Scout InsurTech Interview with botanu

botanu is an AI cost attribution platform that helps insurers understand the real economics of AI. Michael Fiedel sat down with CEO and Co-Founder Alina Vrsaljko to discuss how botanu is giving carriers and brokers visibility into AI workflows, connecting infrastructure spend to outcomes, and helping organizations scale AI with confidence.

Who are your clients?

Our focus for 2026 is working with insurance industry leaders who have already piloted AI and are now moving toward deployment. These are organizations that have two or three live use cases and are starting to see meaningful AI spend. We expect to work with both carriers and brokers, especially those with significant technology budgets where AI costs can represent 10 percent or more of total tech spend. Larger organizations tend to feel the pain more acutely, particularly when moving from pilot to production, where costs can increase dramatically. We are especially relevant for teams that are optimistic about AI but want clarity on where to invest and how to manage growing infrastructure, data and LLM costs.

What does your product do? 

botanu helps companies understand the performance and economics of their AI workflows. We provide a proprietary SDK that tracks end-to-end AI workflows using OpenTelemetry data. That allows us to identify which systems are touched by AI and measure cost and output simultaneously. The result is visibility into unit economics of AI workflows on an outcome basis. This allows clients to measure real business outcomes and the resulting AI cost. In simple terms, we help organizations map their AI investments and understand what is actually delivering value.

How much capital have you raised? 

We are currently raising our pre-seed round from a handful of incredible institutional investors and angels and are very excited to share the setup once it’s formally signed.

Was the company born from within or outside the industry? 

It is a blend. I spent five years at McKinsey working closely with financial services and insurance clients and saw firsthand how quickly they were adopting AI. We also have strong industry guidance, including an advisor who served as an enterprise architect at Guardian Life and works closely with us. The idea emerged from observing real adoption challenges inside insurance organizations rather than approaching the space purely from the outside.

What growth metrics have you accomplished over the last 12 months? 

We began the discovery phase in late 2025,, spending several months speaking with CIOs, attending conferences, and building an advisory network. We both moved full time onto the company in early January 2026, and have been building the MVP at a rapid pace. We currently have multiple active proposals in the market and strong engagement with industry leaders. The early response has validated that there is real demand for tooling that helps organizations manage AI economics.

Within your domain, what is the current challenge that the industry is facing? 

The biggest challenge is managing the transition from AI pilots to scaled deployments. Many organizations underestimate how dramatically costs can rise, sometimes by 500 to 1,000 percent when moving from experimentation to production. CIOs are also dealing with unpredictable cost spikes and limited visibility into which AI initiatives are delivering value. As AI budgets grow, organizations need better forecasting, governance, and performance measurement tools.

How does botanu take a unique approach to providing value? 

We position ourselves as a platform that creates a map of an organization’s AI landscape. Rather than focusing on a single use case, we give companies a holistic view of where AI is driving outcomes and where costs are accumulating. By combining OpenTelemetry, cost data, and output metrics, we provide a clear picture of ROI across workflows. That allows leaders to make more informed decisions about scaling, optimizing, or reallocating AI investments.

What inspired you to start this company? 

I have spent more than a decade working closely with CIOs and have always been passionate about how technology shapes organizations. AI represents a moment where technology is finally at the forefront of driving real operational change. I wanted to build something that helps leaders make the most of that opportunity. The company emerged from listening directly to CIOs about their biggest pain points and realizing there was a clear need for infrastructure that helps them manage AI effectively. I was also drawn to the pace of entrepreneurship and the chance to build something closely aligned with client needs. My co-founder Deborah is the most impressive architect and engineer I’ve worked with to date. Her approach to system design and product development has been impressive to see, and we’re very excited to be launching our product soon and work closely with our clients.

Can you share any goals for the next 12 months? 

We are doubling down on AI - as part of that, we will open a Silicon Valley office and expand our team significantly on the Growth and Engineering side. We’re also planning a launch with other startups in the space to jointly build a knowledge base on what optimized cost and value for companies look like. We want to establish botanu as a recognized player in the AI unit economics space through strong market presence and thought leadership. Operationally, that includes completing key milestones such as SOC 2 readiness and continuing to expand our footprint within the tech ecosystem.

Scout InsurTech Thanks Its Partners