What if insurance stopped guessing—and started being precise? In this episode of Scouting for Growth, Sabine VanderLinden is joined by Tobias Taupitz, CEO and Co-Founder of Laka, to explore how radical business model innovation, values-led leadership, and cultural clarity can unlock trust—and growth—in a commoditised insurance market. Tobi challenges one of insurance’s oldest assumptions: why charge customers upfront based on estimates, when you can calculate costs accurately after claims occur? Laka’s answer is a retroactive, cost-plus model that removes credit risk, increases transparency, and aligns insurer and customer interests by design. Each month, Laka looks back—not forward—at exactly what claims occurred within a community of like-minded customers. Costs are shared transparently, with a clear breakdown of what happened and why. Laka adds a fixed fee on top of settled claims—meaning the business only succeeds when customers are paid fairly and efficiently. It’s a high-frequency, low-margin model built on trust rather than complexity. And in Tobi’s view, it shouldn’t be the exception—it should be the new status quo. The conversation goes beyond mechanics to tackle brand and relevance. In a world where trust in insurers is at an all-time low—and buzzwords like “embedded insurance” blur into sameness—Laka is deliberately building a brand people want to associate with. One that enables horizontal expansion, vertical growth, and lifestyle-led propositions across sustainable mobility. Cycling is just the starting point. With over 125 million high-end cyclists across Europe, Laka is positioning itself to own the full value chain—from protection to partnerships—within a fast-growing, purpose-driven mobility ecosystem. Tobi also shares candid advice for founders: you’re not alone—but you are responsible for choosing which advice to accept. Be open. Be curious. But be confident enough to say no when guidance doesn’t fit your vision. Culture, he argues, is built as much by what you reject as by what you embrace. You’ll hear: Why “pay after” insurance realigns incentives and restores fairness How transparency can outperform price comparison in building trust Why brand matters more than buzzwords in insurance innovation What founders can learn about leadership, focus, and saying no This episode is a sharp reminder that the future of insurance won’t be built by those who estimate better—but by those who design fairer systems from the ground up. 🎧 Tune in—and ask yourself: are you optimising a legacy model… or brave enough to replace it entirely?