Q&A Interview with Pablo Volenski, Project Manager at Signd

In the fifth in our series of Q+A blogs with the scale-up businesses on Insurtech Isle of Man’s new Insurtech Accelerator Program, we hear from Pablo Volenski, Project Manager at SignD.

Q1 – Tell us a bit about yourself and your business

I’m Pablo, the Product Manager at SignD, and we are the one-stop-shop for compliant onboarding journeys. In regulated industries, onboarding a new customer requires due diligence to comply with regulation. We offer journeys (i.e, user workflows) to onboard new customers into businesses’ systems in  a way that keeps processes compliant and safe, while maximizing conversion (i.e, the amount of potential customers “converted” in an online process, that is, they don´t abandon the process) in online environments, for example, when opening a new bank account or hiring (or cashing out) a pension scheme or an insurance policy. We provide due diligence that companies can rely on, and that they can hold as a competitive advantage. This is a unique selling proposition that will help focus their internal processes and provide their customers with a great user experience.

The highlights of SignD and our modular, automated onboarding solution (Quantum Platform) is the reduction in onboarding time, reduction of customer drop-out during online processes and a broader coverage range, without the need to adapt systems.

Q2 – Why did you apply for the Insurtech Accelerator Program?

We were invited to apply to the program by F10 after working with them in their Fintech Accelerator in 2021. We had a great experience with them, and this motivated us to apply to work with them again and learn more about the Isle of Man as a partner.

The program allows us to collaborate with other businesses and the Isle of Man Government and learn more about the needs of the industry and how we can refine our product.

Q3 - How have you found the Program so far?

We have enjoyed it very much! It has been an incredible opportunity to learn about the Isle of Man and the business environment on the Island. We had one week on the Isle of Man and one week in Scotland, which opened our eyes to the dynamic and growing start-up environments in these jurisdictions.

The Isle of Man was not really on our radar until we began applying for the program and now based on our experiences with the established businesses there, we’d love to continue our relationship with the Island. This wouldn’t be just with the Insurance and Pension companies, who are at the centre of this program, but with many other industries that face the challenge of compliant onboarding in online environments, like eGaming, trading, banking and many others.

Q4 - Have you found anything particularly interesting or challenging on the Program?

I have seen things during this program that I have not seen anywhere else in the world. Whilst we have experience of speaking directly with regulators and larger corporations, the access we obtained with the regulator and wider business community on the Isle of Man was an extraordinary surprise for us, and we felt very welcome and supported.

Q5 - How have you found working with the business community on the Isle of Man as a whole?

One of the main things we have found interesting is the welcoming and open nature of Finance Isle of Man, the regulator and all the individuals that are so passionate about this sector. The regulator in particular was of interest to us given what SignD do, and they came with such an open attitude that I’ve never seen before. It’s this attitude towards business that has been so incredible during the program as this interest and supportive nature is very unique to the Island.

Q6 - What are your future plans for your business?

The plan is to keep working on the program, and we are looking forward to the final demo-day events at the end of January.

We are also in the process of working on a proof of concept with one of the established businesses on the Isle of Man, which is an incredibly exciting opportunity and a great chance for us to demonstrate our product. This is a relationship that has been born out of our time on the Island, and I hope it can bring further opportunities for cooperation with IoM-based companies.

Another aspect of the program we have enjoyed is the collaboration between the start-ups. We all have different expertise and a great potential to work together. We are also looking at formal collaboration with some of the other start-ups, as well as the established businesses on the Island. We really value the opportunities that have come out of this program.