Will Ross, CEO & Co-founder: Federato: Driving underwriting with RiskOps (343)

Traditional underwriting is evolving, and AI-powered platforms are leading the charge. In this episode, Robin Merttens speaks with Will Ross, CEO and Co-founder of Federato, about how their RiskOps platform is helping insurers make smarter, faster underwriting decisions.

Federato enables underwriters to triage submissions, prioritise in-appetite risks and streamline workflows using AI-driven insights. Will shares how his background in wildfire modelling led to the creation of Federato, how underwriters spend more time on the right risks post-implementation and why the company’s rapid growth is a testament to the industry's appetite for smarter portfolio management.

The discussion also covers Federato’s recent $40 million USD Series C funding, its expansion into the UK market and how the RiskOps approach is catching on as a fundamental shift in underwriting strategy.

Key Talking Points:

• The RiskOps mindset – bringing portfolio-level intelligence to risk-by-risk decision-making
• How AI prioritises in-appetite and winnable risks for underwriters
• Automating submission workflows to cut response times by up to 89%
• The impact of RiskOps adoption on quote volumes and portfolio performance
• Why Federato has seen 3x year-over-year growth
• The UK market opportunity – differences in tech adoption and underwriting strategies
• The story behind Federato’s $40M Series C raise and the role of StepStone Group
• Expansion plans and the future of AI-driven underwriting

If you like what you’re hearing, please leave us a review on whichever platform you use or contact Robin Merttens on LinkedIn. You can also contact Will Ross on LinkedIn to start a conversation!

Sign up to the InsTech newsletter for a fresh view on the world every Wednesday morning.

Continuing Professional Development

This InsTech Podcast Episode is accredited by the Chartered Insurance Institute (CII). By listening, you can claim up to 0.5 hours towards your CPD scheme.

By the end of this podcast, you should be able to meet the following Learning Objectives:

• List the key benefits of AI-powered underwriting, including improved risk selection and faster submission processing.
• Specify how Federato’s platform helps underwriters identify and prioritize in-appetite and winnable risks.
• Define the significance of Federato’s expansion into the UK and the challenges of technology adoption in the market.

If your organisation is a member of InsTech and you would like to receive a quarterly summary of the CPD hours you have earned, visit the Episode 343 page of the InsTech website or email [e-mail] to let us know you have listened to this podcast.

To help us measure the impact of the learning, we would be grateful if you would take a minute to complete a quick feedback survey.