Podcast episodes
Every conversation from the Advocate Insurance Desk, backed by our market data.
Showing 9 of 25 episodes
Aug 5, 2026 · Episode 25 · 30 min
Building AI Software You Can Benchmark with David Haddad
AI did not just speed engineering up, it moved the work. David Haddad on writing far less code, evals replacing unit tests, why picking a model is the easy part, and what building an AI product actually consists of: specs, pipelines, and deciding what a model is allowed to do.
Listen now
Jul 29, 2026 · Episode 24 · 18 min
Inside an MGA Program: The Carrier Isn't Who You Think
The carrier name on your policy may not be who is actually holding your risk. Katie Dowson and Grace Schmidt unpack MGAs, fronting carriers, and the reinsurers behind program business, plus the three questions every buyer should ask before renewal: whose name, whose rating, who holds the capacity.
Listen now
Jul 22, 2026 · Episode 23 · 12 min
How the Small Shop Finally Sees the Whole Market
The property market is softening, and clients suddenly have options. So how does a small shop compete with a national brokerage? Katie and Grace break down five data driven moves an independent broker can run in the Advocate app: read carrier appetite, shop smart, negotiate beyond price, protect revenue, and use tech to sharpen judgment.
Listen now
Jul 15, 2026 · Episode 22 · 11 min
The Hard Market Ended. Liability Never Got the Memo.
Three headlines that moved commercial insurance: the hard market ended for property but never left liability, data centers are outgrowing insurable capacity, and the industry bought AI only to find the real problem was always the data underneath.
Listen now
Jul 8, 2026 · Episode 21 · 24 min
The Engine Behind the Platform: Inside the World Insurance Model
What if the most accurate way to run an insurance compliance check is to stop the AI from thinking? Katie sits down with David, who built Advocate's World Insurance Model (WIM): a deterministic engine that roughly doubles coverage-gap accuracy while token cost stays flat.
Listen now
Jun 24, 2026 · Episode 20 · 21 min
New York Wants Florida's Results. Can Prior Approval Deliver Them?
Florida mailed $1 billion back to 830,000 policyholders. New York's new bill (A11298) bets law can force the same. But live terminal data shows property is already correcting on its own, while liability runs a 6.9x spread the bill never reaches. Katie and Grace on the line the bill missed
Listen now
Jun 18, 2026 · Episode 19 · 39 min
Insuring the Data Center Boom with Rachel Nixon
Property and liability are moving in opposite directions. So how do you insure the asset class that everyone is suddenly chasing? Ashwin Agarwal joins co-host Katie Dowson for a conversation with Rachel Nixon of IMA, who has been placing data center coverage for more than 20 years, long before it became the story everyone is chasing, and who recently helped structure a $4 billion placement.
Listen now
Jun 10, 2026 · Episode 18 · 33 min
The K-Shaped Insurance Market with Joe Zuk
Property rates are down, so why aren't owners feeling it? Ashwin Agarwal takes the host chair with Joe Zuk (Altamont Capital, Accelerant) to unpack the K-shaped insurance market: the top thrives, the bottom gets automated, and the middle, most of the market, gets left behind.
Listen now
Jun 4, 2026 · Episode 17 · 16 min
$150M in Flood Penalties. The Rules Didn't Change, the Banks Didn't Learn.
The flood rules didn't change, but banks keep failing them. The FDIC just tied $150M in penalties to flood violations. Katie and Grace break it down, then pull the Advocate app: a 4x flood pricing spread, $1.47 to $5.91, same Florida building. Cleared placement data, not commentary.
Listen now
Be a guest
Have a deal, a perspective, or a placement worth talking about?
We record short, focused interviews with brokers, underwriters, capital partners, and risk managers. Tell us what you'd unpack on air and we'll be in touch within a week.