Tim Hardcastle, CEO & Co-founder: INSTANDA: What it really takes to change insurance from the inside out (382)

InsTech - insurance & innovation with Matthew Grant & Robin Merttens

InsTech

Entrepreneurship, Investing, Business

4.8 • 50 Ratings

🗓️ 23 November 2025

⏱️ 20 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

In this episode, Robin Merttens is joined by Tim Hardcastle, CEO and Co-founder of INSTANDA, to reflect on what it takes to turn a contrarian vision into a global insurtech platform and what the next decade of innovation might look like. Tim left a senior role at Hiscox to build a no-code platform for insurers at a time when most said it couldn’t be done. Ten years on, INSTANDA powers operations around the world and is gearing up for its next big leap. This conversation revisits the early sparks of that journey, including a memorable chat at the Royal Exchange, and dives into the personal and professional lessons Tim has gathered along the way. In this conversation, Tim shares: Why the earliest versions of INSTANDA were built despite zero market demand How a falling out with a boss became the unexpected catalyst for entrepreneurship The reality of scaling a tech company in insurance including a motorbike sale to make payroll Why belief, timing and architecture were crucial to gaining traction How humility shaped both leadership style and product design What it means to lead through survival, scale and reinvention His view on legacy, moonshot AI and the importance of letting go What’s fuelling his passion ten years in and where the next decade might lead This one is part retrospective, part roadmap and full of insight for anyone thinking long-term about change in insurance. 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: Describe the early challenges of launching a no-code insurance platform in a sceptical market. Explain how belief, architecture and timing contributed to INSTANDA’s success and scalability. Define the role of humility in effective insurtech leadership and product design. 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 382 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.
0:13.2	Zoya here and this week Robin is joined by Tim Hardcastle, the founder of Insander.
0:18.9	The two first met a decade ago at The Royal Exchange, a conversation that, without either of
0:24.0	them really realizing, planted a seed for both Instander and Instech.
0:29.3	In this episode, Tim looks back at that moment, the leap from a major CIO role, and the early
0:35.0	years of building a no-code platform at a time when most people didn't
0:38.7	think it could be done. He talks candidly about the intensity of entrepreneurship, the tough
0:43.8	calls, the global scaling, and the shift from survival mode to shaping the future of insurance.
0:49.2	And yes, there's also a great story involving selling a motorbike to make payroll.
0:53.6	So what keeps Tim Fueled
0:54.9	10 years on and how do you lead with humility? And what's this new AI moonshot he hints at?
1:00.1	Settle in, this was rich, personal and full of insight with a twist at the end you won't want to miss.
1:17.3	I've recognized you and I'm meeting here 10 years ago. We were both working on our own ventures and we sat down there and we talked about what you were doing. We talked about what I was
1:22.1	doing. Any recollection of that? I do. And in its own way, it was quite profound. Obviously, you're such a
1:29.0	charismatic person, but it's profound in the sense that I think we've both had quite demanding
1:34.7	but successful corporate careers. And yet here we found ourselves in this wonderful location,
1:40.9	talking very openly, as I recall, about these new ventures that we're starting.
1:46.7	And it's not for the faint-hearted as we might talk about a little bit later.
1:50.2	It's a very brave thing to do.
1:51.7	So I think in its way, it was quite memorable.
1:55.5	Do you remember what you were here in the first place, 10 years ago?
1:57.8	This is a beautiful building.
	...

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