Janthana Kaenprakhamroy’s journey into the world of insurtech is nothing short of extraordinary. She began her career in investment banking, working with renowned firms like JP Morgan and Deutsche Bank. But her path was far from conventional. Arriving in the UK with just £300 and limited English skills, Janthana always believed in creating opportunities when none existed. This mindset played a key role in her shift to the insurtech space. In 2016, a personal challenge while trying to get flexible insurance as an Airbnb host led her to an important realization—millions of freelancers, gig workers, and microbusinesses faced similar struggles.
Janthana Kaenprakhamroy | Chief Executive Officer | Tapoly
This sparked the idea for Tapoly, a digital on-demand insurance platform designed to meet the unique needs of the self-employed and those typically underserved by traditional insurance companies. At EliteX, we are proud to have Janthana Kaenprakhamroy as part of the edition: 05 Impactful Insurtech Leaders in 2025.
Tapoly wasn’t born from a desire to chase trends. It was created from real frustration. When Janthana listed her flat on Airbnb and couldn’t find suitable short-term insurance, it opened her eyes to a much larger issue. Traditional insurers often overlook or fail to support people working outside conventional employment models. Self-employed individuals and small businesses are usually left with rigid policies, high premiums, and outdated systems. With Tapoly, Janthana set out to change this narrative. She aimed to make insurance fair, transparent, flexible, and powered by cutting-edge technology like AI and automation. Her mission has been clear from the start—to ensure that insurance becomes simple, affordable, and available to everyone, regardless of background or business size.
“Tapoly wasn’t born from chasing trends—it was created from real frustration.”
The problem Tapoly is trying to solve is one that has long plagued the industry: accessibility. Most insurers focus on big businesses or standard employment models, leaving gig workers, freelancers, and micro-SMEs behind. Their needs are different, and so should be the solutions. Tapoly steps in to fill this gap with tailored, on-demand insurance covering over 700 professions. It’s not just about providing insurance; it’s about enabling other insurers to serve this often-ignored customer base through Tapoly’s Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) platform. The technology behind it reduces manual work, accelerates processes, and introduces insurance to new audiences through embedded solutions that are accessible in real-time.
What sets Tapoly apart from traditional insurance models is its complete rethinking of how insurance works—from pricing to claims to user experience. The company blends B2C on-demand coverage with a white-label SaaS platform for brokers and insurers. Everything from underwriting and referrals to issuing policies and handling claims is automated. This drastically lowers costs and speeds up delivery. Unlike conventional systems, Tapoly offers instant coverage with custom policies and real-time pricing that reflect the actual risk, not just general categories. It’s a total transformation of insurance infrastructure, not just a digital front-end.
Technology is at the core of Tapoly’s success. Through the use of AI and machine learning, the company has managed to automate underwriting and cut down claims processing time by more than 30%, with a target of reaching 90%. A major innovation was the AI chatbot launched in 2020, which helped reduce customer response times by 40% and made onboarding much easier for first-time users. Tapoly’s APIs also allow partners to embed insurance into their own systems, making the product available exactly when and where users need it. For customers, this creates a faster, simpler, and more user-friendly experience—especially for those who previously found insurance confusing or hard to access.
Building an AI-powered insurance solution was no easy task, especially with limited resources. One of the toughest challenges was developing scalable tech tools without relying too heavily on external vendors. But Tapoly had an edge—it was already a fully regulated digital Managing General Agent (MGA) with underwriting experience. That knowledge was used to build intelligent systems from the ground up. Winning two Innovate UK grants was a turning point. These grants allowed Tapoly to build the UK’s first AI-powered end-to-end insurance platform. It was a big achievement, showing that the company’s vision was not just needed, but also supported by the innovation ecosystem.
Among many proud moments in her journey, Janthana is especially proud of turning Tapoly into a multi-award-winning company that now supports over 60,000 users. From being one of the first in the UK to offer on-demand insurance to freelancers and gig workers, Tapoly has grown into a trusted platform partnered with over 40 global insurers and brokers. Winning the Innovator of the Year award at the UK FinTech Awards 2023, and the “Made in the UK, Sold to the World” Award in 2024, are strong validations of the company’s impact and leadership in insurtech.
“Innovation doesn’t mean cutting corners—it means creating smart, responsible solutions that keep the customer’s needs front and center.”
Janthana believes that insurtech is changing how people see insurance altogether. In the next five years, she sees insurance becoming a built-in, seamless part of digital life. Thanks to AI, policies will be more personalized, claims will be handled in real time, and buying insurance will feel less like a chore and more like a natural part of everyday transactions. Insurance will no longer be something people buy separately—it will be embedded into the apps and platforms they already use, becoming smarter and more intuitive over time.
Inclusivity is a key part of Tapoly’s mission. The platform was specifically built to serve those left behind—freelancers, gig workers, and small business owners who couldn’t afford or access traditional insurance. Tapoly’s bite-sized, pay-as-you-go coverage models mean users only pay for what they need, when they need it. Pricing is based on real-time data, not broad generalizations, making it fairer and more affordable. Tapoly also works with global partners to ensure digital inclusion and offer protection for people at all income levels.
Trust and privacy are major pillars in how Tapoly operates. While the company uses advanced AI tools, it ensures that data is protected and processes are transparent. Tapoly adheres to strict compliance standards and regularly audits its systems. Innovation doesn’t mean cutting corners—instead, it means creating smart, responsible solutions that keep the customer’s needs front and center. That’s why Tapoly builds privacy into its systems from day one and always communicates openly about how data is used.
While Janthana believes that AI and machine learning won’t entirely replace traditional insurance, she sees them reshaping it completely. Core functions like underwriting and claims will increasingly rely on data and automation. However, human oversight and empathy will still be essential. The future, as she sees it, is a hybrid model—technology will bring speed and efficiency, while human judgment will ensure fairness and trust. Tapoly is already building toward this balanced future.
For Tapoly, working with traditional insurers and regulators is a must, not an option. The company doesn’t aim to replace existing players but to support and modernize them. By partnering with established insurers, Tapoly helps these firms reach new customer segments they couldn’t serve efficiently before. On the regulatory side, Janthana and her team make it a point to engage early and often. Their approach is to help shape smart regulation that encourages innovation while keeping consumers protected.
To entrepreneurs stepping into insurtech, Janthana offers simple but powerful advice: solve real problems. She emphasizes staying focused on customer needs, understanding the complex regulatory space, and being patient. Building trust takes time, and in the insurance world, compliance is as important as innovation. She also highlights the importance of surrounding yourself with the right team. Insurance innovation isn’t a quick sprint—it’s a long journey that needs resilience, collaboration, and clarity of purpose.
Looking ahead, 2025 is shaping up to be a big year for Tapoly. The company is set to launch the next generation of its AI-powered SaaS platform for brokers and insurers. This new version will include smarter AI underwriting tools, built-in claims triage, and real-time analytics. It’s also expanding its embedded insurance capabilities across the UK, North America, and Asia. This means digital platforms will soon be able to offer personalized insurance exactly when and where users need it—at checkout, during onboarding, or even as part of digital service bundles.
“Insurance will no longer be something you buy—it’ll be something that’s built in and smarter.”
Through it all, Janthana Kaenprakhamroy remains focused on a single vision: making insurance work for everyone. By blending personal experience with technological innovation, she has created a platform that not only fills a gap in the market but also sets a new standard for what insurance can and should be.
