Dorothy

Dorothy is a technology company founded by Arianna Armelli, an architect and urban planner, initially to rebuild flood-zone mapping using machine learning, artificial intelligence and satellite imagery. Its original aim was to let property owners, homebuyers and insurers assess whether a property sits in a flood-prone area more accurately and more frequently than FEMA's published flood maps, which Armelli argued are updated too slowly to keep pace with development. The company reported that its model reconstructed flood damage from 2017's Hurricane Harvey about 60 percent more accurately than FEMA maps in three key locations, and its own research indicated that 75 percent of damages from the five most recent hurricanes fell outside FEMA flood zone boundaries.

During the COVID-19 period the company shifted toward a financial product. As described by co-founders Arianna Armelli (CEO) and Claudio Angrigiani, Dorothy provides immediate cash to residential property owners and small businesses that have suffered damage-causing events and are waiting on insurance claim payouts, positioning itself as a funding option for applicants who cannot obtain traditional loans or financing. More recent descriptions of the company frame it as using data, machine learning and AI to identify properties affected by storms of varying type and size, and to work with public adjusters, legal services and restoration companies so that property owners are supported through claim filing and rebuilding.

Founding story

Armelli grew up in the Bronx, New York, and volunteered in the Rockaways after Hurricane Sandy in 2012, removing damaged drywall from flooded homes. Residents repeatedly told her that their homeowner's insurance did not cover flooding, that they had not known they were uncovered, and that FEMA aid would take months to arrive. After Hurricane Harvey hit Houston in 2017 — with reports that roughly 80 percent of the damage fell outside FEMA flood zones, and with Houston's most recent FEMA flood map dating from 2008 — she committed to the problem full time. She enrolled at the University of Pennsylvania's Weitzman School of Design, from which she graduated, and founded Dorothy in July 2018. The company is named after the Wizard of Oz protagonist whose life is upended by a natural disaster.

Business model

Dorothy provides capital to property owners and small businesses affected by disaster events, advancing money against expected insurance claim proceeds, and offers access to its flood maps and insurance purchasing to homebuyers. It is frequently the only option for customers who cannot qualify for traditional loans or financing.

In 2019 the company was pre-revenue and planned to build a product for the insurance market to sell to large- and small-scale property owners, buyers and insurance companies. Its later model centers on providing immediate funding to claimants awaiting insurance payouts.

Traction

Five employees and pre-revenue as of August 2019; a direct-to-consumer product launched by January 2022; participation in the Pennovation Accelerator, SXSW and multiple startup competitions; and disclosed financings of $1.8 million (seed, January 2022) and $650,000 (April 2025).

Latest developments

A $650,000 round was reported in April 2025, and the company is described as working with public adjusters, legal services and restoration companies to support property owners through claim filing and rebuilding.