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Scouting for Growth: Daily Summaries Delivered
by Sabine VanderLinden
There are over 180,000 FinTech ventures out there today. My team tracks 7.3 million of them across markets every single week. But the number that matters isn't the one that's growing. It's the one that isn't. Only 25% of these ventures have secured funding and meaningful backing. The other 75% aren't just looking for capital. They're looking for access, credibility, and partnerships with the institutions that can turn a great product into real-world impact. This is Scouting for Growth. I'm Sabine VanderLinden. I lead Alchemy Crew Ventures, and I built the Venture-Client Model for regulated industries... the model where a growth venture earns a corporation as its customer before a VC writes the cheque. When that sequence works, it changes the equation for everyone: founders, corporates, and the investors watching from both sides of the table. Each episode, I bring a founder, an operator, or an institutional leader to the table for the conversation that usually happens behind closed doors: about how corporates really think, how capital really flows, and what it actually takes to build, grow, and scale in a world where the boundaries between FinTech, InsurTech, HealthTech, and AI are dissolving by the month. This isn't theory. Our conversations should bring you the strategy, the tactics, and the hard-won clarity from people who control capital and collaboration. If you're navigating this ecosystem — as a founder, an operator, or a leader — this conversation is for you. Listen in. Challenge what you thought you knew. And join us.
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- Yesterday57 min
Brad Wetherall: AI Search, Agentic AI, and How Corporations Must Adapt to Digital Discovery
Brad Wetherall: AI Search, Agentic AI, and How Corporations Must Adapt to Digital Discovery In this episode of Scouting for Growth, Sabine VanderLinden is joined by Brad Wetherall, former Director of Operations at Google and current COO of Esquire Digital, to unpack the transformative impact of AI on search engines and digital visibility. The conversation explores how search is moving beyond traditional search engine optimization (SEO) to an era where AI agents, neural networks, and zero-click searches are redefining how brands are discovered, trusted, and chosen online. Brad Wetherall outlines the emergence of "agentic AI" and the rise of the "frontier firm," where human expertise and AI collaborate to generate both authority and visibility in this new digital ecosystem. This episode offers actionable strategies for corporations, regulated industries, and innovators aiming to future-proof their digital presence and leverage the next chapter of AI-led search. KEY TAKEAWAYS The traditional SEO playbook is now outdated. The critical question is no longer “How do I rank number one on Google?” but “What does AI say about my company?” AI-generated summaries and answer engines sit at the top of results, often preventing users from ever clicking on links. To succeed, businesses—especially in highly regulated industries—must ensure their information is not just human-readable but also machine-readable, authoritative, and genuinely original. Websites should be built with both humans and AI in mind, making content easily digestible for AI agents. Content creation has become an interplay of art and science: AI values unique human perspective, expertise, and experience—simply generating generic, regurgitated answers will not suffice and may even have negative consequences, as Google’s recent algorithm updates penalize unoriginal, AI-generated spam. Building trust, authority, and relevance is now an ongoing process. It’s essential to invest in structured content, active reputation management, robust Google Business profiles, and credible third-party validation through PR. AI agents are becoming the intermediaries of trust, filtering which brands and content make it into these AI overviews. Organizations must become agent bosses, orchestrating both human and machine intelligence, and focusing on verifiable outcomes, not just website traffic. The early adopters who build their authority and distinct voice now will lead in this new landscape and avoid the scramble of playing catch-up. BEST MOMENTS "The question is no longer how do I rank, but rather, what does AI say about my company?" — Sabine VanderLinden "AI is fundamentally changing the rules of digital discovery. We're seeing a once-in-a-generation shift equivalent to the disruption caused by the Internet itself." — Brad Wetherall "There is no easy button. There’s no shortcut. It’s not just about buying backlinks anymore—AI search requires a different blueprint." — Brad Wetherall "AI wants to know who you are. The authoritativeness and trust in your company or as an individual now matter more than ever." — Brad Wetherall "Clicks were always a flawed metric. Now, what matters is how many customers you get—not just traffic but outcome." — Brad Wetherall "The companies that do this well—who invest in website optimization, unique content, reputation, and public relations—will win the race. It’s hard work, but it’s how you’ll stand out in an AI-driven world." — Brad Wetherall ABOUT THE GUEST Brad Wetherall is the Chief Operating Officer at Esquire Digital and the best-selling author of AI and the Future of Search. He spent over a decade at Google, leading operations and shaping products like Google Business Profile, Google Shopping, Google Wallet, and Google Domains—helping over 100 million businesses to be discovered online. Now at Esquire Digital, Brad applies his deep expertise to help companies adapt to the ever-evolving landscape of AI-driven search and digital visibility. His work focuses on demystifying the complex world of AI search and equipping organizations with the tools and strategies they need to remain competitive and authoritative as the digital economy transforms. ABOUT THE HOST Sabine VanderLinden is a corporate strategist turned entrepreneur and the CEO of Alchemy Crew Ventures. She leads venture-client labs that help Fortune 500 companies adopt and scale cutting-edge technologies from global tech ventures. A builder of
- 1 weeks ago1h 12m
The App Era Is Over: Wallet-Native Insurance & the Agentic Frontier — Marc Lampe × Ernesto Suarez
The App Era Is Over: Wallet-Native Insurance & the Agentic Frontier — Marc Lampe × Ernesto Suarez In this episode of Scouting for Growth, Sabine VanderLinden sits down with Ernesto Suarez and Marc Lampe to explore why the future of insurance is moving beyond apps and into wallet-native, AI-ready experiences. The conversation begins with a powerful reminder of why customer experience matters: a traveler stranded abroad, unable to prove they had insurance in an emergency. From there, the discussion unpacks the hidden friction embedded across the insurance journey — especially in claims, servicing, and customer engagement. Ernesto shares how Gigasure was designed as a digital-native travel MGA focused on mobile-first engagement, instant gratification, and removing the traditional “handoffs” that frustrate policyholders. Marc explains how Wallet Studio, developed by Miss Moneypenny Technologies after nearly a decade of experimentation, enables insurers to create dynamic wallet-based insurance experiences that sit directly alongside boarding passes, payments, and loyalty cards. Together, they reveal how the partnership rapidly launched over 50,000 digital wallet cards in just a few months, achieving remarkable customer engagement and demonstrating that insurance can become proactive, contextual, and genuinely useful. The episode also dives into parametric claims, embedded insurance, MGA innovation, AI-enabled customer journeys, and why ecosystem collaboration — not disruption alone — is shaping the next era of InsurTech. KEY TAKEAWAYS What struck me most in this conversation is how both Ernesto and Marc are solving an issue the industry has talked about for years but rarely fixed: making insurance truly accessible and useful at the exact moment customers need it most. We often talk about “customer experience” in insurance, yet too many journeys still rely on PDFs buried in inboxes, disconnected claims processes, and handoffs between providers. This discussion showed what happens when founders design around real human behavior instead of legacy systems. I was particularly fascinated by the simplicity and power of wallet-native insurance. Consumers already use wallet technology every day for boarding passes, payments, loyalty cards, and transport tickets. Integrating insurance directly into that ecosystem feels obvious once you see it in action. The results speak volumes: more than 50,000 wallet cards issued within months and exceptionally high customer engagement rates. That tells us customers are ready for insurance experiences that are frictionless, visible, and mobile-first. Another important insight is how the MGA model is evolving. Ernesto highlighted how modern MGAs are increasingly powered by specialist InsurTech enablers rather than trying to build every capability themselves. The future is less about disruption in isolation and more about intelligent collaboration, integration, and speed to market. This partnership demonstrates how insurers, MGAs, and technology providers can create far more value together than separately. Finally, I loved the honesty around AI and the “agentic frontier.” Both guests acknowledged that technology alone is not enough. The real challenge is guiding customers through increasingly complex ecosystems in ways that remain trustworthy, intuitive, and human-centered. The winners in this next phase of insurance innovation will be the companies that combine intelligent automation with seamless customer trust. BEST MOMENTS “The era of the app, as we have known it, is over.” — Marc Lampe “88% said they have trouble finding their documents.” — Ernesto Suarez “Insurance has never been tangible. And I feel like this is a little piece that we can give customers for what they’ve purchased.” — Ernesto Suarez “The solution is not to build the perfect AI-driven functionality, but to deliver that actually to the customer.” — Marc Lampe “We’re all very good at selling, but it’s the post-sale service element that I feel is a big lie.” — Ernesto Suarez “The customer should only have the experience and not struggle.” — Marc Lampe “We are trying to eat away at the friction.” — Ernesto Suarez “Customer experience in insurance can actually be good.” — Sabine VanderLinden ABOUT THE GUESTS Ernesto Suarez Ernesto Suarez is the Founder and CEO of <a href='https://gigasure.com/schengen-travel-insurance
- 2 weeks ago1h 4m
David Daiches: Inside INSHUR — From Manhattan Uber Rides to Insuring Autonomous Fleets
David Daiches: Inside INSHUR — From Manhattan Uber Rides to Insuring Autonomous Fleets In this episode of Scouting for Growth, Sabine VanderLinden speaks with David Daiches, co-founder and COO of Insure, about building insurance solutions for the on-demand economy. The conversation traces Insure’s origins to a simple yet powerful insight: traditional insurance models were not designed for gig workers like Uber drivers, who operate entirely on their smartphones and cannot afford downtime. David explains how Insure addressed this gap by creating flexible, usage-based insurance embedded directly into platform ecosystems. They explore the importance of “fluency over features,” emphasizing that successful insurtechs solve real operational problems rather than just showcasing technology. A central theme is that claims, not policies, define the true value of insurance, leading Insure to bring claims in-house to improve customer experience and data insights. The discussion also looks ahead to emerging challenges, including electric vehicles and autonomous mobility, where insurance must evolve to cover complex ecosystems of software, hardware, and data. Finally, David shares candid lessons on scaling, partnerships, and the growing role of AI, highlighting the need for adaptability, continuous learning, and strong teams in building resilient insurtech businesses. KEY TAKEAWAYS What stands out most is the importance of starting with the problem, not the technology. David and his team didn’t build Insure by showcasing features; they immersed themselves in the daily realities of gig workers and platform operators. That mindset shaped everything, from product design to partnerships. It reinforces my belief that fluency in a partner’s business model is far more valuable than any standalone innovation. Another key insight is how insurance must adapt to changing customer behaviors. The on-demand economy is no longer a niche; it supports millions of people. Traditional annual policies simply do not fit this model. By aligning insurance coverage with actual usage, Insure has shown how to close protection gaps while improving affordability and access. What resonated deeply with me is the idea that claims are the product. Customers only truly experience insurance when something goes wrong. Investing in claims operations, empathy, and responsiveness is therefore not optional; it is the core value proposition. I was also struck by the operational lessons. Scaling too quickly, hiring without enough rigor, and taking partnerships for granted are common pitfalls. Building a strong, empowered team and maintaining close alignment with partners is essential for long-term success. Finally, the future of mobility and insurance will require entirely new thinking. Autonomous vehicles, AI, and data-driven ecosystems are reshaping risk. The winners will be those who can navigate this complexity while staying grounded in customer needs. BEST MOMENTS “Claims is the product. Everything else just gets us to that point.” – David Daiches “We didn’t just sell insurance, we solved problems in the platform’s business model.” – David Daiches “People are not interested in a fancy UI when something goes wrong. They want a product that is there at the moment they need it the most.” – Sabine VanderLinden “Make yourself easy to do business with.” – David Daiches “The best insurtech founders aren’t selling insurance, they are removing friction from someone else’s business model.” – Sabine VanderLinden “If you’re not spending time learning AI now, you risk being left behind.” – David Daiches ABOUT THE GUEST David Daiches is the co-founder and Chief Operating Officer of Inshur, a digital-first managing general agent focused on the on-demand economy. With a background in technology and retail, he entered the insurance industry over 15 years ago and identified significant opportunities for digital transformation. At Inshur, David has led the development of embedded, usage-based insurance solutions for platforms such as Uber, Amazon, and DoorDash. David is particularly focused on innovation in mobility insurance, including the future of autonomous vehicles and AI-driven claims and underwriting. ABOUT THE HOST Sabine VanderLinden is a corporate strategist turned entrepreneur and the CEO of Alchemy Crew Ventures. She leads venture-client labs that help Fortune 500 companies adopt and scale cutting-edge technolo
- 3 weeks ago1h 8m
Alan Martin: Why Insurers Who Invest in Wellness Win — The Healthcare Innovation Playbook still works
Alan Martin: Why Insurers Who Invest in Wellness Win - The Healthcare Innovation Playbook still works In this episode, Sabine VanderLinden sits down with Alan Martin, founder of Resilient Risk and Health Solutions, to challenge the fundamentals of life and health insurance. The conversation highlights a growing disconnect between insurers, customers, and the health tech ecosystem, and why current “wellness” programs often fail to deliver meaningful outcomes. Alan argues that most insurance products remain transactional, focused on payouts rather than prevention and long-term resilience. He introduces the concept of “modifiable risk,” emphasizing that many health risks are within individual control and should be actively managed through continuous engagement rather than static underwriting. The discussion explores how insurers can evolve from passive payers to active health partners by embedding personalized, digital care pathways and leveraging ecosystem collaboration. The episode also tackles systemic issues such as low customer engagement, outdated service delivery models, and the widening protection gap. Alan and Sabine conclude that meaningful transformation requires bold leadership, dynamic pricing models, and a shift toward service-led propositions that genuinely improve health outcomes while creating sustainable economic value for insurers. KEY TAKEAWAYS What really stood out to me in this conversation is that we are still thinking about insurance in far too narrow a way. We’ve designed products that only show up when something goes wrong, even though the greatest value we can deliver is helping people stay healthy in the first place. If we reposition insurance as a resilience partner rather than just a financial backstop, we unlock a completely different level of relevance for customers, especially younger generations who expect ongoing value, not just a payout. I’m also struck by how many wellness initiatives miss the mark. Too often, we reward those who are already healthy, while the people who truly need support remain disengaged. If we are serious about impact, we need to design for the harder-to-reach segments and build solutions that genuinely change behavior, not just tick a box. Another key insight is the importance of rethinking how services are delivered. Traditional models, such as nurse hotlines, are costly and underutilized. Digital, personalized care pathways offer a way to scale engagement while improving outcomes and reducing costs. Finally, I believe we need to rethink incentives across the entire system. Concepts like dynamic pricing and modifiable risk are not just technical shifts; they fundamentally reshape the relationship between insurer and customer. When combined with stronger ecosystem collaboration, they create a pathway toward a more proactive, impactful, and sustainable insurance model. BEST MOMENTS “It is wellness theater dressed up as risk management.” “The best way of protecting the family is to make sure they don’t pass away.” “Insurance isn’t just a financial product, it should be a product of resilience.” “Diagnosis is not the end point, there is always something you can do to improve health.” “The gap between the insurance we have and the one we need is not a technology problem, it is a courage problem.” “If you want real impact, you have to design for the people who actually need the support.” ABOUT THE GUEST Alan Martin is a Chartered Insurer and the founder of Resilient Risk and Health Solutions, a consultancy that bridges the gap between insurance and the health tech ecosystem. With over 30 years of experience in life and health reinsurance, Alan has held roles spanning underwriting, claims, pricing, and product development. Throughout his career, he has worked closely with insurers, reinsurers, and health innovators to design solutions that improve health outcomes while delivering sustainable business value. He is particularly known for his work on modifiable risk strategies, helping insurers rethink how they engage with policyholders and manage long-term health risks. Alan brings a rare combination of deep technical insurance expertise and a strong understanding of healthcare and emerging technologies, positioning him at the forefront of the shift from traditional insurance models toward prevention-led, customer-centric propositions.<
- 4 weeks ago26 min
Xavier Lestrade: From Insurance to Personalized Care Pathways: The New Blueprint for Growth
Xavier Lestrade: From Insurance to Personalized Care Pathways In this episode of Scouting for Growth, Sabine VanderLinden explores the transformation of health insurance from a claims-paying model to a care partnership approach with Xavier Lestrade, Managing Director of AXA Health International within AXA Global Healthcare. The conversation delves into how AXA Global Healthcare is redefining industry standards by transitioning from traditional insurance products to an integrated membership model focused on prevention, personalization, and digital engagement. Together, they discuss the operational, regulatory, and technological complexities of building all-in-one health platforms and the broader mission of combating medical inflation while making quality healthcare accessible globally. This episode offers an inside look into what it takes for a leading insurer to become indispensable to its members, not just reactive in times of crisis. KEY TAKEAWAYS The future of health insurance is defined by proactive support rather than reactive compensation. The shift Xavier and I discussed is not merely technological; it’s cultural and strategic, centered on creating integrated, member-centric experiences that anticipate needs. I learned that true differentiation in this space hinges on our ability to orchestrate seamless journeys by combining wellness, prevention, payments, and claims into a cohesive platform. The greatest challenge, according to Xavier Lestrade, is bridging regulatory regimes across payments, insurance, and healthcare, which demands expertise beyond traditional insurance boundaries. Moving forward, he sees the largest value in member experience and sustainable healthcare access, not just improved retention or cost control. I was struck by the ambition to leverage AI and ecosystem partnerships, blending human and machine expertise to be not just insurers, but trusted medical concierges for globally mobile members. Ultimately, the discussion reinforced my belief that becoming a care partner is about operational courage, relentless execution, and an unyielding commitment to making health protection truly indispensable, even when no claim is made. BEST MOMENTS “What happens when an insurer stops talking about becoming a care partner and actually starts building like one?” — Sabine VanderLinden “We are kind of the private banking of health insurance. Our members...are expatriates, diplomats, wealthy people, individuals willing to access and navigate the best of healthcare in the world.” — Xavier Lestrade “Bringing this all-in-one app, building bridges between wellness and prevention, virtual healthcare, and insurance into one app, helping us orchestrate the patient journeys of our members.” — Xavier Lestrade “The dream we have is to position ourselves in the eyes of our members as their medical concierge…the person they come to when they’ve got questions regarding preventative healthcare.” — Xavier Lestrade “The most powerful insurance isn’t the policy that pays the claim—it is the partnership that prevents it in the first place.” — Sabine VanderLinden ABOUT THE GUEST Xavier Lestrade is the Managing Director of AXA Health International within AXA Global Healthcare. With over 31 years at AXA and extensive international leadership experience, he has been at the forefront of transforming health insurance into a proactive, data-driven, and member-centered service. Xavier Lestrade leads a global business serving mobile individuals and organizations in 200 countries, focusing on integrating wellness, prevention, and streamlined healthcare journeys to position AXA as a global leader in forward-thinking health solutions. ABOUT THE HOST Sabine VanderLinden is a corporate strategist turned entrepreneur and the CEO of Alchemy Crew Ventures. She leads venture-client labs that help Fortune 500 companies adopt and scale cutting-edge technologies from global tech ventures. A builder of accelerators, investor, and co-editor of the bestseller The INSURTECH Book, Sabine is known for asking the uncomfortable questions—about AI governance, risk, and trust. On Scouting for Growth, she decode
- Apr 30, 202627 min
From Org Charts to Work Charts: What the MIT Frontier Firm Paper Means for Insurance, Finance & Risk
From Org Charts to Work Charts: What the MIT Frontier Firm Paper Means for Insurance, Finance & Risk In this episode of Scouting for Growth, Sabine VanderLinden explores a 2026 research paper from MIT CISR on how business models are evolving in the age of agentic AI. Drawing on longitudinal data from nearly 2,400 companies, the research highlights a major shift from traditional digital business models toward AI-driven ones. Sabine explains how earlier models, such as supplier, omnichannel, modular producer, and ecosystem driver, have now evolved into four new archetypes: existing plus, customer proxy, modular creator, and orchestrator. She emphasizes that most financial institutions and insurers remain stuck in incremental “existing plus” adaptations, while the real competitive advantage lies in becoming orchestrators that dynamically coordinate ecosystems to deliver customer outcomes. Using her “frontier insurer matrix,” Sabine illustrates how firms can move from rigid, process-driven structures to adaptive, AI-enabled ecosystems. The episode also examines the implications for finance and risk management, highlighting the importance of real-time decision-making, AI governance, and human-AI collaboration. Sabine concludes with five practical imperatives for leaders, stressing that this transformation is not just about adopting AI, but fundamentally rethinking how value is created, delivered, and captured in a rapidly changing landscape. KEY TAKEAWAYS What stood out to me most from the MIT CISR research is that we are not simply witnessing a technology shift. We are seeing a fundamental redesign of business models. Too many organizations are still treating AI as an incremental improvement when, in reality, the opportunity lies in rethinking how value is created and delivered. Moving from “existing plus” to orchestrator requires a mindset shift as much as a technical one. I also see a clear gap between where most insurers and financial institutions operate today and where they need to be. Legacy systems, rigid processes, and siloed structures limit their ability to scale and respond dynamically. The firms that will lead are those that embrace modularity, ecosystem thinking, and API-first architectures, allowing AI agents to operate at speed and scale. Another critical insight is the evolving role of humans. AI can handle routine processes, but trust, empathy, and judgment remain uniquely human strengths. Designing the right human-to-agent ratio for each task will be essential, particularly in high-stakes scenarios. Finally, governance becomes a design challenge rather than just a control function. Risk leaders must define guardrails upfront, shaping how AI operates rather than reacting to its outputs. This is a shift from oversight to architecture. Ultimately, the organizations that succeed will be those that ask not how to use AI, but what new value they can create for customers because of it. BEST MOMENTS “This is not a technology gap, it is a business model gap.” “Scale your ecosystem or get out, or you will be competed by someone who does.” “The frontier insurer doesn’t just pay the claim, it prevents the loss and manages the recovery.” “Risk management has to move upstream from auditor to architect.” “This is not a technology story, this is a purpose story.” “The real question is not how do we add AI, but what can we now do that was impossible before?” ABOUT THE HOST Sabine VanderLinden is a corporate strategist turned entrepreneur and the CEO of Alchemy Crew Ventures. She leads venture-client labs that help Fortune 500 companies adopt and scale cutting-edge technologies from global tech ventures. A builder of accelerators, investor, and co-editor of the bestseller The INSURTECH Book, Sabine is known for asking the uncomfortable questions—about AI governance, risk, and trust. On Scouting for Growth, she decodes how real growth happens—where capital, collaboration, and courage meet. If this episode sparked your thinking, follow Sabine VanderLinden on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram for more insights. And if you’re interested in sponsoring the podcast, reach out to the team at hello@alchemycrew.ventures
- Apr 23, 202642 min
The Risk Intelligence Gap: How Exposure Data Deficiency Is Reshaping Property Underwriting
The Risk Intelligence Gap: How Exposure Data Deficiency Is Reshaping Property Underwriting In this episode of Scouting for Growth, Sabine VanderLinden is joined by Anthony Peake, CEO of Intelligent AI, to dissect the "Risk Intelligence Gap" reshaping the property insurance landscape. With 93% of UK and 90% of US commercial properties insured for the wrong amount, the discussion reveals why the industry’s vast data resources fail to reach underwriters in a form that is both actionable and trustworthy. Sabine VanderLinden and Anthony Peake delve into their co-authored research, examining the architectural, integration, and trust challenges at the heart of this crisis and exploring how API-first, verifiable risk intelligence is redefining underwriting. The episode is packed with real-world examples and actionable insights into how the property underwriting process must evolve from reactive data chasing to predictive, cognitive risk management. KEY TAKEAWAYS The scale of the risk intelligence gap in commercial property underwriting today is both alarming and transformative. We’re not suffering from a lack of data; instead, we’re hindered by fragmented architectures, poor integration, and a deep-rooted trust problem that leaves underwriters rating their data confidence at just three to five out of ten at the critical point of decision. This results in billions in unrecognized exposure and inefficient operational drag, with underwriters losing up to 55% of their day to tedious data gathering instead of strategic decision-making. Our findings underscore that technology alone is not the cure. While AI decision engines and sophisticated catastrophe models abound, their potential is constrained by the quality of the data that feeds them. The true opportunity is to build verified, explainable, and decision-grade risk intelligence, delivered directly into workflows through uniform APIs. The advent of digital twins for properties and real-time data integration equips underwriters with a 360-degree risk view, trimming inefficiencies, mitigating underinsurance, and creating a platform for predictive and preventive underwriting. Trust and explainability remain essential: underwriters will not act on data they cannot understand or audit—and they shouldn’t have to. Only those insurers who move decisively from asserted to verified data, and from periodic snapshots to continuous monitoring, will achieve sustainable underwriting profit and own the best risk. The time to tackle this structural data problem is now. BEST MOMENTS "This is better engines running on worse fuel." — Sabine VanderLinden "The client pays for being underinsured—until regulators say the insurer must take responsibility." — Anthony Peake "We can create a model of all the data a risk engineer might manually collect—but do it very quickly and accurately." — Anthony Peake "People are making not million-dollar decisions, but billion-dollar decisions on thousand-dollar data." — Sabine VanderLinden "The real question isn't whether data matters. The question is who will move first from asserted data to verified intelligence, from reactive pricing to predictive underwriting." — Sabine VanderLinden ABOUT THE GUEST Anthony Peake is CEO of Intelligent AI, a pioneering property risk intelligence platform dedicated to real-time, API-first delivery of structured, verifiable property data for insurers, reinsurers, brokers, and MGAs. With over three decades of experience leading projects at global enterprises such as Apple, GE, BT, and Oracle, Anthony Peake has deep expertise in large-scale data architecture and risk system implementation, including for six of the top ten UK insurers. Through his leadership and collaboration with institutions such as Lloyd’s Lab, Anthony Peake drives innovation that bridges the gap between raw data and actionable underwriting insights, supporting both the UK and US markets in their transition toward predictive, cognitive insurance infrastructure. ABOUT THE HOST Sabine VanderLinden is a corporate strategist turned entrepreneur and the CEO of Alchemy Crew Ventures. She leads venture-client labs that help Fortune 500 companies adopt and scale cutting-edge technologies from global tech ventures. A builder of accelerators, investor, and co-editor of the bestseller The INSURTECH Book, Sabine is known for asking the uncomfortable questions—about AI governance, risk, and trust. On Scouting for Growth, she decodes how real growth happens—wh
- Apr 9, 202645 min
Trust Is the Operating System of the Agentic Enterprise
Trust Is the Operating System of the Agentic Enterprise In this episode, Sabine VanderLinden is joined by Franklin Manchester, Global Insurance Strategic Advisor at SAS, and Steven Abel, Global Technology Partner and Deputy Global Head of AI & Transformation at Oliver Wyman. Together, they unpack the concept of "trust by design" in the context of agentic enterprises and AI adoption. The conversation pivots from traditional risk frameworks and compliance-based approaches to trust, to the urgent need for architectural and cultural transformations in which trust is embedded in every system and decision. They explore why organisations often confuse expanding AI tools with genuine readiness for autonomy, discuss why "human in the loop" is no longer sufficient, and offer perspectives on scaling trust, managing risk, and redefining organisational roles. The trio debates actionable leadership moves for CEOs and boards, the evolving skills for insurance professionals, and how the frontier firm of the future will distinguish itself through intentional trust-building—not just AI deployment. KEY TAKEAWAYS Many organisations treat AI trust as a compliance issue, which hinders safe scaling. The fundamental shift involves deploying autonomous decision-makers, making trust by design an architectural and leadership mandate. We, as an industry, over-invest in AI models and technology while under-investing in people and trust. Simply using more models or data doesn't guarantee higher trust, especially without architectures built for transparency and governance. Franklin noted a disconnect where insurers use AI but lack trustworthy systems, surprisingly favouring newer generative AI over established machine learning. I question the efficacy of "human in the loop" controls in high-stakes industries, while Steven advocates embedded, infrastructure-level trust solutions. Franklin identified processes as primary failure points, particularly when tacit knowledge is overlooked (citing Cigna's mass claim denials). The discussion explores the need for new AI risk and governance roles, akin to past actuarial practices. While human-centricity should drive design, scalability is challenging as organisations move toward agentic systems in which humans supervise, rather than directly control, risking brand integrity if governance fails. For leaders, I urge you to shift focus from technology hype to foundational trust. Steven prioritises "under the water" capabilities, such as risk and regulatory expertise. Franklin recommends three people-centric actions: embracing new skills, breaking data silos, and protecting the brand. The truly future-ready firm embeds trust into every decision system—a practice rooted in culture, governance, and leadership, not just technology. Scaling AI without trust is merely scaling risk; organisations must engineer trust as a core operating principle. BEST MOMENTS "Trust isn't what you say, it is what your system does." — Sabine VanderLinden "The architecture of these models themselves don’t lend themselves to a high trust environment." — Steven Abel "We trust generative AI 200% more than machine learning. Which is bonkers to me because machine learning has been around for like 30 years." — Franklin Manchester “There’s still no more sophisticated sensor than a human being and a more powerful computer than the human brain.” — Franklin Manchester “Auditability, transparency, and a connection with the human ecosystem and judgment—these things are non-negotiable.” — Steven Abel "It is clear that the adoption is moving fast, and we need to make sure within regulated industry that we apply trust in everything we do. Otherwise, we are going to shun both customers." — Sabine VanderLinden ABOUT THE GUEST Franklin Manchester Prior to joining SAS, Franklin served as a Global Insurance Strategic Advisor at SAS Institute, bringing over 20 years of experience in insurance underwriting and analytics. Known for his deep industry insight and passionate advocacy for trustworthy AI, Franklin is currently focused on linking insurance expertise with AI-driven transformation, highlighting the importance of governance, ethical frameworks, and human-centricity in future-ready companies.
About Scouting for Growth
There are over 180,000 FinTech ventures out there today. My team tracks 7.3 million of them across markets every single week. But the number that matters isn't the one that's growing. It's the one that isn't. Only 25% of these ventures have secured funding and meaningful backing. The other 75% aren't just looking for capital. They're looking for access, credibility, and partnerships with the institutions that can turn a great product into real-world impact. This is Scouting for Growth. I'm Sabine VanderLinden. I lead Alchemy Crew Ventures, and I built the Venture-Client Model for regulated industries... the model where a growth venture earns a corporation as its customer before a VC writes the cheque. When that sequence works, it changes the equation for everyone: founders, corporates, and the investors watching from both sides of the table. Each episode, I bring a founder, an operator, or an institutional leader to the table for the conversation that usually happens behind closed doors: about how corporates really think, how capital really flows, and what it actually takes to build, grow, and scale in a world where the boundaries between FinTech, InsurTech, HealthTech, and AI are dissolving by the month. This isn't theory. Our conversations should bring you the strategy, the tactics, and the hard-won clarity from people who control capital and collaboration. If you're navigating this ecosystem — as a founder, an operator, or a leader — this conversation is for you. Listen in. Challenge what you thought you knew. And join us.
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