Scaling a Fintech Where AI Is Part of the Operating Fabric, with Julian Schoemig

What happens when a founder can interrogate the collective knowledge of his entire company before walking into a customer meeting, without interrupting a single team member? Julian Schoemig, CEO and co-founder of Diesta, joins Martin Wheatley to talk about building a fintech platform at the awkward intersection of insurance and payments, and what scaling a 25-person startup actually looks like when AI is part of the operating fabric. They get into:✅ Why vibe coding gets you 80% of the way there, and why the final 20% is where leadership earns its keep✅ How Julian uses internal MCP servers to prep for client conversations and cross-check his own thinking against the team's documented reasoning✅ The hidden cost of interruption in hybrid teams, and how AI tooling protects deep work✅ Three waves of insurtech in 25 years, and why the cycles are now compressing into five✅ Where Diesta is heading next on payment initiation, and what "Rec and Roll" actually means 🔑 Key takeaway: AI can write 80% of the code, the design, and the first draft of almost anything. The 20% that's left is where judgement lives, and it's the part that cannot be delegated. If you're leading a scaling business and trying to work out where AI sharpens judgement rather than just speed, this one's worth the thirty minutes. Connect with Julian:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jschoemig/Website: https://diesta.co.uk/ Timestamps:00:00 Introduction to AI Leadership01:04 Introduction to Diesta and Julian Schoemig03:14 Daily Operations in a FinTech Startup04:47 Technology Transformation in the Insurance Industry08:43 Challenges of Legacy Systems and Scaling12:17 The Role of AI in Scaling and Governance15:42 Leadership Adaptations in a Growing Company22:28 Future Vision for Diesta25:05 Takeaways and Personal Insights_____Get your copy of the Multiply Method ✖️ It's a FREE roadmap walking you through how to multiply the capabilities of your people and your business with AI. Connect with Martin:Websites: www.theaileaderlab.com / www.rawsonellis.comLinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/martinjwheatley Subscribe to The Frontier Leader Show wherever you listen to podcasts.