First Connect Insurance Services

What First Connect Insurance Services does

First Connect Insurance Services operates a digital insurance marketplace that connects independent insurance agents in the United States with over 150 carrier and MGA partners across home, auto, commercial, and life lines. The platform centers on an Agent Portal with a Carrier Store enabling self-service onboarding (approximately five minutes), one-click carrier appointment requests for select carriers, and access to a proprietary Quote Connector comparative rater for side-by-side policy comparisons. Agents also use an AI-powered Appetite Finder for real-time carrier appetite intelligence and AI-based underwriting and carrier-matching tools to accelerate placement decisions.

The business is structured as a two-sided marketplace: independent agents join free of charge (zero onboarding and subscription fees) while carrier and MGA partners gain digital distribution to qualified agents, with First Connect handling onboarding, compliance, performance monitoring, and commission management. Revenue is generated entirely through commission sharing with carrier partners, not from agent fees. Notable integrations include API-powered connections with Root Insurance (auto, scaling to 25+ states) and single sign-on technology deployed with Jewelers Mutual, the latter producing documented 32% growth in agent access requests, nearly 50% growth in policy count, and 116% growth in new business premium over a seven-month period.

The company is majority-owned by Centana Growth Partners following a January 2025 majority investment exceeding $60 million, having previously operated as a subsidiary of Hippo Holdings from 2020. The company maintains offices in Palo Alto, Austin (mailing), and a Tel Aviv engineering and product development hub. As of 2025, First Connect surpassed $500 million in annual gross written premium, a 14-fold increase since 2021.

Name

First Connect Insurance Services

Legal name

First Connect Insurance Services, LLC

Website

https://firstconnectinsurance.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2020

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

First Connect Insurance Services operates a digital marketplace connecting U.S. independent insurance agents with 150+ carriers and MGAs, enabling self-service carrier appointments, comparative quoting, and AI-powered appetite matching. Revenue is generated through commission sharing with carrier partners.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Insurance Marketplace / Insurance Distribution Platform

NAICS

Agencies, Brokerages, and Other Insurance Related Activities (5242)

SIC

Insurance Agents, Brokers & Service (6411)

akta.pro primary industry

Embedded Insurance & Affinity Distribution Platforms (FSAGAGAL)

akta.pro secondary industry

Insurance Leads, Introducers & Referral Networks (FSAEAMAB)

Keywords

• Insurance marketplace platform
• Carrier appointment management
• Independent agent tools
• Comparative insurance rater
• Insurtech distribution

Headquarters

HQ city

Austin

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Commission from Carrier Partners: First Connect earns commissions from insurance carriers and MGAs when agents write policies through the platform. The platform charges no onboarding fees or subscription fees to agents, making revenue entirely from carrier commission sharing arrangements.
2. Agent Subscription (Free): Zero onboarding fees, zero subscription fees for agents. Highly competitive commissions paid to agents while First Connect retains a portion from carrier partners.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

First Connect operates a digital insurance marketplace platform that connects independent insurance agents with 150+ carrier partners and MGAs across home, auto, commercial, and life insurance lines. Agents self-serve through an Agent Portal and Carrier Store to request carrier appointments, quote, bind, and service policies, while carriers access a Carrier Marketplace for distribution, agency lifecycle management, and performance monitoring. The platform generates revenue from commissions paid by carrier partners and charges no onboarding or subscription fees to agents.

Product overview

First Connect Insurance Services operates as a digital insurance marketplace platform that connects independent insurance agents with over 150 insurance carriers and managing general agents (MGAs). The platform consists of two main components: (1) the Agent Portal with Carrier Store, which enables independent agents to browse carriers, request appointments with a one-click feature, quote, bind, and service policies through an intuitive self-service dashboard; and (2) the Carrier Marketplace, which provides carriers with agency matchmaking, performance monitoring, and lifecycle management. Key platform features include Appetite Finder (AI-powered real-time carrier appetite matching), Quote Connector (proprietary comparative rater for side-by-side policy comparisons), and an Incentives Program offering bonuses and exclusive carrier incentives. The platform offers zero onboarding fees, zero subscription fees, and competitive commissions, covering home, auto, commercial, and life insurance lines across all 50 U.S. states.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Agent Portal Self-service dashboard for independent insurance agents to access carriers, request appointments, quote, bind, and service policies across home, auto, commercial, and life lines. Free to join with no onboarding or subscription fees.
• Carrier Store Marketplace where independent insurance agents can browse and request access to 150+ carrier and MGA partners, with one-click appointment requests for select carriers, covering home, auto, commercial, and life insurance lines.
• Carrier Marketplace Distribution platform for insurance carriers, MGAs, and wholesalers providing marketplace matchmaking, agency lifecycle management, commission management, and performance monitoring to help carriers grow profitably through independent agent distribution.
• AI Appetite Finder AI-powered real-time carrier appetite matching tool that helps independent insurance agents quickly identify carriers whose underwriting appetite matches their client's risk profile, addressing dynamic and fast-changing insurance markets.
• AI-Based Underwriting and Carrier-Matching Tools Suite of artificial intelligence tools supporting automated underwriting assistance and intelligent matching of agents to the most suitable carriers, part of First Connect's digital transformation capabilities.
• Root Insurance API-Powered Quote and Bind Integration API-powered auto insurance quote and bind integration enabling independent agents to enter customer details once and receive Root Insurance policy suggestions without re-entering carrier credentials; supports streamlined auto insurance distribution.

Quantifiable outcome

• 32% increase in average monthly agent access requests following SSO implementation with Jewelers Mutual
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

AI capability5 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, major and core.

• Jewelers MutualflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 19 February 2026Collaboration with Jewelers Mutual demonstrated how streamlined access technology can accelerate business growth for specialty carriers. Following implementation of First Connect's single sign-on technology, Jewelers Mutual recorded a 32% increase in average monthly agent access requests, nearly 50% increase in average monthly policy count, and 116% increase in average new business premium written monthly over seven months.
• AmTrustmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 9 December 2025New distribution partnership announced as part of First Connect's expansion plan following the $500M GWP milestone
• Berkshire Hathaway GUARDmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 9 December 2025New distribution partnership with Berkshire Hathaway subsidiary as part of First Connect's carrier network expansion
• The HanovermajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 9 December 2025New distribution partnership with The Hanover Insurance Group, a top-tier A-rated national carrier, expanding First Connect's commercial insurance offerings
• Root InsurancecoreTechnology or Integration · 5 September 2024API-powered auto insurance quote and bind partnership for independent agents. Integration initially launched in California with plans to expand to 25 additional states. Enables agents to enter customer details and receive policy suggestions without re-entering carrier credentials.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• EZLynx (Applied Systems): EZLynx is a leading comparative rater and agency workflow platform for independent insurance agents, providing quoting, carrier connectivity, and agency management—directly competing with First Connect's Quote Connector and Agent Portal offerings.
• PL Rating (Powerlytic): PL Rating is a cloud-based commercial insurance comparative rating platform used by independent agents to quote multiple carriers simultaneously—a direct peer to First Connect's Quote Connector in the multi-carrier quoting space.
• Tarmika: Tarmika provides a commercial insurance marketplace and comparative rating platform enabling independent agents to quote multiple carriers in real-time—directly competing with First Connect's marketplace and AI Appetite Finder capabilities.
• Bold Penguin: Bold Penguin operates a commercial insurance marketplace connecting agents, carriers, and MGAs through a digital platform—directly comparable to First Connect's two-sided marketplace model and carrier distribution focus.

Broad incumbents

• Vertafore: Vertafore is a large incumbent provider of agency management systems, comparative raters (TurboRater), and carrier connectivity tools used by thousands of independent agencies—a broader incumbent offering overlapping capabilities to First Connect's marketplace.
• Applied Systems: Applied Systems is the largest provider of agency management systems (Applied Epic) and insurance connectivity (Ivans) in the independent agent channel—a broad incumbent whose products overlap with First Connect's agent portal and carrier connectivity features.

Emerging players

• AgentSync: AgentSync is an insurtech platform modernizing insurance carrier-agent appointment, licensing, and compliance workflows—an emerging player addressing adjacent parts of the carrier-agent onboarding process that First Connect's Carrier Store streamlines.
• CoverWallet: CoverWallet is a digital commercial insurance platform originally focused on small business and now part of Aon, providing an emerging distribution and management platform that intersects with First Connect's commercial insurance carrier partnerships.
• JetFile: JetFile is an insurance comparative rating and carrier connectivity platform for independent agents—an emerging player with overlapping multi-carrier quoting capabilities to First Connect's Quote Connector comparative rater.

Others

• Ivans (Applied Systems): Ivans is an insurance industry connectivity network that enables data exchange between agencies and carriers—an ecosystem-enabling infrastructure provider that complements rather than directly competes with First Connect's marketplace.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/firstconnectinsurance

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about First Connect Insurance Services