Episode Details

Daniel Fogarty, CEO and Founder of Evari, joins Anthony Sapountzis, CTO and Co-Founder of Aerion Technologies and DevReady.Ai, on the DevReady Podcast to discuss how AI is changing insurance and financial services. Drawing on his experience leading Zurich Insurance in Australia and New Zealand, Daniel shares why underinsurance remains a problem for growing businesses, how Evari moved from insurance distribution into technology, and where AI assistants can help financial services professionals spend more time with customers. The conversation also explores AI orchestration, data sovereignty and the importance of human advice.

Daniel recalls a small business affected by the 2011 Brisbane floods. Its policy listed $500,000 in stock, while an assessor found that at least $1.6 million worth had been destroyed. The claim was ultimately paid in full, but the experience exposed how easily insurance cover can fall behind a business’s changing circumstances. It prompted Daniel and his co-founders to explore how cloud accounting data could help businesses and insurers work with more accurate information. Their first product worked technically, yet customers were understandably hesitant to share sensitive financial data with a provider they did not know.

That experience helped shape Evari’s move towards providing technology for insurers and underwriting agencies. Daniel discusses QuivaWorks, an AI assistant platform used to support tasks such as document processing, administration and compliance. Across insurance, financial advice, mortgage broking and accounting, he sees an opportunity to reduce time spent on routine work. Both Daniel and Anthony emphasise the value of keeping people involved in decisions, particularly when customers need advice they can understand and trust.

As businesses adopt more AI agents, Daniel expects token costs and energy use to make AI orchestration a pressing concern. He and Anthony discuss using programmed steps for predictable workflows and directing tasks that require interpretation to suitable AI models. Effective orchestration also means checking outputs and deciding when a person should review the result. Their discussion extends to AI sovereignty, including how Australian businesses can retain control over private data and make informed choices about the models and infrastructure they use.

The episode closes with a broader question: how can people make useful choices amid constant technological change? Anthony describes his drive to explore new tools, while Daniel focuses on using technology to help Australians manage their financial lives. They recognise that busy professionals need practical solutions tested for their industries, supported by partnerships and reliable connections between systems. For Daniel, that collaboration could improve customer outcomes at home and help Australian technology businesses take their work overseas.

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