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Centinel
Techstars '24Chicago, US · Founded 2022 · 7 employees on LinkedIn · 1 known investors
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Centinel offers parametric insurance that provides automatic payouts to businesses when power outages exceed a set trigger duration. It uses modeling, real-time data, and risk management to monitor outage risk and protect revenue and operations, currently working through select partners.
Also known as YourCentinel
Investors · 1
How we know: the Techstars portfolio · open dataset · Top 3000 Accelerator Startups (no YC) 2026-08 · open dataset · 5k.vc investor directory · Not right? Tell us
Company profile
researched Sep 2026Centinel is a US insurtech founded in 2022 by Soton Rosanwo that provides parametric coverage for risks that are difficult to insure through standard property-and-casualty products. Rather than assessing the level of damage a policyholder suffers, Centinel writes coverage against defined parameters: if the specified event occurs, such as a power outage lasting a set duration in the policyholder's location, the pre-agreed payout is issued. Coverage areas described by the company span infectious diseases, interrupted utilities, climate change and event cancellations.
The company's platform uses an AI-assisted tool to help policyholders identify relevant risks and select coverage, and presents personalized coverage terms in plain language. After a policy is activated, Centinel scans real-time databases to determine whether the insured parameter has been triggered and, if so, sends payment automatically without a claims process.
Centinel's public content is oriented toward small businesses, covering topics such as worsening power outages, hurricane-season preparedness, changes to federal disaster relief, and the return on immediate payouts, alongside programs for independent insurance agencies and small-business giveaways.
Founding story
Soton Rosanwo worked in media, e-commerce, consulting and insurance, handling operations, marketing and organizational design. In 2018 she moved from a case team leader role at a global management consultancy to a strategy and innovation position at a national insurance company, where she observed that many everyday risks are not covered, or are very difficult to cover, under standard property-and-casualty insurance. Believing that the growing availability of data could close these gaps, she founded Centinel in 2022.
Business model
Centinel sells parametric insurance coverage in which payouts are triggered by the occurrence of predefined parameters rather than by assessed losses, removing the claims process. Policyholders choose a payout amount tied to a defined event, such as an outage of specified duration.
Latest developments
During 2025 the company announced an exclusive partnership with SnapRefund (June 2025), launched a founding agency program for independent insurance agencies (July 2025), co-hosted a Demo Lounge webinar with Cayalyit (October 2025), and ran a small-business giveaway announced in November 2025 with winners named later that month.
▸Full profile — market position, technology, go-to-market, geography, history
Market position
Positioned as a parametric alternative for hard-to-insure exposures that traditional property-and-casualty insurance does not adequately cover, spanning infectious diseases, interrupted utilities, climate change and event cancellations.
Technology
An AI-powered tool helps prospective policyholders identify and acquire coverage for relevant risks and generates personalized coverage terms in plain language. Once a policy is active, the platform continuously scans real-time databases to detect whether an insured parameter has occurred and triggers automatic payment when it has.
Go-to-market
Centinel works with independent insurance agencies, including a "Founding Agency" program, and runs partnership and outreach activity such as an exclusive partnership with SnapRefund, a joint Demo Lounge webinar with Cayalyit, and a small-business giveaway campaign.
Consumers and businesses in the United States, with public content and programs aimed particularly at small businesses, including restaurants and hospitality operators, as well as independent insurance agencies.
Geography
Operations are focused on the United States, with stated ambitions to expand into additional risk categories and geographies over time.
History
Centinel was founded in 2022 by Soton Rosanwo and has been supported by the Northwestern Mutual Black Founder Accelerator powered by gener8tor.
Compiled by commissioned research from 8 cited public sources — announcements, filings, and press listed under research sources below.
Key figures
latest reportedCompany-reported or press-reported figures, each dated to when it was claimed — not independently audited.
Timeline · 5
launches, deals, and filingsCentinel launched a giveaway campaign for small businesses; winners were announced on 2025-11-20.
Centinel announced a joint Demo Lounge webinar with Cayalyit.
Centinel promoted a Founding Agency program offering exclusive perks to independent insurance agencies that partner with it.
Centinel and payments company SnapRefund announced an exclusive partnership.
Centinel is a startup supported by the Northwestern Mutual Black Founder Accelerator powered by gener8tor.
Dated company events from announcements, filings, and press; legal rows summarize public dockets and regulator releases.
▸Research sources · 8
primary sources listed
- YourCentinel | Explore Industry Insights Todayyourcentinelblog.com · web
8 public sources were cited for this profile; the first-party ones are listed here.
Frequently asked questions
- What does Centinel do?
- Insurtech offering parametric, claims-free coverage that pays out automatically when defined risks such as power outages occur.
- Who are Centinel's investors?
- Centinel's investors include Techstars.
- Where is Centinel headquartered?
- Centinel is headquartered in Chicago, US.