From quiet validation to a rapid scale, Roneel Kumar’s closely knit team is building broker technology with discipline and intention.

When Folio was named the 2025 ANZIIF New Zealand Insurtech Startup of the Year, it marked a significant turning point for the start-up founded in 2020 by Roneel Kumar and Alastar Monk.

“It was really meaningful for us,” says Kumar. “We weren’t sitting there expecting that we would win. We were there to support the industry and support other people we knew were up for awards.”

In the relentless pace of today’s Insurtech, the award offered something rare: a pause. “It gave our team a moment to sit back and look at each other and go, ‘Hey, what we’ve built is something quite cool,’” says Kumar.

For Folio, the recognition marked the moment the business transitioned from a startup to a scale-up.

This inaugural series podcast episode of Covered By ANZIIF: Technical, starts with Roneel Kumar, Folio CEO and co-founder explaining what Folio does.

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