Insurance has often been criticized for being rigid, opaque, and stacked against those who don’t fit into its traditional molds. Migrants, young drivers, and people with limited credit history have long paid the price of systems that didn’t understand their realities. For most of the industry, this was just the way things worked. For Oliver and Alexander Kent-Braham, it was the gap where change had to begin.
The brothers, who co-founded London-based insurtech Marshmallow, have turned that gap into a billion-dollar opportunity. Their mission is deceptively simple but profoundly disruptive: make insurance fairer, smarter, and more inclusive by rewriting how risk is understood.
A Fresh Take on an Old Industry
When Oliver and Alexander launched Marshmallow in 2017, they weren’t the obvious candidates to take on an industry as entrenched as insurance. They were young, outsiders to the insurance establishment, and building at a time when traditional players still held the lion’s share of the market. But what they had was an advantage incumbents lacked: no legacy baggage.
Instead of inheriting outdated systems, they built their own technology stack from scratch. Instead of relying on blunt demographic categories to price risk, they developed proprietary algorithms that looked at a broader, fairer set of data points. Where the industry saw high risk, Marshmallow saw misunderstood customers.
Building Fairness Into the Model
The turning point came with their focus on underserved groups, particularly migrants. Traditional insurers charged migrants significantly higher premiums — often double — not because of actual risk but because legacy models had no way to assess them accurately. Marshmallow flipped the model. By analyzing alternative data and applying advanced underwriting, the company could offer fairer prices without sacrificing profitability.
This ethos of fairness was not just a marketing line. It became Marshmallow’s DNA. The company’s growth exploded as word spread that someone was finally willing to rethink the fundamentals of how insurance judged people.
Scaling Into a Unicorn
By 2021, Marshmallow achieved a milestone that made global headlines: it became the second Black-founded unicorn in the UK, valued at over $1 billion. Investors saw more than growth; they saw proof that inclusivity could scale. The Kent-Braham brothers had created one of Europe’s fastest-growing insurtechs — one that stood shoulder to shoulder with much larger players but differentiated itself by customer trust.
Their success wasn’t just financial. Marshmallow was ranked among the fastest-growing technology companies in the UK and recognized for shaking up an industry long thought resistant to real change. The founders’ ability to blend mission with execution — to build a profitable company while expanding access — positioned them as outliers in the best sense of the word.
Leading With Technology and Humanity
What makes the Kent-Brahams stand out is their refusal to see technology and humanity as separate forces. For them, the algorithm is only as valuable as the fairness it delivers. Their product teams obsess over the customer journey: from onboarding to claims, the experience is designed to feel intuitive, transparent, and human.
They’ve also been intentional about culture. As leaders, Oliver and Alexander emphasize diversity not just in their customer base but inside Marshmallow’s own team. Their hiring practices focus on building a workforce that mirrors the inclusivity they advocate in the market.
Achievements That Speak Volumes
- Unicorn status: Marshmallow’s valuation crossed $1 billion in 2021, making it one of the UK’s most prominent insurtechs.
- Serving underserved groups: Revolutionized how migrants and non-traditional customers access fairer premiums.
- Rapid growth: Consistently ranked among the fastest-growing tech firms in Europe.
- Recognition: Oliver and Alexander were celebrated among the UK’s top young entrepreneurs and featured in global innovation rankings.
The Road Ahead: Global Aspirations
The brothers are far from done. They see Marshmallow not just as a UK success story but as a global challenger brand. With expansion plans into new markets and ambitions to broaden product lines beyond motor insurance, they are building what could become one of the most customer-centric insurance companies of the future.
Their roadmap leans heavily on innovation. From AI-powered underwriting to more personalized risk assessments, Marshmallow is pushing the envelope on how insurance can combine precision with empathy. At the same time, they remain grounded in their founding mission: to treat every customer fairly, no matter their background.
The Kent-Braham brothers embody the new face of insurance leadership: youthful, mission-driven, and unafraid to take on entrenched giants. They’ve shown that you don’t need to inherit decades of experience to make an impact; you need vision, agility, and the courage to rebuild systems that no longer serve people.
For startups, they are a blueprint of how clarity of purpose can power scale. For incumbents, they are a reminder that customers will migrate to companies that truly understand them. And for the insurance industry at large, Oliver and Alexander Kent-Braham stand as proof that fairness and profitability are not opposites — they are the future.
