Episode Summary:
Anish Sinha, co-founder of upcover, blends his background in finance, startups, and risk management to tackle one of Australia’s overlooked challenges: the future of AI and innovation policy. From building a modern insurance platform serving 60,000+ businesses to sounding the alarm on Australia’s absence of AI strategy, Anish’s story shows how bold thinking and practical execution go hand-in-hand. In this conversation, he shares insights on why the government’s silence on AI is a major risk, how Australia could learn from China’s tech playbook, and how AI agents will reshape the future of business operations — including in highly regulated industries like insurance.
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Chapters:
01:10 – Introduction: Who is Anish Sinha & What upcover Does
02:49 – Why Insurance Tech Is “Sexy” When You Frame It as Risk
04:54 – From Goldman Sachs to Founder: Finance Lessons for Entrepreneurs
09:23 – Australia’s Federal Budget Omits AI: The Strategic Blind Spot
13:11 – What Australia Can Learn from China & the U.S. on Innovation Policy
18:39 – Cybersecurity Funding Crisis: Why $20 per Business Isn’t Enough
22:35 – AI Agents Unpacked: Hype, Promise, and Agent-to-Agent Flows
30:51 – upcover’s AI in Action: Automating Quotes & Data Structuring
36:34 – Hot Takes: Aussie Deep Tech Faves (Samsara Eco, Cover Genius, Gilmour Space)
42:18 – Future Insurability: Climate Risk, AGI Concerns & Startups to Watch
