Reflections on growing 0 to 1, creating and sustaining value in Startups at scale.

A short refreshing break from my career journey allowed me to reflect over the past decade, where I’ve had the privilege of building and scaling fintech and insurtech businesses from the ground up. From launching embedded insurance solutions to expanding financial services into new markets, the journey has been nothing short of transformative. As I reflect on these experiences, I want to share a few key lessons stand out for me personally —lessons that I believe are invaluable for anyone embarking on a similar path.

1. The 0-1 Phase: Navigating the Unknown

Building something from scratch is both thrilling and daunting. At Reebelo, I led the creation of a fintech vertical within a fast-growing reCommerce business. We started with device protection, but quickly realized the broader opportunity in credit and consumer finance. This shift required not just product innovation but a strategic go-to-market approach, hiring the right talent, and forging key partnerships with players like Cover Genius, Wayflyer, and Bolttech to maintain the right balance of product innovation & growth.

Lesson: The biggest challenge in the 0-1 phase is managing ambiguity. It requires a balance of vision and adaptability—setting a direction while being ready to pivot based on market response whilst managing all stakeholders effectively (Psst. including & most importantly - the investors!)

2. Embedded Finance: A Game-Changer for Growth

My time at Cover Genius was pivotal in shaping my understanding of embedded insurance. Here, we scaled insurance distribution by integrating it into digital platforms like Shopee, Ola, Agoda, and eBay, making protection seamless for consumers. This embedded model is now a gold standard across fintech, transforming how insurance is distributed. This is the same model which led to the rapid adoption of Travel Insurance earlier in pandemics.

Lesson: Embedded finance thrives on partnerships. Success depends on deep integration, a frictionless user experience, and aligning incentives with platform partners. If these are not there, no matter how much marketing are paid out to the clients a.ka. distribution partners.

3. The Power of Strategic Partnerships

One of the key differentiators in scaling fintech businesses has been the ability to forge and nurture partnerships. Learning from my experience at AXA, where I collaborated with Kamet Ventures, launching innovative parametric and pay-as-you-go insurance products. At Reebelo, it was about embedding financial products within the circular economy, making finance a core enabler of sustainability.

Lesson: Strong partnerships are built on trust and aligned incentives. It’s not just about signing a deal but about ensuring long-term mutual value for Customers (first) & all then other entities involved. Usually organisations get this wrong by maximising their profits!

4. Leveraging Data Science for Decision-Making

With a formal background in data science, I’ve always been a firm believer in data-driven decision-making. Whether it’s underwriting parametric insurance, optimizing embedded finance offerings, or scaling risk-based lending, insights derived from data drive efficiency and profitability.

Lesson: In fintech and insurtech, data isn’t just a tool—it’s an asset. The ability to leverage analytics for risk assessment, pricing, and customer experience is a key competitive advantage. I'm betting big on the fact that future will be entirely data driven. Whoever has the cleanest and most efficient training data - will have most robust algorithms, which will lead to generation of more high quality data and cycle repeats! Viz. DeepSeek Vs OpenAI.

5. Scaling Beyond Borders: Expansion in APAC, US & Canada

Expanding fintech solutions across multiple geographies has been a defining experience. Launching in Australia, New Zealand, the US, and Canada at Reebelo required not just market-specific strategies but an understanding of regulatory frameworks, consumer behavior, and local partnerships.

Lesson: Global expansion isn’t just about replicating a model—it’s about localizing effectively while maintaining a scalable core infrastructure.

What’s Next?

As I look ahead, I’m excited about new opportunities where I can apply these learnings to drive growth, partnerships, and product innovation in fintech, insurtech, and embedded finance. The fintech revolution is still in its early days, and I’m eager to be part of the next wave of disruption.

If you’re working on something exciting in this space, let’s connect! DM me or reach out at [email protected]. Coffee on me if you're in SG!

#Fintech #Insurtech #EmbeddedFinance #StrategicPartnerships #ScalingStartups