Etherisc
Etherisc GmbH builds the Generic Insurance Framework (GIF), an open-source, multi-chain smart-contract protocol that enables parametric insurance products such as crop, flight delay, train delay, carbon credit, and USDC depeg cover for partners and end customers.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2016
- HeadquartersMünchen, Germany
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingSoftware
What Etherisc does
Etherisc GmbH is a Munich-based, privately held blockchain insurance protocol company founded in July 2016 by Christoph Mussenbrock and Stephan Karpischek. The company develops the Generic Insurance Framework (GIF), an open-source, multi-chain smart-contract protocol that enables partners to design, deploy, and distribute parametric insurance products without rewriting core logic. GIF underpins a portfolio of products covering crop protection for smallholder farmers (deployed in Kenya, Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe, and Uganda via NGO and reinsurance partners), flight delay and train delay insurance, USDC stablecoin depeg protection, carbon credit protection, hurricane and natural disaster cover, health, life, and travel weather products.
Underlying technology includes Ethereum-based smart contracts, Chainlink oracle integration for tamper-proof external data (weather, flight, climate), multi-chain deployment across Ethereum, Base, Avalanche, Celo, Gnosis, and Polygon, an audited codebase (Inacta, Slock.It, Validity Labs), and the DIP token for staking and governance. Etherisc has processed 30,000+ policies on-chain cumulatively, including payouts to over 17,000 Kenyan smallholder farmers.
The business model is platform-led with B2B partner licensing/royalty revenue from insurers, NGOs, and blockchain platforms building on GIF, direct-to-consumer transaction or premium-based revenue from self-serve products (USDC depeg, flight/train delay), and token-based economics via the DIP token (distributed 45,478,958 tokens to 280 contributors in a July 2018 Token Generating Event). The company monetizes through parametric insurance product distribution enabled by its protocol, supported by content marketing, an active Discord/Telegram/GitHub community, the annual D1Conf conference, and partner referrals.
Etherisc firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Etherisc
- Legal name
- Etherisc GmbH
- Website
- https://etherisc.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2016
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Etherisc GmbH builds the Generic Insurance Framework (GIF), an open-source, multi-chain smart-contract protocol that enables parametric insurance products such as crop, flight delay, train delay, carbon credit, and USDC depeg cover for partners and end customers.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Etherisc industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Decentralized Insurance Platform
- NAICS
- Direct Property and Casualty Insurance Carriers (524126), Insurance Carriers (5241)
- SIC
- Insurance Carriers, Nec (6399), Finance Services (6199)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Decentralized Insurance / Coverage Protocols (FSADAMAI)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Smart Contract Frameworks & SDKs (developer kits, templates, standards) (FSAPABAB), Smart Contract Developer Platforms & Tooling (SDKs, APIs, frameworks, indexing) (FSAPAAAH), Risk Management, Controls, Governance & Policy (Crypto) (FSADALAJ), Regulatory Reporting, Tax & Audit Trails (reconciliation, provenance) (FSAPAJAI)
Keywords
Where Etherisc is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- München
- HQ country
- Germany
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Etherisc business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Operations
Revenue model
- Parametric Insurance Product Distribution: Etherisc earns revenue by enabling partners (insurers, NGOs, blockchain platforms) to build and distribute parametric insurance products on its protocol. The company provides the technical infrastructure while partners handle distribution, with revenue shared or earned through licensing of the GIF platform.
- Direct-to-Consumer Insurance Products: Products such as USDC depeg protection, flight delay protection, and train delay protection are available for direct purchase by consumers through the platform, generating transaction-based or premium-based revenue.
- DIP Token Economics: The DIP token is used for staking, governance participation, and bootstrapping peer-to-peer capital within the protocol. Token holders can earn staking rewards by providing capital to insurance pools.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Multi-year contract | Partner & Build Program — B2B technical partnership for building parametric insurance products on the GIF platform |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels10 records
Etherisc product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Etherisc builds and operates the Generic Insurance Framework (GIF), an open-source, multi-chain blockchain protocol with ready-to-use smart contract modules that enables partners to create, deploy, and distribute parametric insurance products without rewriting core logic. It also sells consumer-facing parametric insurance products directly, including flight delay protection, train delay protection, USDC depeg protection, carbon credit protection, and crop protection for smallholder farmers in Africa and Asia.
Product overview
Etherisc operates as a decentralized parametric blockchain insurance platform (Generic Insurance Framework, or GIF) with multiple insurance products. The core offering consists of a blockchain-based protocol with ready-to-use smart contract modules that enable parametric insurance products including crop protection, flight delay, train delay, hurricane, natural disaster, health, life, USDC depeg protection, carbon credit protection, and travel weather insurance. Products are built on the GIF platform, which uses Chainlink oracles for external data and supports multi-chain deployment. The DIP token enables staking and governance within the ecosystem. The portfolio spans both consumer-facing products (flight delay, travel weather) and B2B/inclusive insurance offerings (crop insurance for farmers in Kenya, Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe).
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Generic Insurance Framework (GIF) Decentralized, open-source insurance protocol with ready-to-use smart contract modules that allow insurers, reinsurers, NGOs, and product builders to design and deploy parametric insurance products across multiple blockchain networks (Ethereum, Base, Avalanche, Celo, Gnosis, Polygon) without rewriting core logic.
- Flight Delay Protection Blockchain-based parametric flight delay insurance that autonomously issues policies and executes payouts for travelers experiencing flight delays or cancellations, using Chainlink oracles for flight data.
- Crop Protection Insurance Parametric crop insurance product for smallholder farmers in Africa and Asia that uses Chainlink weather oracles to trigger automatic payouts when drought, excess rain, or extreme weather thresholds are breached.
- Train Delay Protection Parametric train delay insurance for travelers in Germany that delivers automatic, near-instant payouts when predefined delay conditions are met.
- USDC Depeg Protection Parametric insurance coverage for cryptocurrency holders against USDC stablecoin depeg events, available for direct self-serve purchase.
- Carbon Credit Protection Parametric insurance product protecting on-chain carbon offset assets against market shifts and volatility, developed jointly with Chainlink, Floodlight, and Coorest.
- MyUbuntu Crop Insurance (Lloyd's Lab) End-to-end parametric crop insurance product for Zimbabwe farmers built on Etherisc's GIF, featuring policy management and claims processing delivered through the Lloyd's Lab cohort partner MyUbuntu.
Quantifiable outcome
- 30,000+ policies processed on-chain through the protocol
- +6 more outcomes
Companies that use Etherisc
Customer profileNamed customers6 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Etherisc technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration1 record
Feature7 records
Etherisc partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
19 partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.
- Hannover ReminorHannover Re is listed as a partner on Etherisc's website, providing reinsurance expertise and capacity for the decentralized insurance ecosystem.
- World Food Programme (WFP)minorThe World Food Programme is listed as a partner on Etherisc's website, collaborating on food security and agricultural insurance initiatives for vulnerable populations.
- ARC LtdminorARC Ltd (African Risk Capability) is listed as a partner on Etherisc's website, collaborating on parametric insurance solutions for African climate risks.
- PulaminorPula is listed as a partner on Etherisc's website, collaborating on agricultural insurance for smallholder farmers in Africa.
- eSusFarmminoreSusFarm is listed as a partner on Etherisc's website, providing agricultural technology distribution services for farmers in Africa.
- Agro ConsortiumminorAgro Consortium is listed as a partner on Etherisc's website, collaborating on agricultural insurance solutions in Uganda.
- HSMW (Hochschule Mittweida)minorHochschule Mittweida (University of Applied Sciences) collaborated with Etherisc on the Community Supported Insurance (CSI) project, launching parametric train delay insurance for travelers in Germany in October 2023.
- Yelen AssuranceminorYelen Assurance is listed as a partner on Etherisc's website, collaborating on parametric insurance solutions.
- Climate Ledger InitiativeminorClimate Ledger Initiative is listed as a partner on Etherisc's website, collaborating on blockchain-based climate and environmental solutions.
- HBA-consultingminorHBA-consulting is listed as a partner on Etherisc's website, providing consulting services for insurance product development and deployment.
- VerityCareminorVerityCare is listed as a partner on Etherisc's website, providing management consulting services.
- MMEminorMME is listed as a partner on Etherisc's website, providing legal and consulting services.
- FloodlightcoreEtherisc partnered with Floodlight and Coorest to develop the world's first on-chain carbon offsets insurance product, announced in January 2023. Floodlight's role involves providing expertise in green finance and carbon markets to de-risk carbon offset assets.
- CoorestcoreCoorest partnered with Etherisc and Floodlight to develop the world's first on-chain carbon offsets insurance product. Coorest brings carbon offset technology expertise to the collaboration for protecting on-chain carbon credit assets.
- Lemonade Crypto Climate CoalitioncoreEtherisc became a founding member of the Lemonade Crypto Climate Coalition in March 2022. The coalition provided parametric crop protection to another 7,000 Kenyan farmers via Etherisc smart contracts in March 2023, and entered its fifth season in May 2025.
- ChainlinkcoreChainlink made it possible to start the crop insurance project with ACRE Africa in Kenya in November 2020, providing reliable oracle services that bring weather data on-chain to trigger parametric crop insurance payouts. Chainlink and Etherisc also launched a joint grant program in March 2022 to accelerate data-driven parametric insurance on the GIF. Chainlink oracles are integral to Etherisc's automated claims processing.
- ACRE AfricacoreEtherisc and ACRE Africa collaborated to provide blockchain-based crop insurance to Kenyan smallholder farmers, processing payouts for over 17,000 farmers. The initiative aimed to provide 250,000 farmers in East Africa with insurance coverage, using Chainlink oracles for weather data and Etherisc's GIF platform for smart contract-based claims processing.
- AoncoreEtherisc partnered with Aon and Oxfam to launch agricultural insurance for farmers in Sri Lanka in July 2019. Aon's role was to provide reinsurance expertise and risk management capabilities alongside Etherisc's blockchain-based parametric insurance technology.
- OxfamcoreEtherisc partnered with Aon and Oxfam to pilot micro-insurance for Sri Lankan paddy farmers, applying blockchain technology to an existing weather index insurance product. Oxfam provided the existing distribution channels and farmer networks, with Etherisc providing the blockchain infrastructure to lower costs and increase efficiencies.
Scale indicators8 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Etherisc competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Nexus Mutual: Nexus Mutual is a decentralized insurance mutual offering cover for smart contract and DeFi protocol risk. It is the most direct decentralized insurance peer, having co-hosted D1Conf with Etherisc and competing for the same on-chain insurance market.
- InsurAce: InsurAce is a DeFi insurance protocol offering cover for smart contracts, stablecoins, and centralized exchange custody risks. It directly competes with Etherisc in crypto and DeFi insurance products and uses a multi-chain architecture similar to GIF.
- Bridge Mutual: Bridge Mutual is a decentralized insurance platform providing cover for smart contract risk and stablecoin depeg events. It overlaps with Etherisc's stablecoin depeg and DeFi protection offerings under a similar community-governed, token-based model.
Broad incumbents
- Lemonade: Lemonade is a publicly listed AI-driven insurance carrier that co-founded the Crypto Climate Coalition with Etherisc. It is a broad incumbent offering parametric and climate products while also running a crypto-specific initiative, making it a strategic incumbent peer.
- Aon: Aon is a global professional services firm providing reinsurance brokerage and risk management. It has a co-development partnership with Etherisc on Sri Lankan agricultural insurance and is a broad incumbent reinsurance peer whose ecosystem includes Ethereum-based initiatives.
Emerging players
- Worldcover: Worldcover provides parametric crop insurance to smallholder farmers in emerging markets using satellite and weather data. It is a peer in Etherisc's primary crop insurance vertical for Africa but delivers insurance through a more traditional licensed-carrier model.
- Pula: Pula designs and delivers agricultural insurance and digital advisory for smallholder farmers across Africa and Asia. Listed as an Etherisc partner, Pula is comparable as a peer operating in the same smallholder crop insurance vertical in Africa.
- ACRE Africa: ACRE Africa is a microinsurance specialist that has worked with Etherisc on the Kenyan crop insurance program covering 17,000+ smallholder farmers. It is a peer in the inclusive crop insurance market in East Africa and serves as both partner and adjacent player.
- Tidal Finance: Tidal Finance is a DeFi insurance aggregator on multiple chains that bundles cover from multiple protocols. It is an emerging peer in the on-chain insurance space offering an alternative distribution model to Etherisc's own protocol and product suite.
- iTrust Finance: iTrust Finance is a decentralized insurance platform offering cover for stablecoin depeg and smart contract exploits. It overlaps with Etherisc's stablecoin depeg and DeFi protection products as an emerging competitor in the same niche.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Etherisc social profiles
Digital presenceEtherisc financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Etherisc leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles10 records
Etherisc funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds1 record
Investors1 record
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Etherisc M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Etherisc
What does Etherisc do?
Etherisc builds and operates the Generic Insurance Framework (GIF), an open-source, multi-chain blockchain protocol with ready-to-use smart contract modules that enables partners to create, deploy, and distribute parametric insurance products without rewriting core logic. It also sells consumer-facing parametric insurance products directly, including flight delay protection, train delay protection, USDC depeg protection, carbon credit protection, and crop protection for smallholder farmers in Africa and Asia.
Is Etherisc a public or private company?
Etherisc is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Etherisc founded?
Etherisc was founded in 2016. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Etherisc based?
Etherisc is headquartered in München, Germany, in the Europe region.
How does Etherisc make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Parametric Insurance Product Distribution is the primary driver. The others are direct-to-Consumer Insurance Products and DIP Token Economics.
Who are Etherisc's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Nexus Mutual, InsurAce and Bridge Mutual. Broad incumbents are Lemonade and Aon. Emerging players are Worldcover, Pula, ACRE Africa, Tidal Finance and iTrust Finance.
Does Etherisc have an API?
No public API is recorded for Etherisc.
What industry is Etherisc in?
Etherisc's product category is Decentralized Insurance Platform. Its primary akta.pro industry code is FSADAMAI, Decentralized Insurance / Coverage Protocols, with a secondary code of FSAPABAB, Smart Contract Frameworks & SDKs (developer kits, templates, standards). Its NAICS code is 524126 and its SIC code is 6399.