3 golds.

So far.

I’m writing this en route back from the mountains where I was lucky enough to catch one of the GBR golds – the Snowboard Cross. A truly epic day.

Tanto di cappello to Italy for a wonderful Games.

Now, let’s see how much I can get written before Easyjet lands me back in Bristol.

Lots of good stuff to report on.

Exits that Echo

Big UK news with Admiral Group purchasing Flock for $109m.

Founded by Ed Leon Klinger and Antton Peña, these guys started in 2018 selling drone insurance before pivoting into ‘real-time data and AI’, giving fleet customers minute-by-minute visibility of driving risk.

On exit they’re 65-people strong, insure tens of thousands of vehicles, and have helped reduce crashes by roughly 10% per year.

I’m super chuffed for Ed, Antton and team. But I’m just as pleased for the wider UK ecosystem. Every exit creates noise. Noise builds confidence. Confidence attracts the next wave of founders.

It all reinforces that insurance innovation can reward risk and creativity. And in my book, that’s a very good thing.

Claims & AI: The voice picks up

If exits show confidence, production AI shows commitment.

And this week its Travelers – a longtime Sønr client – which has launched AI Claim Assistant. Built using OpenAI’s models and APIs, it’s embedded directly into its claims infrastructure.

The fully agentic voice service is starting off handling inbound auto damage claims, with more lines to follow.

The industry is often asking for evidence of demonstrable innovation. What we have here is beyond experimentation. It’s live FNOL. It’s genuine action and great to see.

AI: The interface shift

We’re not fully there yet. But even the hint of that shift was enough to move markets, with broker and intermediary stocks reacting sharply. That’s not hype. That’s recognition. Algorithms included.

If insurance becomes one prompt away, distribution economics change. Whoever owns the interface owns the moment of decision.

The other one that grabbed me this week, and somewhat related, was MrBeast’s Beast Industries acquiring fintech app Step.

A smart move – regulated infrastructure meets distribution at scale. One side has banking rails. The other has 450m+ subscribers and global attention.

Rails plus reach is a powerful combination 🙏

Operations: From bootstrap to $50m

Behind the scenes, the operational layer is shifting too.

Generali, another much-loved Sønr client, is building a 150-strong Generali Core Tech unit to accelerate core transformation and roll out a shared life and non-life platform across Europe.

I like this one. It’s not flashy. Not headline-grabbing. But foundational. And long-term.

And on the startup side, mea has secured a $50m growth equity investment. But it’s the backstory is where it separates from ‘the others’.

Four consecutive years of profitable growth. More than $400bn of GWP processed alongside clients. All BEFORE taking external capital.

Now they’re scaling automation further, targeting up to 60% reductions in operating costs and measurable margin improvement. Good stuff.

AI: Underwriting the machines

And then comes the logical next step. If AI acts, it needs insuring.

Chaucer and Armilla AI have launched Vanguard AI, a coordinated structure combining cyber, technology E&O and standalone AI liability within a single framework. Predefined allocation rules bring clarity when losses span cyber incidents, tech failures and AI behaviour.

Clarity will matter more as autonomous systems proliferate.

And we’re seeing similar signals elsewhere.

ElevenLabs has introduced insurance specifically covering AI voice agents. Different structure, same direction of travel. The risk focus is shifting from infrastructure to behaviour.

One connected to the above – the next Camelot Innovation Hour on 27th Feb. Sønr are sponsoring it, and the guest is Iryna Chekanava from Chaucer, who we’re proud to work with.

With over a decade in innovation underwriting and product development, Iryna develops and tests new insurance solutions at the frontier of the market. She’ll share how Chaucer approaches innovation systematically, why it matters strategically, and how collaboration drives sustained success.

If innovation sits anywhere near your remit (and I’m kinda assuming it does or you wouldn’t be this far into SøNws), this is worth your hour:

Pets: Prevention scales

Beyond AI, prevention continues to scale.

Lassie, the Swedish pet insurer built around preventive care, has raised $75m to expand across Europe, build internal AI agents and grow its pet health ecosystem app.

Prevention, platform, data. A model that feels increasingly exportable.

Savings, Benefits & the Aviva thread

Zooming out, we’re seeing similar thinking emerge across major financial life events. And Aviva is leaning in as an investor.

Tembo has raised £16m in growth capital, with Aviva Ventures included in this round as well as having been along for the ride since leading their Seed round.

During 2025 its savings business grew 10x to £3bn in assets under administration as customers used the app to save, plan and buy their first home. Own the savings journey and you sit close to the protection conversation.

Elsewhere, HYKE has also secured strategic investment from Aviva to expand its benefits decision-support platform. HYKE helps employers and employees navigate complex health and voluntary benefit choices with personalised guidance tools like its Protection Score.

Different propositions. Same principle. Guide customers through complex financial moments with intelligence wrapped around them.

In the embedded space, Wrisk has acquired Atto, bringing open banking-powered credit intelligence into its platform.

More real-time financial data inside protection journeys means sharper underwriting and tighter integration between finance and insurance. Nice. Congrats team.

A report worth your time

Gallagher Re’s Global InsurTech Report for Q4 2025 is officially out.

It focuses on Life, Accident and Health and how InsurTechs are applying AI across the line. As always a great read and one not to miss.