Episode summary
In this episode of Humanizing Insurance, Daniel Grimwood-Bird sits down with Tim McCosh, Founder and CEO of Yokahu — an MGA and digital marketplace for worldwide parametric natural catastrophe and extreme weather risk insurance. Tim shares the very human reality of building a startup while becoming a new dad to twins, his unexpected route into insurance, why he left broking after years in the market, and the lessons that forced Yokahu to rethink its original approach.

We unpack what parametric insurance really is (“if X then Y”), why Yokahu is aiming to become an infrastructure layer for the market, and what’s changed in the industry — from the early “is this even insurance?” conversations to today’s push for innovation through Lloyd’s Lab. Along the way, Tim gives a candid view on why insurance change takes time, why product-market fit is harder than it sounds, and why he’d still tell his kids: yes, work in insurance.

What you’ll hear about

• Becoming a dad of twins while scaling a startup — “hard mode” leadership
• From rural Scotland to the Lloyd’s market: how Tim stumbled into insurance
• Why broking can feel reactive — and why Tim couldn’t do “another 30 years”
• Parametric explained in plain English: the logic and the value
• Why SMEs are the missing middle for parametric (not personal lines, not sovereign/corporate)
• The biggest early mistake: building what carriers would offer vs what customers wanted
• The cultural and structural blockers to innovation (value chains, slow onboarding, proof points)
• Lloyd’s Lab, interconnected InsureTech, and why the revolution may arrive faster than expected
• Tim’s five-year view: better certainty for customers, and what success would change

Guest
Tim McCosh — Founder & CEO, Yokahu

Host
Daniel Grimwood-Bird — Host, Humanizing Insurance

Humanizing Insurance is bought to you by Daniel Grimwood-Bird. It's a passion project, driven by the evergreen phrase 'Insurance is a people industry'.

Through each conversation, we explore the stories, experiences, and ideas that make our world of insurance more human - from the pioneers and innovators shaping its future to the quiet leaders who hold its traditions together.

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