Exciting updates from First Connect;
As insurance risks become increasingly complicated and carrier appetites fragment, a crucial initial step in the placement process has devolved into a less efficient task. Throughout the industry, appetite research and alignment have traditionally been conducted in a dispersed manner, often resulting in a chaotic and manual process, with underwriting guidelines scattered across various PDF files, broker guides, portals, and internal documents.
With the rise in risk complexity and the evolution of business models, the insurance industry is now poised to incorporate more flexible, AI-driven methods that align with modern operational practices. First Connect, a forward-thinking digital insurance marketplace that connects independent agents with carriers and MGAs, has unveiled its latest innovation: the AI-driven Appetite Finder. This tool allows agents to discover new and more precise carrier matches while assessing carrier appetite through conversational, natural language queries.
A New Tool for Profitable Growth
Integrated directly into the First Connect platform, the AI Appetite Finder utilizes conversational AI to enable agents to articulate risks using everyday language, receiving swift, carrier-aligned appetite guidance. After a successful beta test, the product is now accessible to First Connect agents.
For carriers, the AI Appetite Finder is a powerful mechanism for driving profitable growth. By presenting carrier appetite to agents at the optimal moment for specific risks, this tool helps insurers secure better-aligned submissions, minimize underwriting friction, and enhance bind ratios. Early alignment fosters sustainable growth for carriers while preserving underwriting discipline.
Insights from Appetite Discovery: Supported by Industry Research
According to First Connect’s 2025 State of the Industry Report, a significant number of independent agents continue to face challenges in grasping carrier appetite, particularly for risks that fall outside standard categories. The report indicates that 71% of agents struggle with understanding carrier appetites, while 86% encounter issues with product availability due to unclear market guidance. These gaps in clarity contribute to higher quote-decline rates and slower placement processes. As increasingly diverse business models and specialized exposures emerge, agents often expend valuable time pursuing markets that decline late in the quoting process.
The Appetite Finder from First Connect is specifically designed to streamline these decisions, enabling agents to efficiently filter potential markets before wasting time on unsuitable submissions.
Transitioning to Conversational Intelligence
Unlike traditional methods that force agents to convert real-world risks into predefined dropdowns or codes, the Appetite Finder allows them to describe their clients’ businesses in their own words and pose nuanced follow-up questions all within a single conversational interaction.
Agents can investigate carrier appetite based on required coverage limits, eligibility factors, and underwriting specifics, adjusting assumptions as needed. This adaptability is especially critical for risks that deviate from an agent’s standard offerings, where conventional appetite tools often falter.
Rather than relying on structured integrations or manual data mapping, the AI Appetite Finder interprets existing appetite guidelines, underwriting manuals, and marketing materials in a conversational context. This capability enables carriers to engage more swiftly while enhancing match quality, reducing implementation efforts, and minimizing barriers to adoption.
Additionally, the product is evolving to include real-time indicators that empower agents to make informed market choices. By leveraging signals from recent production activities, the Appetite Finder can offer insights regarding which markets are currently active in writing similar risks, addressing limitations where traditional appetite guidance may be unclear. Collectively, these signals are shifting appetite discovery from static guidelines to a more dynamic understanding of how markets engage with specific segments.
Designed for Real-World Agent Workflows
The Appetite Finder is not only incorporated into the First Connect platform, but it is also crafted to align with the established workflows of agents. The AI enhances decision-making without replacing human judgment or the underwriting review process.
Key features include:
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Intelligent discovery of carriers, highlighting new and previously overlooked markets tailored to specific risk profiles.
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Natural language queries that free agents from rigid classification codes and harmonize multiple classification systems, including NAICS, SIC, NCCI, GL ISO, and custom carrier classes.
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Automatic mapping to the most relevant classification codes across various systems, improving match precision.
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Multi-step conversational capabilities that encourage follow-up inquiries and deeper exploration of the market.
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Carrier-neutral guidance that presents options without favoring specific markets.
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Secure, platform-native AI that ensures sensitive data remains within First Connect.
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Direct integration with First Connect’s comprehensive rating and submission processes.
“First Connect’s AI Appetite Finder is an invaluable tool in our agency’s arsenal,” said David Rusk, Managing Partner at Alger Rusk Insurance LLC. “It quickly identifies carrier risk appetite, significantly speeding up the policy issuance process. Beyond the initial search, it often unveils new carrier opportunities for other risks we are managing. This tool has been crucial for expanding our market reach and driving efficient growth for our agency.”
An Operational Response to a Flawed Process
“As independent agencies increase their market share and carriers adopt more selective practices, the cost of inefficient appetite discovery continues to escalate,” remarked Aviad Pinkovezky, CEO of First Connect. “AI Appetite Finder enhances efficiency for both sides of the marketplace. Agents receive clearer guidance sooner, while carriers are positioned before the right risks at the optimal time—fostering profitable growth through tightly aligned submissions.
What makes this development particularly impactful is its accessibility. Carriers can participate with the appetite materials they already maintain, avoiding the need for complex integrations. By merging conversational AI with the industry’s existing underwriting expertise, we’re improving—not replacing—the tools that the market depends upon, thus propelling the entire distribution ecosystem to operate more swiftly and confidently.”
Crafted for Trust, Security, and Neutrality
The Appetite Finder is designed to operate fully within the First Connect platform using enterprise-grade AI services. Agent inquiries and risk details are kept confidential, ensuring data protection. This transparency also benefits the carriers, as their appetite is accurately and consistently represented, reducing misaligned submissions and fostering more predictable underwriting outcomes.
The tool is intentionally designed to remain neutral across the marketplace. The Appetite Finder does not show favoritism towards carriers based on business relationships, thereby reinforcing trust among all platform users.
