Insurance Business recently profiled how Upland Specialty Insurance is approaching underwriting transformation with “practical innovation” — focusing on specific workflow pain points and pairing targeted change with disciplined delivery.

Workflow-first, not technology-first

In the article, Doug Alexander describes a straightforward mission: make underwriting teams more effective by reducing manual bottlenecks and improving speed to insight for decision-making. The focus is less about “AI for AI’s sake” and more about what actually holds up in day-to-day underwriting work.

That shows up in two consistent themes throughout the story:

• Operational efficiency: reducing repetitive manual work that slows underwriters down
• Better insight, faster: improving the speed and quality of information used to make decisions

Connecting core systems to streamline analysis

The article also notes how Upland is linking core systems like OneShield with advanced data extraction tools like FurtherAI to streamline underwriting analysis.

(Importantly, this is presented as part of Upland’s broader workflow strategy — connecting systems and reducing friction in how underwriting work gets done.)

A disciplined approach to partners

A notable part of the story is Upland’s discipline in how it evaluates vendors: small proofs of concept, fast validation, and a clear preference for measurable workflow value over broad “one-size-fits-all” promises.

That same discipline is reflected in how Upland described its decision to work with FurtherAI. As Doug Alexander said (in Upland’s announcement of the partnership): “After evaluating several vendors, we chose FurtherAI for its performance, insurance expertise, and partnership approach…”

Read the full story

If you’re thinking about underwriting modernization, the Insurance Business piece is a useful snapshot of what workflow-first transformation can look like in practice.