Industry leaders from IRYS and Unqork share candid insights on embracing failure, outcome-driven innovation, and the value of a platform like Unqork to free organizations to focus on core strengths
In this insightful panel, Margo Giles, CEO at IRYS Insurtech, Lisa Lundegard, Director of Solutions at Unqork, and Lisa Wardlaw, COO at IRYS Insurtech and President and Founder at 360 Digital Immersion, cut through jargon to focus on pragmatic, value-driven innovation within the insurance tech space.
Giles recounted her entrepreneurial journey at IRYS Insurtech, which was founded to overcome limitations of outdated insurance technology. At first, she said, IRYS sought to own all its code, but it limited the company’s ability to scale to meet the challenges with enterprise clients revealed limitations.
Working with Wardlay, Giles decided to adopt Unqork’s platform in order for IRYS’s teams to concentrate on the company’s core intellectual property.
“You cannot be a cutting-edge, value-prop-driven organization and then go to the shopping aisle and buy the same things you always buy. If you’re looking to innovate again, you’re gonna have to change processes and technology,” explained Giles.
The panelists agreed on number of key ingredients that make value-driven innovation possible:
- Define business challenges, not a tech wishlist: Define the problem clearly before selecting technology; no single platform solves everything.
- Embrace failure and pressure: Innovation requires risk and enduring tension; failure is an opportunity to learn step, not a setback.
- Focus on core strengths: Leaders must identify and protect their unique intellectual property, while embracing the right partners to outsource non-core functions.
- Clear communication is critical: Misalignment between IT and business teams is a common cause of failure; invest in shared understanding.
Access more insights from Unqork Create 2025.