When it comes to scam prevention, few founders have a story as personal—and painful—as Alex Somervell. In this episode, we hear how the CEO and co-founder of AskSilver turned a deeply personal experience into a mission: to help banks detect scams through empathy, human understanding, and smarter tech.
Alex shares the moment that changed everything—when his father was scammed out of most of his life savings. It wasn’t just a fraud case; it was a wake-up call. From navigating police reports to renegotiating rent, Alex lived through the fallout of a scam firsthand. And it showed him how disconnected many detection systems were from the real experiences of victims.
With a background in consumer products and a co-founder he’s worked with since school, Alex set out to build something different. AskSilver is now live with Metro Bank in the UK, analyzing behavior in ways that go beyond rules and scripts.
This episode unpacks that journey: from startup pivots to product validation, and what it really takes to innovate in a space where empathy is as critical as AI.
