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InsTech - insurance & innovation with Matthew Grant & Robin Merttens

Bob Frady, CEO & Co-founder: PropertyLens: What startups get wrong about risk, data and dilution – and how to get it right (367)

InsTech - insurance & innovation with Matthew Grant & Robin Merttens

InsTech

Entrepreneurship, Investing, Business

4.850 Ratings

🗓️ 10 August 2025

⏱️ 50 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

If you want a masterclass in how to build a business, sell it well and stay hungry for the next idea, listen to Bob Frady. In this episode, Matthew Grant catches up with Bob, CEO and Co-founder of PropertyLens and former CEO and founder of Hazard Hub, to hear what he’s learned across three startups, why he’s building again post-exit and how he’s turning deep domain expertise into tools that actually help people. From fire hydrants to flood risk, Bob has spent years translating messy, hyperlocal data into decisions insurers and now homebuyers can use. But this conversation goes far beyond data: it's about strategy, equity, product‑market fit and the value of knowing when to walk away from the wrong deal. In this episode Bob shares: Why Hazard Hub’s founding thesis was wrong, and what he got right instead How PropertyLens is helping US homebuyers make more informed decisions before they buy What UK listeners may not realise about US property disclosures, and why risk is so often hidden How Bob and his co-founder rebuilt their data stack from scratch and landed early B2B traction Why he still believes in the London Market and how UK insurers are often faster adopters What it really takes to scale a direct-to-consumer model in property intelligence Why bootstrapping helped him retain value at exit and how other founders can avoid over-dilutionThe four startup lessons he shares with anyone thinking of launching their own venture This one’s for founders, data practitioners and anyone who enjoys a candid, experience-rich look at what it takes to build a business that lasts. If you like what you’re hearing, please leave us a review on whichever platform you use or contact Bob Frady or Matthew Grant on LinkedIn. 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: Define the challenges of scaling a startup with limited capital and how bootstrapping influences long-term outcomes. List the key differences between US and UK property risk disclosure practices. Explain why Hazard Hub’s original thesis did not hold and how that insight shaped the foundation of PropertyLens. 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 367 page of the InsTech website or email [email protected] 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.

Transcript

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0:00.0

Hello, welcome or welcome back to the Instech podcast.

0:13.3

Zoya here, and this week I'm joined by one of our favorite returning guests,

0:18.0

cereal, accidental and possibly addicted entrepreneur Bob Frady. You may remember Bob

0:23.9

from our 2021 episode when he was running Hazard Hub, a company that went on to become one of the

0:29.5

great success stories out of the Lloyd's Lab. It was snapped up and in true entrepreneurial fashion,

0:35.4

Bob is back with his next venture, property lens.

0:38.7

Now, I'll be honest, this is a rather long episode, reaching up to 50 minutes.

0:43.1

And we hesitated splitting it up into two parts.

0:45.8

But I decided it was just too good to be released into two separate episodes, so we decided

0:51.2

to put it out all in one bulk.

0:53.6

But the episode is split into two parts,

0:56.8

with the first being Bob outlining the background to the US property market

1:00.9

and why property lens needs to exist.

1:03.7

The second part, Bob and Matthew delve into the insights

1:06.9

into the true lessons behind founding and scaling businesses.

1:10.6

If you want to learn anything about

1:12.1

this, Bob is the man to ask, from co-founder dynamics to managing your equity like it's your teeth.

1:18.3

Some little sneak peeks into what the episode would Bob will cover include what went right

1:23.2

and wrong with the original thesis behind Hazard Hub. Why did insurance agents talk to their customers about

1:29.1

risk? Is the US real estate process really buyers beware? And what's the worst possible time to

1:35.3

hire a salesperson? This episode had me laughing out loud multiple times throughout editing, so I hope

1:41.4

whatever you're doing on this beautiful Sunday, whether you're on a run, on a walk, or simply making your morning cup of coffee. I hope you enjoy. Now let's dive into the

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