at Monument International, where the adjustments he needs have enabled him to work at his best. It’s also encouraging to see practical steps being taken, such as providing a quiet, low-stimulation space where staff can step away and take a moment when things feel overwhelming. Finally, it’s great to see initiatives like this including neurodivergent voices. Visibility matters — it helps both employers and individuals recognise that ADHD, autism, and other forms of neurodivergence are not barriers to meaningful and successful careers! 🧡

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Sometimes the best way to innovate insurance is to re-engineer it (pun intended!😅). At this month’s Camelot Innovation Hour, host Harvey Wade interviewed Neil Kempston, Head of Incubation Underwriting at Beazley. You could say engineering taught him how to solve problems. Insurance taught him how to expect them 😂 - making him the perfect person to lead how his team innovates. Neil shared how his background in engineering helped him transition into insurance, how Beazley invites bold ideas and incubates them into insurance products, illustrating that through the successes of Beazley’s Incubation team. 👀 Spotting possible solutions with good market size and potential buyers, and then getting stakeholders in early is key to their success. Collaborating externally, which is a key feature of Lloyd’s is embraced by Neil and his team, enabling all parties to enjoy the benefits of innovation. Neil left us with four top tips: ✅ Collaborate internally to get buy-in and externally with trust and transparency ✅ Be comfortable with some things not working, have a realistic funnel of opportunities, and ensure stakeholders know that not every idea will work ✅ Be bold and brave; challenge the norm ✅ Tell partners as early as possible if you can’t work with them, don’t keep insurtechs hangin on! 🧟‍♀️ The next Innovation Hour will be on Friday 27th June, where Harvey will be joined by Elvin Turner, ‘Be Less Zombie’ author and innovation expert, to explore how organisations can break the zombie curse and build an innovation culture that is very much alive and kicking! 🧠 This is one of our favourite books here at Camelot and trust us when we say this is a session not to be missed! 🔗 Follow the link to sign up - https://lnkd.in/ewiEgN_B 

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🤝 Meshed raises £950K to reinvent insurance broking with AI UK-based insurtech Meshed has secured £950K pre-seed funding (led by Haatch with Aviva, Founders Factory, and others) to launch its AI-powered digital broker for SMEs. By rebuilding the broking stack from the ground up, Meshed aims to cut costs, speed up quotes (from 1 hour to just 9 minutes), and reduce the widespread problem of underinsurance affecting UK businesses. With 51 insurer agreements already in place and FCA approval, Meshed is setting out to make insurance faster, simpler, and more transparent. #Fintech #AI #StartupFunding #SMEs #InsuranceInnovation #Meshed https://lnkd.in/eGJBFd3W 

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💻 Digital Adoption Report 2025 The perfect weekend read is here! 🚀 Unlock the future of UK insurance with our FREE Digital Adoption Report 2025 from Insurance Times, in association with Applied Systems. This essential guide provides a data-driven roadmap from hundreds of leading brokers. Here's what you'll find inside: 🎯 Key digital investment stages to benchmark your brokerage. 🤖 Emerging trends in AI, data analytics, and automation. 🚧 How to overcome common barriers to digital adoption. 🤝 Strategies to enhance customer experiences using digital tools. Ready to dive in? Read the FREE Report now: https://lnkd.in/eQcC8_zJ In association with: Applied Systems #InsuranceBrokers #DigitalTransformation #Insurtech #AI #DigitalAdoption #InsuranceIndustry #UKGI #brokers #mgas #b2b #insurance #insuranceindustry #insurancenews #ukgi #insurancebroker #brokers #broker #insurers #insurer #mgas #mga #b2b

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