As we dive into the transformative world of insurance technology, I’m thrilled to sit down with Bobbie Shrivastav, CEO of Solvrays, and David Shaw, CEO of Penn River, to discuss their groundbreaking partnership. Solvrays is at the forefront of AI-powered workflow orchestration, while Penn River offers a cutting-edge, cloud-native platform for life and annuity policy administration. Together, they’re tackling persistent challenges in back-office operations with innovative automation tools. In this conversation, we’ll explore how their collaboration is streamlining processes, reducing friction, and paving the way for insurers to focus on growth and customer experience. Let’s get started.
How did Solvrays identify the need for AI-driven solutions in insurance back-office operations, and what’s the core mission behind your technology?
At Solvrays, we saw that many insurance carriers were stuck with outdated, manual processes, especially in back-office tasks like correspondence generation. These systems often led to delays, errors, and frustrated teams who couldn’t scale with demand. Our mission is to eliminate that friction using AI. We’ve built tools like PulseGene, our orchestration engine, to automate workflows intelligently, and DocuGene, which streamlines document creation. Our goal is to free up insurers to focus on innovation and customer needs rather than getting bogged down by repetitive tasks.
Can you walk us through how PulseGene and DocuGene work together to solve specific pain points in life and annuity operations?
Absolutely. PulseGene is the brain behind our automation—it uses AI to manage workflows, route tasks, run compliance checks, and handle approvals seamlessly. Think of it as a conductor ensuring everything moves in sync. DocuGene, on the other hand, focuses on correspondence. It generates letters, statements, and disclosures dynamically based on policy events or rules, cutting out manual effort. Together, they tackle inefficiencies like slow document turnaround and error-prone processes, making operations smoother and more reliable.
Why was Penn River the right partner for Solvrays to bring this vision to life?
Penn River stood out because of their modern, cloud-native platform and their focus on flexibility for life and annuity carriers. Their low-code environment and strong policy administration system align perfectly with our tools. We knew integrating PulseGene and DocuGene into their platform would create a seamless experience for carriers, letting them adopt AI without overhauling their existing setups. Plus, we share a common goal of speeding up processes and improving accuracy for insurers.
Turning to Penn River, can you share what makes your platform unique in supporting life and annuity products?
Our platform is built from the ground up to be cloud-native and highly configurable. We provide carriers with a low-code environment that lets them design and launch complex life and annuity products quickly without heavy IT involvement. It’s all about reducing the total cost of ownership while maintaining agility. We cover the full lifecycle of these products, from setup to administration, and now, with Solvrays’ tools embedded, we’re enhancing areas like correspondence that have historically been a bottleneck.
What were some of the biggest operational hurdles for carriers that led Penn River to seek a partnership like this?
One major issue we kept hearing about was the inefficiency in back-office tasks, especially around policyholder communications. Many carriers relied on manual processes or rigid systems for generating letters and statements, which slowed things down and introduced errors. It was clear we needed a solution to automate and streamline this area. Partnering with Solvrays allowed us to bring their AI-driven orchestration and document tools directly into our platform, addressing these pain points head-on for our clients.
How does embedding Solvrays’ automation tools enhance the day-to-day experience for carriers using your platform?
It’s a game-changer. With tools like DocuGene integrated into our workflows, carriers can generate correspondence in real time based on specific policy events or rules—no more waiting or manual input. PulseGene adds another layer by automating routing and approvals, ensuring everything stays compliant. This means faster turnaround times, fewer mistakes, and ultimately, a better experience for both the carrier’s staff and their policyholders.
Can either of you share a practical example of how this partnership speeds up a specific process for a carrier?
Let me jump in here. Imagine a carrier needs to send out updated policy statements after a regulatory change. Normally, this could take days or weeks—someone has to update templates, pull data, and get approvals. With our integrated solution, DocuGene automatically generates the updated statements using standardized templates, while PulseGene routes them for quick compliance checks. What used to take days can now happen in hours, reducing stress and ensuring policyholders get timely, accurate information.
How does this collaboration help carriers manage operational risks in their back-office functions?
Operational risk often comes from human error or inconsistent processes. By automating correspondence with standardized templates and version control through DocuGene, we drastically cut down on mistakes. PulseGene adds built-in compliance checks and approvals, so nothing slips through the cracks. This creates a more predictable, reliable system that carriers can trust, lowering the chances of costly errors or regulatory issues.
What do you see as the broader impact of this partnership on the insurance industry in the coming years?
We believe this partnership sets a new standard for how back-office operations should work in insurance. By showing that AI-driven automation can integrate seamlessly with existing systems, we’re paving the way for carriers to modernize without disruption. In the coming years, we expect to see efficiency gains ripple across the industry, freeing up resources for innovation and better customer experiences. It’s about shifting the focus from manual grind to strategic growth.
Looking ahead, what is your forecast for the role of AI in transforming insurance operations?
I think AI is only going to become more central to insurance operations. We’re just scratching the surface with workflow automation and correspondence, but the potential is massive—think predictive analytics for claims, personalized customer interactions, and even smarter product design. As carriers get more comfortable with AI, we’ll see it embedded in every layer of the business, driving speed, accuracy, and innovation. The key will be partnerships like ours that make adoption easy and impactful, ensuring the industry keeps pace with technological change.