Try : Insurtech, Application Development

AgriTech(1)

Augmented Reality(21)

Clean Tech(9)

Customer Journey(17)

Design(45)

Solar Industry(8)

User Experience(68)

Edtech(10)

Events(34)

HR Tech(3)

Interviews(10)

Life@mantra(11)

Logistics(6)

Manufacturing(3)

Strategy(18)

Testing(9)

Android(48)

Backend(32)

Dev Ops(11)

Enterprise Solution(33)

Technology Modernization(9)

Frontend(29)

iOS(43)

Javascript(15)

AI in Insurance(38)

Insurtech(66)

Product Innovation(59)

Solutions(22)

E-health(12)

HealthTech(24)

mHealth(5)

Telehealth Care(4)

Telemedicine(5)

Artificial Intelligence(153)

Bitcoin(8)

Blockchain(19)

Cognitive Computing(8)

Computer Vision(8)

Data Science(23)

FinTech(51)

Banking(7)

Intelligent Automation(27)

Machine Learning(48)

Natural Language Processing(14)

expand Menu Filters

Is AI Disruption on the way for Kenya’s Insurance Space?

The earliest known reason for introducing insurance protection in Kenya, came during the time of the Colonial British — when they insured their farms and crops against loss, damage etc. Today, Kenya has 70% of the East African Insurance market (among Burundi, Uganda, Tanzania & Rwanda). Still, African Insurance is relatively nascent in terms of size. Only 6 major markets dominate the landscape in a serious way — Egypt, Tunisia, Morocco, South Africa, Nigeria & Kenya. Infact, the number of insurtech startups in the continent altogether is a paltry 50 something. 

The looming political climate coupled with a slowly recovering economy and some fierce competitive tactics used by traditional incumbents places the industry far from ideal in terms of marketplace conditions, including the slowdown in uptake of insurance products by an income-sensitive population.

Yet, Kenya offers a sense of growing appeal for young insurtechs in this region. The market remains largely undisrupted, since insurance penetration is only about 3% (insurance penetration for the African continent is only at 0.3%), attracting large international insurers like Allianz and Swiss Re who have recently entered the market. Kenya, like other countries in the region, has enormous potential similar to South-East Asian economies that also remain largely undisrupted with lower penetration rates.

The positive sentiment surrounding Kenya’s potential for deep tech disruption is not surprising — According to the 2019 Government AI Readiness Index published by the  IDRC and Oxford Insights — Kenya is the most AI ready country in Africa.

Buying Behavior

Insurtech startups are exploring avenues using AI that large, traditional players have less incentive to exploit, such as offering ultra-customized policies, social insurance, and using behavior data from devices to dynamically price premiums.

The Millennial experience is entirely technology driven, while their attitudes and perceptions as consumers will shape the future of how insurance as a service continues to remain relevant.


According to a Kenya Insurance Industry Report, 65% of millennials compare prices across different websites before making a purchase, 68% only buy a product through referrals from friends and social media. Interestingly, 84% of them are opposed to traditional advertising. 

For insurers, loyalty comes at a price — often dictated by the pain point the product/service can eliminate for impatient classes of customers. Analysing buying or browsing behavior can lead to an immense amount of ethically siphoned data. Using ML models and regression algorithms, insurers can create a unified view of their prospect, and realize a multi-targeted approach to create opportunities for upselling or cross-selling.


The report also highlights the importance of making sense of social media behavior — since 41% of millennials use social networking sites to pass on recommendations of products and services to friends and family.

Unlocking market potential requires targeting the uninsured growing middle class in creative ways. In addition to better pricing models, insurtech startups are testing the waters on a host of potential game-changers, such as using deep learning trained artificial intelligence (AI) to handle the tasks of brokers and finding the right mix of policies to complete an individual’s coverage.

Insurtechs are using AI to solve for Kenya’s distribution challenges, by looking at vital consumer needs that have previously been unmet or glossed over. At the same time, there is scope for improving the average consumer’s awareness of artificial intelligence technology, and how they can take advantage of it to solve priority-first issues related to convenience, cost and range of choice.
Nairobi-based Jubilee Insurance, the largest insurer in East Africa is making the most of AI tools like chatbots and automated messaging platforms for streamlining simple customer feedback & support operations. They have also launched forward-thinking products like “Recover in Style” which provides hair and make-up services to Jubilee patients who are hospitalized — services that go beyond the financial needs and into the realm of delivering superior customer experiences.

These efforts highlight a trend pointing towards the growing interest in the use of apps to pull policies into one platform for management and monitoring, creating on-demand insurance for micro-events like borrowing a friend’s car, and the adoption of the peer-to-peer models to create customized coverages. Bluewave, for example, is an insurtech startup offering low-cost insurance products, as low as US$4 a week, aimed at low-resource, low-income users in last-mile environments.

The expanding middle class and growth in mobile phone penetrations will be critical to widening distribution and getting more people to buy micro-insurance sized products for the first time. Badalaa is an on-demand insurtech startup focussed on bringing insurance at the point of transaction where the user needs it. Turaco, a recently funded insurtech, with premiums for as little as US$2 — leverages mobile financial services to provide hospital cashback to customers who have sought treatment at any nationally-accredited hospital in the regions where they operate. These innovations further the consumer’s awareness of AI-enabled insurance coverage and protection in general, in an otherwise underpenetrated marketplace.


Bismart is another example — an insurtech aggregator that allows customers to not only buy the best-in-class insurance products but also make claims directly from their portal as well. 

The biggest learnings for young insurtechs in this space from more mature markets, are about getting the basics right – having a single view of the customer, being able to launch rates and change pricing in real-time, offering customers a multichannel experience without requiring them to fill in the same information over and over again, and settling claims quickly without the need for multiple touchpoints.

Demand-driven models, built on sufficiently large data-sets will be instrumental in driving individual customisation at mass-scale for the sector at large.

webinar: AI for data-driven Insurers

Join our Webinar — AI for Data-driven Insurers: Challenges, Opportunities & the Way Forward hosted by our CEO, Parag Sharma as he addresses Insurance business leaders and decision-makers on April 14, 2020.

We help young insurtechs, build and scale AI-driven products and solutions for last-mile environments. Reach out to us on hello@mantralabsglobal.com, to learn more.

Cancel

Knowledge thats worth delivered in your inbox

Sales Applications Are Disrupting More Than Just Sales

Sales success today isn’t about luck or lofty goals—it’s about having the right tools in your team’s hands, wherever they go. Following our earlier in-depth exploration of sales technology, we will now examine how cutting-edge sales apps are becoming the backbone of modern industries, transforming complex workflows into seamless, growth-driving machines.

From retail to healthcare, logistics to real estate, businesses are deploying sales applications to enhance operational transparency, cut redundant tasks, and build intelligent sales ecosystems. These tools are not only digitizing workflows—they’re driving growth, improving engagement, and redefining how field teams operate.

Lead Ecosystems: Unified visibility across channels

One app. Five workflows. Zero friction.

A leading insurance brand relaunched their app—a sleek, powerful sales companion that’s turning everyday agents into top performers.

No more paperwork. More time to sell.

Here’s what changed:

  • Every visit is tagged, tracked, and followed through. Renewals? Never missed. Leads? Fully visible.
  • Attendance and reimbursements went on autopilot. No more manual logs. No more chasing approvals.
  • New business and renewals are tracked in real time, with accurate forecasting that sales leaders can finally trust.
  • Dashboards are clean, configurable, and useful—insights that move the business, not just report on it.
  • Seamless Integrations. API connectivity with Darwin Box, IMD Master Data, and SSO authentication for a unified experience.

The result? A field team that moves faster, sells better, and works smarter.

Retail: Taking Orders from the Frontline—Smartly

Field sales agents in retail, especially FMCG, used to rely on gut instinct. Now, with intelligent sales applications:

  • AI recommends what to upsell or cross-sell based on previous order patterns
  • Real-time stock availability and credit status are visible in the app
  • Geo-fencing ensures optimized route planning
  • Built-in payment collection modules streamline transaction closure

Healthcare: Structuring Sales with Compliance and Precision

Healthcare leaders don’t need more reports—they need better visibility from the field.  Whether it’s engaging hospital networks, onboarding clinics, or enabling diagnostics at the last mile, everything needs precision, compliance, and clarity. 

Mantra Labs helped a leading healthcare enterprise design a sales app that integrates knowledge, compliance, performance, and recognition, turning frontline agents into informed, aligned, and empowered brand advocates. 

Here’s what it delivers:

  • Role-based onboarding that keeps every level of the field force aligned and accountable
  • Escalation mechanisms are built into the system, driving transparency across commissions and performance reviews
  • A centralized Knowledge Hub featuring healthcare news, service updates, and training modules to keep reps well-informed
  • Recognition modules that celebrate milestones, boost morale, and reinforce a culture of excellence

Now, the field agents aren’t just connected—they’re aligned, upskilled, and accountable.

Real Estate: From Cold Calls to Smart Conversions

For real estate agents, timing and personalization are everything. Sales applications are evolving to include:

  • Virtual site tour integration for remote buyers
  • Mortgage and EMI calculators to increase buyer confidence
  • WhatsApp-based lead capture and nurture sequences
  • CRM integration for inventory updates and automatic scheduling

Logistics: From Chaos to Control in Field Coordination

Field agents in logistics are switching from clipboards to real-time command centers on mobile. Modern sales applications offer:

  • Live delivery status and route deviation alerts
  • Automated dispute reporting and issue resolution tracking
  • Fleet coordination through integrated GPS modules
  • Customer feedback capture and SLA dashboards

What’s new & what’s next in Sales Applications?

Here’s what’s pushing the next wave of innovation:

  • Voice-to-Text Logging: Agents dictate notes while on the move.
  • AI-Powered Nudges: Apps that suggest next-best actions based on behavior.
  • Omnichannel Communication: In-app chat, WhatsApp, email—unified.
  • Role-Based Dashboards: Different data views for admins, managers, and field reps.

What does this mean for Business Leaders?

Sales Applications are not just tactical tools. They’re platforms for transformation. With the right design, integrations, and analytics, they:

  • Replace guesswork with intelligence
  • Reduce the cost of delay and manual labor
  • Improve agent accountability and transparency
  • Speed up decision-making across hierarchies

The future of field sales lies in intuitive, AI-driven applications that adapt to every industry’s nuances. At Mantra Labs, we work closely with enterprises to custom-build sales applications that align with business objectives and ground-level realities.

Conclusion: 

If your agents still rely on Excel trackers and daily call reports, it’s time to reimagine your sales operations. Let us help you bring your field operations into the future—with tools that are fast, field-tested, and built for scale.

Cancel

Knowledge thats worth delivered in your inbox

Loading More Posts ...
Go Top
ml floating chatbot