EP 235 – Pivoting Under Pressure Could Be the Secret to Startup Success – Tetiana George – Curium

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Michael Waitze worked in Global Finance for more than 20 years, employed by firms like Citigroup, Morgan Stanley and Goldman Sachs, primarily in Tokyo.  Michael lived and worked in Tokyo from February 1990 until December 2011.  Michael always maintained a particular focus on how technology could be used to make businesses more efficient and to drive P/L growth. Michael is a leader in the digital media space, building one of the biggest and fastest-growing podcast listener bases in the region.  His AsiaTechPodcast.com show has listeners in more than 170 countries and his company, Michael Waitze Media produces some of Asia’s most popular podcasts.

Tetiana is an unconventional creator in the insurance industry understanding the core values of technical excellence while building “new” customer expectations of instant everything. Having lived in 7 countries and worked in over 20, she brings together best in class global experience and practical innovation to solve traditional problems. As part of global management consulting firms, the Boston Consulting Group and Oliver Wyman, Tetiana has advised major insurers across Europe, Asia and Australia. Tetiana believes that the industry will drastically change in the next 5 years.

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In this episode of the Asia InsurTech Podcast, we dive deep into the entrepreneurial journey of Tetiana George, co-founder and CEO of Curium. Tetiana opens up about the challenges of fundraising and why she chose to walk away from investors who offered terms she found restrictive. Instead of being held back by “handcuffs” that limited her vision, Tetiana pivoted Curium by listening to its target market and focusing on compliance automation, a key area that industry players were eager for but hadn’t fully articulated.

This decisive move enabled Curium to stay nimble, build a solution that small insurers and brokers could easily adopt, and ultimately secure a more strategic partnership that aligns with Curium’s long-term goals.

Tetiana’s approach to leadership is equally bold—she’s built a fast-moving, lean team where everyone, regardless of title, contributes to the company’s growth. By fostering a culture of autonomy and deep listening to both customers and employees, Curium has become a compliance powerhouse, with plans to expand globally. In this episode, Tetiana shares hard-earned lessons on staying true to your vision, avoiding bad investor deals, and the critical importance of adapting quickly to market signals.

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