Introducing Agentech’s VP of Product
We’re proud to introduce Craig Calder, the latest addition to the Agentech founding team and our new Vice President of Product. Craig’s passion for AI innovation in the insurance space is infectious, and his impressive background speaks for itself. From leading product strategy at tech giants like eBay to his extensive expertise in streamlining field and desk adjusting processes during his tenure at Eberl Claims Service, Craig brings a unique blend of tech and insurance know-how to Agentech.
Read more about his impressive background and steal his tips for getting up to speed on AI!
You're meeting someone new at a dinner party and they ask what you do. What do you tell them?
If they were a total stranger, and I was feeling cheeky, I'd play up my uncanny resemblance to Tom Cruise and tell them that I've just been on wrapping up filming of the second Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol film.
However, in a more typical situation, I'd say: I am the person at a software company who is the glue between the customer and sales, product marketing, and the software development team. I am responsible for ensuring the success of the product organization and its alignment with business goals.
At hearing this, they would likely check their glass of wine to ensure it wasn't empty before I continued.
I'd go on to explain that in collaboration with the leadership team, my job is to organize a product plan that aligns with our vision and strategy, prioritize it to provide meaningful customer value based on a deep understanding of the customer pain points and needs while also delivering on measurable business outcomes — not just building features.
Regardless, at this point, whether they have a look of total regret asking me what seemed like such an innocuous question, I'd plow forward, acknowledging that my success depends on ruthlessly prioritizing capabilities, empowering teams, and always keeping the focus on solving the right problems. If ever there was a sign of relief, it would be on the face of the person when I finished my last sentence.
Tell us about your professional background and area of expertise. How did you become a leader in insurtech?
My experiences throughout my career have included all aspects of product management, ranging from tactical activities to defining product strategy, gleaned from working at numerous tech companies, including eBay and New Relic.
In 2021, I transitioned from West Coast tech to an Insurtech startup based out of Atlanta. While there, I directed a development team that prototyped a novel repair process for insurance claims. After it demonstrated promise, the effort transitioned into a consolidated business opportunity with Eberl (the startup’s sister company) to significantly extend their existing Independent Adjuster business.
In addition to overseeing that effort, I helped build Eberl's zero-shot ChatGPT prompt engineering solution to eliminate the error-prone manual entry of claims received in diverse email formats. I also developed ML models for assessing claim-estimate quality to support expediting efficient routing.
You talk about your passion for learning how machine learning and AI can actually solve customer problems, not just implementing 'trendy AI features.' What's an example of a shiny AI thing that insurance leaders should be cautious of?
These are still early days for AI. Considerable hype is coming from outspoken individuals (e.g., Sam Altman, Satya Nadella, etc.) who need vast amounts of capital to continue to flow into this space to achieve their objectives.
In reality, the most realistic near-term outcomes come from augmented intelligence, where AI supports, rather than replaces, human judgment. However, even that changes daily as new tools and products are released, so everything is in flux. It is such an exciting time!
AI will change everything, especially the role of business leadership. Cassie Kozyrkov's "Explaining the Generative AI Value Gap" postulates that AI requires a mind-shift in how businesses will operate in the future, which is an excellent way of thinking about the what’s to come, especially for insurance leaders.
What's your favorite way to learn? Where do you go to learn the latest on AI?
It is overwhelming how much is going on, but YouTube is the best avenue for me to stay up-to-date. The channels that I follow include:
I also follow these email newsletters:
I also enjoy talking tech to anyone who will listen, trying to make sense of it all, or at least a fragment of this wild new frontier.
What excites you most about where Agentech is headed?
Metaphorically, Agentech is in that sweet place, like what a surfer feels when they start paddling hard to catch that wave that has begun to form under them. They can feel the immense force of the ocean gathering strength and know they're in for an awesome ride.
I'm excited that Agentech has already solved real-world problems in the insurance industry with purpose and promptness, even as the technology evolves at a breakneck pace. As Agentech gains more experience with forward-thinking customers and partners, I look forward to expanding our reporting capabilities to better demonstrate our impressive ROI and easing implementation with customizable modules that readily accommodate nuances across carriers' QA policies.
What's the biggest opportunity for AI to make an impact in the insurance space?
Consistency and coherence. Insurance has been complicated for consumers to understand because of the inherent need for precision in policy language, which can be challenging for a layperson. In addition, the nuances of mapping a claim event to insurance frameworks often require considerable manual labor that risks inconsistent interpretation. Applying large language models will streamline these workflows, ensure more consistent and efficient processing of claim events, and provide policyholders with a more coherent explanation of their claims.
Favorite way to relax and blow off steam after a long day?
Mountain biking is my favorite activity, as I live around the phenomenal forests of the Pacific Northwest. I especially appreciate the sport's 'pay to play' nature. In exchange for grinding out a blood-pumping climb, you earn a thrilling descent through trees and winding trails, soaring over table top jumps and experiencing brief moments of terror traversing gap jumps. It is exhilarating ... and totally irresponsible. #yolo.
