/Companies

PolicyFly

YC W22

New York City, US · Founded 2018 · 30 employees · 5 known investors

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PolicyFly provides a digital platform for specialty insurance that automates underwriting, policy servicing, and submission management. The platform serves specialty insurance carriers and agents, consolidating previously fragmented processes into a single system.

Also known as Inc. · PolicyFly, Inc.

Founders & leadership· Y Combinator alumni (W22)

PolicyFly was founded in 2018 by Marcel Esser, Michael Fiedel, and Cory Crosland.

MEMarcel Esser
Marcel EsserFounderMarcel Esser is CTO at PolicyFly.
MFMichael Fiedel
Michael FiedelCo-Founder, COOHe also co-founded InsurTech Ohio and Scout InsurTech, building experience in insurance and instech ecosystems.
CCCory Crosland
Cory CroslandFounder
KB
Katerina BegetisEA
AA
Andrew ArmenanteEM, Solutionsformer
KN
Kris NeuharthDirector of Engineeringformer
HC
Hayden ChudyEM, Coreformer

Investors · 5

Also in the syndicate · 1

angel investors

Funding

SEC filings, press & company announcements

Source: company announcements and press reports — follow each round's link for the claim.

Company profile

researched Aug 2026

PolicyFly is a software platform for the specialty and excess & surplus (E&S) insurance market. It positions itself as a "growth platform for specialty insurers," replacing multiple disconnected systems with a single engine that ingests, underwrites and administers submissions. The product is organized into six modules: Capture (digitizing submissions arriving by email, API or an agent-facing portal), Underwrite (an underwriting workbench that enriches submissions with third-party data, supports collaboration and generates quote options with configurable coverages, deductibles and perils), Manage (processing endorsements/MTAs including out-of-sequence changes, with traceability from inception through renewal), Automate (rules- and rating-driven straight-through processing plus automated issuance of documents, certificates, endorsements, tasks and bordereau reports), Measure (reporting on submission queues, bind rates, aggregates and claims-linked risk performance) and Integrate (bringing third-party data in and pushing PolicyFly data to downstream or partner systems).

The company describes its market as the roughly $200B of specialty insurance — lines such as cyber, flood and trucking — that is processed over email between agents and insurers each year, and its stated aim is to connect both parties, automate those workflows and consolidate the resulting data. Lines of business highlighted on the site are transportation, property, liability and cyber. Third-party listings describe PolicyFly as a property and casualty policy management platform with a configurable rating system, document-data ingestion, no-code configuration and API connectivity for real-time pricing and data sharing.

Security claims on the company site include SOC 2 Type II compliance, TLS-only transport, encryption of data at rest and in transit, and two-factor authentication for all users.

Founding story

According to the Y Combinator profile, CEO and co-founder Cory Crosland previously ran a digital product studio, Croscon; after a fourth insurance company asked the studio to build the same custom platform, the team decided to build it as a product, which became PolicyFly.

Business model

PolicyFly sells its platform to specialty insurance organizations — MGAs, MGUs, program administrators, coverholders, syndicates and carriers — as configurable core insurance software covering the policy lifecycle. Sources do not disclose pricing or contract structure.

Not disclosed in the available sources; the company offers a demo-led enterprise software product rather than a publicly listed price.

Traction

PolicyFly stated it had processed over $1B in specialty premium as of its July 2024 seed announcement. The Y Combinator profile lists a team size of 30 and active status. Named customer references on the website include Shepherd Compello Ltd and AssuredPartners, with a customer quote citing submission handling that previously took 20+ minutes being automated to seconds.

Latest developments

Recent company news posts cover a New York Times feature on AI and the future of work referencing PolicyFly, commentary on technology for startup MGAs, and content on attracting trucking submissions; partnerships with Functional Finance and Green Shield Risk Solutions were announced in 2025.

▸Full profile — market position, technology, go-to-market, geography, history, risks & controversies

Market position

Positioned as a modern, unified alternative to fragmented legacy systems and email-based workflows in specialty and E&S insurance; Y Combinator categorizes the company under marketplace, insurance and AI, and a third-party software directory lists it in the insurance management category.

Emphasis on ingesting submissions in any format from any channel without forcing distribution partners onto a portal, combined with rapid customer configurability alongside enterprise-grade core insurance functionality in a single system spanning capture through renewal.

Technology

An AI-powered platform that ingests submissions from any source and format (email, API, agent portal) and extracts data automatically, paired with a configurable rating and rules engine for straight-through processing, an underwriting workbench with third-party data enrichment, endorsement handling including out-of-sequence changes, an analytics/reporting suite, and APIs for downstream integration. The company states SOC 2 Type II compliance, TLS-only access, encryption at rest and in transit, and two-factor authentication.

Go-to-market

Direct, demo-led enterprise sales via the company website, supported by published customer testimonials from specialty insurance firms, a company news/content blog, and partnership announcements with insurance and fintech providers.

Specialty insurance organizations: MGAs, MGUs and program administrators, Lloyd's coverholders, syndicates, and carriers/insurers, plus the agents and brokers that submit business to them. Lines of business served include transportation, property, liability and cyber.

Geography

Headquartered in New York City, New York. Customer testimonials reference UK-based Shepherd Compello Ltd and the Lloyd's market (coverholders, syndicates), indicating activity beyond the US, though sources do not detail office locations outside New York.

History

PolicyFly was founded in 2018 and participated in Y Combinator's Winter 2022 batch. In July 2024 it announced a $7M seed round led by Bain Capital Ventures and said its AI-powered platform for specialty insurers was live, having already processed over $1B in specialty premium. Company news listings show partnerships announced with Functional Finance (February 2025) and Green Shield Risk Solutions (May 2025), along with later posts on trucking underwriting and a New York Times feature referencing the company.

Risks & controversies

No controversies are reported in the available sources. Data limitations include the absence of independent coverage of revenue, customer counts or funding beyond the company's own seed announcement; a third-party software directory listing carries no user reviews.

Compiled by commissioned research from 7 cited public sources — announcements, filings, and press listed under research sources below.

Key figures

latest reported
Addressable specialty insurance processed over email annually (company-stated maJan 2026$200B
HeadcountAug 202621
Security certificationJan 2026SOC 2 Type II compliant
Specialty premium processed on platformJul 2024$1B
Team sizeJan 202630 employees

Company-reported or press-reported figures, each dated to when it was claimed — not independently audited.

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Timeline · 5

launches, deals, and filings
May 2025
PolicyFly partners with Green Shield Risk Solutions

Company news listing announcing a partnership with Green Shield Risk Solutions.

source ↗

Feb 2025
PolicyFly partners with Functional Finance

Company news listing announcing a partnership with Functional Finance.

source ↗

Jul 2024
PolicyFly announces $7M Seed round led by Bain Capital Ventures

PolicyFly announced a $7M Seed round led by Bain Capital Ventures with participation from Y Combinator, Viewpoint, Susa Ventures and angel investors, alongside the general availability of its AI-powered platform for specialty insurers.

$7M source ↗

Jul 2024
AI-powered specialty insurance platform goes live

PolicyFly announced its platform is live, spanning six modules — Capture, Underwrite, Manage, Automate, Measure and Integrate — covering submission ingestion from email, API or agent portal through underwriting, endorsements, straight-through processing, reporting and third-party data integration.

source ↗

Jan 2022
Participated in Y Combinator Winter 2022 batch

PolicyFly is listed as a Y Combinator Winter 2022 batch company, categorized under Marketplace, Insurance and AI.

source ↗

Dated company events from announcements, filings, and press; legal rows summarize public dockets and regulator releases.

Legal entities · 1

corporate structure
PolicyFly, Inc.

▸Research sources · 7

primary sources listed

7 public sources were cited for this profile; the first-party ones are listed here.

Frequently asked questions

What does PolicyFly do?
PolicyFly is a specialty insurance software platform automating submissions, underwriting and policy administration for MGAs and carriers.
Who founded PolicyFly?
PolicyFly was founded by Marcel Esser, Michael Fiedel, Cory Crosland in 2018.
Who are PolicyFly's investors?
PolicyFly's investors include Y Combinator, Bain Capital Ventures, Susa Ventures, VIEWPOINT VENTURES.
Where is PolicyFly headquartered?
PolicyFly is headquartered in New York City, US.