In this episode of the Insurtech Leadership Podcast, host Joshua Hollander speaks with Ali Azhar, Chief Business Development Officer at Hover, a leading prop-tech and insurtech company leveraging advanced AI and 3D spatial data to streamline property assessments and claims processes.
Ali shares his remarkable personal journey—from childhood entrepreneurial efforts driven by "altruistic capitalism" to founding and scaling tech companies, including ScholarshipExperts.com , and his pivot into software sales following an impactful business failure. His candid reflections offer valuable insights into resilience, reinvention, and leadership.
Ali also explains Hover’s groundbreaking technology, initially developed from military-inspired photogrammetry, and details how contractors "Trojan-horsed" Hover into the insurance industry. With over 10 million properties modeled, Hover's innovative approach significantly improves accuracy, reduces manual errors, and supports digital transformation across insurance and construction.
In This Episode:
[02:19] Ali’s entrepreneurial roots and how overcoming business failure led to career reinvention.
[11:33] Hover’s unique technology origin story and entry into the insurance market.
[20:37] Why user experience and adjuster adoption are central to Hover’s growth.
[22:40] Hover’s aggressive investment in innovation—allocating 50% of revenue to R&D.
[25:33] The evolution of Hover’s interior claims automation from challenging beginnings to industry-leading solution.
[29:39] Critical advice for insurtech startups: Be an innovation partner, not just a vendor.
Notable Quotes:
“Insurance carriers are not technology businesses—they’re risk aversion experts. We have to meet them where they are.” [32:49]
“The thing that always helped separate me from anyone else was I was willing to do more than what was asked.” [00:08:55]
“Our bread and butter has been the exterior scoping solution. Over 10 years, we've modeled over 10 million properties.” [00:23:14]
About Our Guest:
Ali Azhar is a sales and business development leader with a proven track record of driving exponential revenue growth at companies like HOVER, GoodData, and MongoDB. A serial entrepreneur, he co-founded ventures like ScholarshipExperts.com and Velocity Athletics. Known for scaling teams, adding thousands of customers, and executing high-impact strategies, Ali combines hands-on startup experience with corporate leadership. He holds a degree in Management and Marketing from the University of North Florida and champions "altruistic capitalism" in business.
Resources:
Ali Azhar
https://www.linkedin.com/in/aazhar/
https://hover.to/
Josh Hollander
https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshuarhollander/
https://www.horton-usa.com/
https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/insurtech-leadership-show/?viewAsMember=true
https://www.insurtechassociation.org/
https://innsure.org/