In this installment of our ongoing advisor spotlight series, we sat down with Nick Rockwell, strategic advisor to Stitch, long-time consultant to carriers and TPAs, and a sharp observer of what it takes to turn emerging tech into real results.
At Stitch Studio, we believe that AI in insurance must be explainable, governable, and integrated not just technically, but culturally. Our approach is guided by real industry insight from the people who’ve lived the complexity of modern insurance operations.
Watch the full interview here:
Nick’s first impression of Stitch was grounded in speed and execution.
“I saw solutions coming together faster than I'd ever seen before and without requiring insurers to rip out or replace what they were already using.”
As a longtime consultant in group benefits and insurance operations, Nick has seen his fair share of AI pilots, SaaS rollouts, and half-baked “transformations.” What stood out about Stitch wasn’t just the technology, it was the ability to connect previously siloed processes and make change cross-functional.
“It’s one thing to drive impact in underwriting,” he says. “It’s another to connect that impact to quoting, claims, billing — and Stitch does that.”
According to Nick, Stitch isn’t boxed in by the limits of traditional software models — and that’s a good thing.
“They’re not a rigid SaaS platform that takes years and seven-figure budgets to stand up. But they’re also not just solving one thing. Stitch straddles that divide with a platform that can start small or scale broadly.”
This flexibility allows carriers and brokers to engage in a way that fits their operations — whether they want to solve one problem today or lay out a roadmap for agent-based transformation over time.
Nick notes that many insurers come into conversations with Stitch assuming they’ll need to overhaul their operations to adopt AI. But what they find instead is a solution that adapts to their context.
“You’ve got some carriers with AI roadmaps and internal teams. Others just want to solve a specific problem. Stitch meets both. You can build your own agents, tailor the logic, and start with what matters most.”
It’s this ability to plug into existing systems — and build context-aware, customized solutions — that gives Stitch staying power in a landscape full of overpromises.
Nick sees massive opportunity in the voluntary benefits space, where Stitch can help streamline the full insurance lifecycle — from front-end quoting and census intake to back-end billing and claims triage.
“You’ve got three customers: employees, employers, and brokers. Stitch supports all three — not with off-the-shelf modules, but with AI Agents that can be extended and adapted in real-time.”
This model doesn’t just improve speed and accuracy — it enables better collaboration across functions and channels. And when needed, Stitch’s agent framework allows for the creation of microagents — small, specialized components that solve for a single task and can be reused across systems.
Nick describes Stitch’s core strength as solving for what he calls “the last mile” — the friction between new technology and real operations.
“Most platforms transform 80-90% of a workflow. But that last 10%? It gets done manually. Multiply that across systems, and suddenly teams are managing inefficiencies — not outcomes.”
Stitch targets those manual gaps with agentic AI that’s fast, contextual, and customizable — bringing real-time efficiency to areas like claims triage, where manual reviews often create bottlenecks.
“We’ve taken 72-hour processes and brought them down to minutes. That’s not just automation — it’s automation with context.”
Nick’s work with Stitch is a reflection of his broader belief: the insurance industry doesn’t need more tech for tech’s sake. It needs AI that works with its people, within its systems, and toward its unique regulatory needs.
“Stitch isn’t a black box. It’s a builder’s platform for actuaries, brokers, underwriters, and claims leaders who want to control how they modernize.”