EPISODE · Jul 11, 2024 · 50 MIN
Bessem Ayari: Scaling up with Ergo ScaleHub Program
from Scouting for Growth · host Sabine VdL
On this episode of the Scouting For Growth podcast, Sabine VdL talks to Bessem Ayari, Head of Innovation Strategy & Scouting at ERGO Group AG, where he leads transformative initiatives that shape the future of the insurance industry. With a dynamic career dedicated to fostering innovation and collaboration, Bessem is a pivotal force in the InsurTech landscape. Bessem shares insights on how the Ergo ScaleHub is redefining the innovation ecosystem & helping bold entrepreneurs scale new heights in the insurance sector. KEY TAKEAWAYS In these times of rapid change & digital transformation, the insurance industry is compared to any other industry, everyone expects the same service & speed as Amazon, Netflix, etc. That’s what drives me. Innovation strategy is about a culture that we need to shape & create to be on a good path but also to provide the means & tools to do so. We have a very broad & on point innovation portfolio where we are very near to the core, really trying to solve today’s challenges. Innovation is about delivering valuable impact & we can only do so by tackling the challenges we have today. In our portfolio we also have the ability to look into the future at the trends in the business & technology side so we can see very early where the market is evolving & where we should dig deeper. We’re pretty good when it comes to tech incubation, we have scaled RA process mining, AI and GPT initiatives as well as metaverse, VR, etc. We’ve created competency centres internally for these. I truly believe in physical collaboration, having physical touchpoints really helps to get a better understanding, to understand Ergo, the processes, the people behind it. At the end of the day it’s a people’s business & you need to build trust. Trust is built by having a proper conversation face-to-face or having dinner together, getting into a boardroom & cluttering the whole space with ideas and concepts to be worked out. BEST MOMENTS ‘I’m passionate about innovation, driving meaningful impact at work & giving something back to our customers & employees.’ ‘Innovation is about delivering valuable impact.’ ‘You don’t learn a technology from Power Point, you need to get your hands dirty, try it out, make it tangible, test it & derive a decision out of it quickly.’ ‘Getting direct connections to corporates is super valuable, as a startup you need to understand how the corporate functions.’ ABOUT THE GUEST Bessem Ayari is a dynamic leader specializing in innovation strategy & scouting. As the Head of Innovation Strategy & Scouting at ERGO Group AG, he leverages his extensive experience to drive forward-thinking initiatives & foster collaboration between startups & the corporate sector. His passion for mentorship & a keen eye for identifying emerging trends in InsurTech position him as a pivotal force in shaping the industry's future. Known for his strategic vision, exceptional leadership, & commitment to nurturing innovative ideas, Bessem has consistently brought tangible value to his organization. His expertise spans innovation management, strategic leadership, & startup mentorship, making him an accomplished innovation strategist with a proven track record in fostering innovation & collaboration. At ERGO Group AG, he leads the innovation strategy & scouting efforts, identifying & integrating cutting-edge solutions to maintain the company’s competitive edge. Make sure to check the ScaleHub site for more details. ABOUT THE HOST Sabine VanderLinden is a corporate strategist turned entrepreneur and the CEO of Alchemy Crew Ventures. She leads venture-client labs that help Fortune 500 companies adopt and scale cutting-edge technologies from global tech ventures. A builder of accelerators, investor, and co-editor of the bestseller The INSURTECH Book, Sabine is known for asking the uncomfortable questions—about AI governance, risk, and trust. On Scouting for Growth, she decodes how real growth happens—where capital, collaboration, and courage meet. If this episode sparked your thinking, follow Sabine VanderLinden on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram for more insights. And if you’re interested in sponsoring the podcast, reach out to the team at [email protected]
What this episode covers
Innovation doesn’t fail because of technology. It fails because of culture, distance, and lack of trust. In this episode of Scouting for Growth, Sabine VanderLinden sits down with Bessem Ayari, Head of Innovation Strategy & Scouting at ERGO Group AG, to unpack what it really takes to build innovation that scales inside one of the world’s most established insurance groups. Bessem isn’t interested in innovation theatre. His mandate is impact. As customer expectations are shaped by Amazon, Netflix, and real-time digital experiences, insurance can no longer afford slow cycles, siloed teams, or PowerPoint-driven experimentation. Innovation, Bessem argues, is not about chasing shiny tech—it’s about solving today’s problems while preparing for tomorrow’s realities. At ERGO, this philosophy comes to life through a deeply connected innovation portfolio, deliberately anchored close to the core business. From robotic automation and process mining to AI, GPT initiatives, and immersive technologies like VR and the metaverse, ERGO doesn’t just pilot ideas—it industrialises them. Competency centres are built internally so innovation doesn’t remain external, fragile, or dependent on a single champion. A standout part of the conversation is ScaleHub—ERGO’s platform designed to bridge startups and corporate reality. ScaleHub isn’t an accelerator in name only. It’s a learning environment where founders gain rare, direct access to how a global insurer actually works: its processes, people, constraints, and decision logic. For startups, this insider understanding can mean the difference between endless pilots and real commercial scale. Bessem is unequivocal on one point: you don’t learn innovation from slides. You learn it by doing—testing, failing fast, iterating, and deciding quickly. That’s why ERGO insists on tangible experimentation and hands-on collaboration. Innovation must be experienced, not explained. And while technology plays a role, Bessem repeatedly brings the conversation back to people. Insurance remains a people business. Trust isn’t built through dashboards—it’s built in rooms, over conversations, sometimes over dinner. Physical collaboration, he believes, accelerates understanding, alignment, and long-term partnership in ways remote tools alone still cannot. For founders, this episode offers a rare corporate insider’s perspective: Why understanding how corporates function is critical to scaling How proximity to the core unlocks faster, more meaningful adoption Why pilots fail—and what corporates actually need to move forward For enterprise leaders, it’s a masterclass in: Designing innovation portfolios that deliver real value Building internal capability, not dependency Creating cultures where experimentation is safe—but disciplined 🎧 If you care about scaling innovation beyond pilots, turning collaboration into growth, and building trust between startups and corporates—this episode is essential listening. Because innovation isn’t about ideas. It’s about impact, proximity, and execution.
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Bessem Ayari: Scaling up with Ergo ScaleHub Program
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