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At our 2025 offsite, we had the rare privilege of hosting Scott Stephenson, former Chairman, President, and CEO of Verisk, for a candid fireside chat with our CEO, Attila Toth.

More than a guest speaker, Scott has been a mentor to our founders and a steady source of insight and encouragement on our journey. 

Over two decades, he led Verisk through extraordinary growth: doubling revenue, quadrupling market cap, and shaping one of the most respected analytics companies in the world. Named one of Forbes’ Most Admired CEOs, Scott helped define the modern insurance ecosystem.

But what stayed with our team long after the session wasn’t the accolades. It was his clarity, humility, and deep conviction that great companies aren’t defined by vision—they’re defined by execution.

Here are three takeaways that stuck with us:

Trust is a survival skill

Scott opened with the story of the 1949 Mann Gulch wildfire, where only 3 of 16 elite smokejumpers made it out alive. The team leader lit an escape fire and lay down inside it. He shouted for the others to follow, but no one did.

“They were a team on paper,” Scott said, “but they’d never trained together. They didn’t trust each other enough to act as one.”

The lesson? In high-stakes environments, technical talent means little without trust. Success depends on how quickly and cohesively a team can move together.

Thinking isn’t doing

Smart teams often confuse planning with progress. As Scott put it:

“Thinking about something, even deeply—and talking about it with others—feels like you’re doing the work. But you’re not.”

Insight without execution is just potential energy. The companies that thrive aren’t the ones with the most ideas; they’re the ones that ship, iterate, and improve with discipline.

Leadership is a mindset

Scott began his career as an engineer. Leadership wasn’t on his radar—until curiosity led him to explore it. His message: leadership isn’t a job title, and it’s not reserved for MBAs. It belongs to those who take responsibility, act with principle, and stay grounded in reality.

Why it mattered

Scott didn’t come to ZestyAI to celebrate the past. He came to challenge us. To remind us that in an industry facing rising losses, regulatory pressure, and rapid change, progress isn’t driven by buzzwords or strategy decks. It’s driven by clarity, trust, and the discipline to do the hard work.

That message hit home. As we scale ZestyAI, our ambition isn’t just to innovate; it’s to lead with purpose. To build the new standard for risk analytics. One that helps insurers price with precision, expand access to coverage, and strengthen the resilience of entire communities.

ZestyAI, the leading provider of AI-driven risk analytics for the property and casualty insurance industry, today announced it has secured a $15 million credit facility from CIBC Innovation Banking.

The facility enhances ZestyAI’s financial flexibility and reinforces its strong balance sheet as the company scales adoption of its climate and property risk models, delivering over 31 million property risk assessments in 2024, more than double the volume from 2023, and on pace to exceed 50 million in 2025.

“We’ve built ZestyAI with long-term discipline and a clear mission: to help insurers navigate changing risks with confidence,” said Attila Toth, Founder and CEO of ZestyAI.

“As demand for trusted, property-level risk insights continues to grow, this capital infusion enables ZestyAI to further invest in supporting this rapid growth and become the industry standard for property risk analytics."

Strengthening ZestyAI’s Position for Rapid Growth

Capital that supports scale, product expansion, and customer demand

“ZestyAI is addressing a critical need in the insurance industry with its AI-powered approach to property and climate risk,” said Sean Thompson, Managing Director, California Market Manager at CIBC Innovation Banking.

“We’re proud to support ZestyAI’s next phase of growth as it continues expanding its platform and deepening its impact across the insurance ecosystem.”

ZestyAI’s footprint has expanded rapidly across the insurance landscape, with growing adoption among admitted carriers, MGAs, the E&S market, FAIR Plans, and public-private partnerships. Over the past year, the company secured 33 new and expanded customer partnerships, including 26 brand-new clients, and launched four new products.

Accelerating Regulatory Momentum Nationwide

This growth has been matched by accelerating regulatory traction. ZestyAI’s AI-driven models for wildfire, severe convective storms, and non-weather water damage have now been approved in over 50 regulatory filings nationwide, with recent approvals in Texas, Colorado, Ohio, Georgia, Connecticut, Michigan, North Carolina, Louisiana, and Oklahoma.

Recently reviewed by the California Department of Insurance (CDI) in the rate application process, Z-FIRE™, ZestyAI’s wildfire model, can continue to be filed for rate segmentation and underwriting without further review under the Pre-Application Required Information Determination (PRID) process, effective January 2, 2025.

Fueling a Mission to Expand Access to Coverage

Built at the intersection of property data, climate science, and AI, ZestyAI’s platform delivers precise, parcel-level risk insights that help insurers strengthen underwriting, price accurately, optimize inspections, and expand coverage, especially in catastrophe-prone regions. In 2024, ZestyAI helped carriers and insurers of last resort extend coverage to over 511,000 properties previously deemed uninsurable, advancing its mission to protect the livelihoods of homeowners, business owners, and their communities.

As Colorado’s HB 1182 introduces new requirements for wildfire risk transparency and mitigation recognition, ZestyAI is helping insurers comply with proven, mitigation-ready solutions.

What HB 1182 Requires from Insurers

Recently signed into law, HB 1182 requires insurers to disclose how wildfire risk models impact rates, account for property- and community-level mitigation efforts, notify policyholders annually of their risk scores and available discounts, and provide a clear appeals process for disputed scores.

The new regulations take effect July 1, 2026, across homeowners and condo policies, including admitted carriers and the FAIR Plan.

Carriers need to move early to ensure their risk models, rating plans, and customer communications meet the law’s requirements. ZestyAI’s explainable AI models are already in use by the Colorado FAIR Plan and leading carriers to assess mitigation and support policyholder communications in Colorado and other wildfire-prone states.

"As regulatory expectations around transparency and customer engagement continue to evolve, HB 1182 sets a clear framework for wildfire risk modeling," said Bryan Rehor, Head of Regulatory Affairs at ZestyAI.

"ZestyAI’s models were built with these principles in mind, offering carriers a proven, low-friction way to meet these requirements while delivering a better experience to policyholders."

How ZestyAI Helps Carriers Meet HB 1182 Requirements

• Built for Transparency: ZestyAI’s explainable AI models allow carriers to clearly communicate how risk scores are generated, what factors are considered, and how mitigation actions influence risk.
• Mitigation-Ready Risk Modeling: Property- and community-level mitigation efforts are integrated into risk assessments, supporting discounts and appropriate pricing.
• Consumer Risk Score Disclosures: ZestyAI enables carriers to generate individual risk scores and mitigation factors for annual policyholder notifications.
• Appeals and Score Adjustments: Carriers can update risk scores in real time based on new property information, offering transparency and responsiveness to policyholders.
• Regulatory Alignment: ZestyAI’s wildfire, hail, wind, and severe storm models have been reviewed and approved for use in Colorado, helping carriers meet standards with confidence.
• Multi-State Scalability: Carriers can streamline compliance across Colorado and other regulatory environments using the same ZestyAI platform.

A Clear Path to Compliance in Colorado—and Beyond

ZestyAI maintains strong relationships with state insurance regulators and actively participates in dialogue around evolving requirements.

At the national level, ZestyAI engages with organizations such as the NAIC and leading industry advocacy groups to stay ahead of broader regulatory trends.

Through in-house Rating and Advisory organizations, ZestyAI files its models directly with state departments of insurance, ensuring each solution is rigorously vetted and aligned with jurisdiction-specific standards before reaching the market.

ZestyAI today announced a four-year expansion of its partnership with the California FAIR Plan.

Since 2021, the insurer of last resort has leveraged ZestyAI’s Z-FIRE™ to enhance risk assessment, ensuring that homeowners unable to obtain private insurance still have access to wildfire coverage.

How Z-FIRE Supports Access to Wildfire Coverage

With coverage spanning nearly 100% of U.S. properties, Z-FIRE is already trusted by more than one-third of California’s insurance market to refine underwriting, enhance risk segmentation, and ensure that premiums accurately reflect the true wildfire exposure and vulnerability of each structure.

The model leverages AI-driven analysis of over 2,000 historical wildfires, integrating satellite and aerial imagery, topography, and property-level characteristics to provide precise, property-specific risk assessments.

‍This scientifically validated approach is backed by decades of research, including studies from the Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS).

“We’re honored to continue supporting the California FAIR Plan in providing reliable insurance coverage in high-risk regions,” said Attila Toth, Founder & CEO of ZestyAI.

“By providing Z-FIRE scores directly to policyholders, the California FAIR Plan has increased transparency around wildfire risk and empowered homeowners to take meaningful mitigation steps—like defensible space measures and fire-resistant building materials—to better protect their homes and communities.”

ZestyAI works closely with regulators to ensure transparency, validation, and continuous monitoring of its AI-driven models.

Regulatory Alignment Across the Western U.S.

The company has secured key regulatory approvals across the U.S., including all Western states for Z-FIRE and broad acceptance of its severe convective storm models from Texas to Colorado, the Midwest, and the Great Plains.

The California Department of Insurance (CDI) has reviewed Z-FIRE as part of recently approved rate filings. Insurers can continue filing to use the model for rate segmentation and underwriting without additional review under the Pre-Application Required Information Determination (PRID) process.

Building on its success in California, ZestyAI has partnered with other insurers of last resort, including the Colorado FAIR Plan, further expanding the adoption of AI-driven risk models to help protect families and communities.

Insurance carriers have long relied on aerial imagery to assess property risk, but not all imagery offers the same level of insight. Oblique imagery—angled aerial photos that show the sides of buildings, not just the rooftops—is gaining traction as an essential tool for property underwriting, inspections, and claims.

ZestyAI is proud to now offer oblique imagery from major imagery providers directly within our platform. That means carriers get access to the most comprehensive, up-to-date, and high-resolution views available, streamlined into a single interface, and always in context with our industry-leading property risk insights.

Why Oblique Imagery Matters

Unlike traditional top-down (orthogonal) imagery, oblique views provide side-angle perspectives that reveal critical features often missed from above. This added dimension helps insurers:

• Spot more risk factors: Identify decks, porches, attached structures, handrails, and overhangs—details that are often invisible from above but meaningful for underwriting and rating.
• Gain a more complete picture: Assess roof geometry and slope, siding condition, and visible maintenance issues without needing an in-person inspection.
• Underwrite with confidence: Reduce uncertainty in borderline or complex risks by giving underwriters a full visual context.
• Support faster claims verification: Pre-loss oblique imagery strengthens documentation, helps reduce disputes, and expedites claim handling.

As Rick Smith, Underwriting Manager at Standard Casualty, explains:

“We can get overhead and oblique shots of those locations. We can accomplish through aerial photography what we do through an on-site inspection at a fraction of the cost, which is really important for us.”

The Problem: Fragmented, Outdated, or Incomplete Views

Many carriers still rely on patchwork imagery or public sources like Google Street View.

The result?

• Coverage gaps: Rural, coastal, or wildfire-prone regions may not be frequently or adequately captured, leaving insurers with limited visibility in high-risk areas.
• Stale or seasonal views: Images can be several years old or captured in winter conditions, where snow, shadows, or vegetation obscure key features. Public tools like Google Street View are often even more outdated, sometimes by five years or more.
• No risk context: Raw imagery alone doesn't tell the full story. Without integrated risk scores or property intelligence, it’s just a picture, not a decision-making tool. 

These challenges lead to slower decisions, higher inspection costs, and greater exposure to unknown risks.

ZestyAI’s Advantage: A Complete, Unified View

ZestyAI removes these roadblocks by offering a seamless, integrated oblique imagery experience, built directly into our property risk platform. Here’s what sets us apart:

• Aggregated imagery from major providers: No more relying on a single source. We deliver the widest available footprint and intelligently surface the best imagery for each property.
• Highest recency and resolution: Our platform automatically displays the most recent, clearest, and most relevant imagery available, so you never miss what matters.
• Contextualized insights: Oblique views are shown alongside our AI-powered risk scores and property features, empowering faster and more informed decisions.
• Workflow-ready: Designed for use across underwriting, inspection triage, and claims support, with full scalability for enterprise teams.

Real Impact for Carriers

Insurers using ZestyAI’s oblique imagery capabilities are already seeing measurable improvements:

• Reduced reliance on field inspections
• More accurate roof and structure classifications
• Faster quote turnaround with fewer touchpoints
• Better risk segmentation and fewer surprises at renewal

Combined with ZestyAI’s property-level risk models for perils like wildfire, severe storms, and water damage, oblique imagery helps carriers make decisions with more confidence and clarity every step of the way.

See What You’ve Been Missing 

Oblique imagery adds a critical dimension to property assessment, and when it’s seamlessly integrated with ZestyAI’s AI-powered insights, the result is faster decisions, better risk selection, and more confident underwriting.

See your risk from every angle. 

Schedule a demo today.

ZestyAI today announced a new partnership with Kin Insurance, a direct-to-consumer, digital home insurance provider committed to serving catastrophe-exposed markets.

As part of its expansion into California, Kin has deployed Z-FIRE, ZestyAI’s wildfire risk model, to accurately assess property-level wildfire exposure and expand access to coverage in high-risk areas.

The model was integrated in just 10 days, enabling Kin to move quickly in meeting the needs of California’s evolving market.

Meeting California’s Growing Need for Property-Level Wildfire Insight

California continues to face a widening insurance gap, driven by more frequent natural disasters and insurer withdrawals.

This partnership supports Kin’s commitment to bringing insurance options back to communities impacted by limited availability of coverage.

Z-FIRE uses machine learning to evaluate each property’s unique characteristics, including defensible space, building materials, topography, vegetation, and more, to predict which properties are most likely to experience a wildfire and which ones will survive.

Why Kin Chose Z-FIRE to Support Responsible Growth

Michael McCright, vice president, pricing and risk management at Kin, said:

“California requires a smarter, more modern approach to home insurance risk management. ZestyAI’s Z-FIRE model brings the level of insight we need to confidently assess risk and offer coverage in areas at risk of wildfire.”

“Kin’s expansion into California is exactly the kind of forward-thinking move our technology was built to support,” said Attila Toth, Founder and CEO of ZestyAI. “Together, we’re helping show that with the right data and tools, insurers can re-enter challenging markets with confidence—and deliver meaningful protection to homeowners who need it most.”

“Equally important, Z-FIRE empowers insurers to recognize and reward mitigation efforts at the property level, encouraging homeowners to take action that reduces risk for themselves and their communities.”

Real-World Performance: Z-FIRE in the Los Angeles Wildfires

Z-FIRE’s performance has been validated through real-world events: Following the recent Los Angeles wildfires, Z-FIRE’s highest-risk ratings closely corresponded with the hardest-hit areas, with 94% and 87% of the areas affected by the Palisades and Eaton fires rated as High Risk by the model.

Among homes located within these perimeters, those flagged as having the highest vulnerability to damage were 50% more likely to be destroyed—highlighting the critical value of property-specific insights, even in dense urban settings.

ZestyAI works closely with regulators to ensure transparency, validation, and continuous monitoring of its AI-driven models.

The company has secured regulatory approvals across all Western states for Z-FIRE, along with broad acceptance of its severe convective storm suite of models in Texas, Colorado, the Midwest, and the Great Plains.