Root
Root Inc. is a publicly traded mobile-first insurance carrier (NASDAQ: ROOT) offering car, renters, and homeowners insurance priced via telematics-based driving behavior data. The company serves individual drivers across 36 US states through its mobile app and partner APIs.
- Company typePublic
- Founded2015
- HeadquartersColumbus, United States
- Headcount1,001–5,000
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Root does
Root Inc. is a publicly traded insurance technology company (NASDAQ: ROOT) founded in 2015 and headquartered in Columbus, Ohio. The company operates as a licensed insurance carrier offering car, renters, and homeowners insurance priced based on individual driving behavior collected through a mobile telematics platform rather than traditional demographic factors. Root serves individual drivers across 36 states for auto insurance and 9 states for renters insurance, with 12+ million mobile app downloads reflecting its consumer reach.
Root's core technology stack is built around a mobile-first platform that captures behavioral driving data via smartphone sensors and aggregates it into a dataset exceeding 35 billion miles. This proprietary dataset feeds machine learning models for underwriting, pricing, and claims automation. The company's mobile application enables users to acquire policies in under one minute, manage coverage, and file claims directly. Root also operates Root Enterprise, an API-based platform allowing partners to embed insurance into third-party purchase flows, enabling B2B2C distribution.
Root generates revenue primarily through recurring insurance premiums paid monthly by policyholders. Its go-to-market is product-led and direct-to-consumer via the mobile app, supplemented by embedded distribution through partner API integrations. The company completed its IPO on NASDAQ in 2020 in what was Ohio's largest IPO, and has scaled from 15 employees in 2017 to over 1,200 nationwide, with Root Insurance Company operating as its wholly-owned insurance subsidiary.
Root firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Root
- Legal name
- Root Inc.
- Website
- https://inc.joinroot.com
- Company type
- Public
- Founded year
- 2015
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1,001–5,000 employees
- Short description
- Root Inc. is a publicly traded mobile-first insurance carrier (NASDAQ: ROOT) offering car, renters, and homeowners insurance priced via telematics-based driving behavior data. The company serves individual drivers across 36 US states through its mobile app and partner APIs.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Root industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Auto Insurance
- akta.pro primary industry
- Pay-Per-Mile Personal Auto Insurance (FSAJAAAC)
Keywords
Where Root is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Columbus
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
Root business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others
Revenue model
- Insurance Premiums: Root generates revenue through insurance premiums paid by policyholders for car, renters, and homeowners insurance coverage. The company uses telematics-based pricing to offer personalized rates based on driving behavior.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Monthly | Personalized telematics-based insurance rates |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels4 records
Root product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Root is a mobile-first insurance carrier that prices personal lines insurance—primarily auto, with renters and homeowners coverage in select states—based on individual driving behavior captured through a smartphone telematics application rather than traditional demographic factors. Customers use the mobile app to test-drive, receive a personalized quote, purchase a policy, and manage claims. The company also exposes its insurance offering through Enterprise APIs so partner businesses can distribute Root-issued policies inside their own customer experiences.
Product overview
Root offers a suite of mobile-first insurance products including car, renters, and homeowners insurance. The company is the nation's first licensed insurance carrier powered entirely by mobile. Root's core products are supported by its mobile app platform (with over 12 million downloads) that uses telematics to collect driving behavior data, and its Enterprise APIs that allow partners to integrate insurance into their own purchase experiences. The company differentiates through behavioral-based pricing rather than demographic-based pricing, supported by machine learning for claims automation and risk assessment.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Root Insurance: The nation's first licensed insurance carrier powered entirely by mobile, offering car, renters, and homeowners insurance.
- Root Enterprise
Products and services
- Root Car Insurance Personal auto insurance priced on individual driving behavior captured through Root's smartphone app rather than demographic factors; customers complete a test-drive, receive a personalized quote, and bind coverage entirely on mobile. Available in 36 U.S. states.
- Root Renters Insurance Personal renters insurance sold to Root customers, available in 9 U.S. states as a companion product to Root's auto insurance.
- Root Homeowners Insurance Homeowners insurance offered by Root as part of its personal lines portfolio beyond auto and renters.
- Root Enterprise APIs API-based platform that lets partner businesses offer Root-issued auto insurance to their end users without building their own underwriting, telematics, or claims infrastructure.
Quantifiable outcome
- Policy acquisition in under 1 minute
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Root
Customer profileSegments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Root technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
AI capability5 records
Feature4 records
Root partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators6 records
Recent moves8 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Root competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Metromile: Metromile pioneered pay-per-mile personal auto insurance in the U.S., a usage-based model closely aligned with Root's telematics-driven pricing approach. Both compete for low-mileage drivers seeking behavior-based premiums.
- Lemonade: Lemonade is a mobile-first, direct-to-consumer insurtech using AI-driven underwriting and a similar app-based experience. It is a close peer to Root in product philosophy and GTM motion, though Lemonade focuses on renters and homeowners while Root's anchor is auto.
- State Farm: State Farm is the largest U.S. personal auto insurer and a direct competitor in auto, homeowners, and renters. State Farm has been expanding its telematics and digital capabilities to compete with insurtechs like Root.
- GEICO: GEICO is the second-largest U.S. personal auto insurer and is known for a direct-to-consumer model that pioneered online quoting. It directly competes with Root on price-sensitive drivers buying car insurance without an agent.
- Allstate: Allstate is a top-tier U.S. personal lines insurer offering Drivewise, its own telematics-based program, alongside auto, home, and renters coverage. It directly competes with Root across multiple lines including auto telematics.
- Progressive: Progressive is one of the largest U.S. personal auto insurers and operates Snapshot, a usage-based telematics program directly comparable to Root's mobile telematics pricing model. Both compete for behavior-based pricing customers in personal auto.
- Nationwide: Nationwide is a major U.S. personal lines carrier offering SmartRide, a telematics-based auto insurance program directly comparable to Root's behavioral pricing. It competes head-to-head with Root for usage-based insurance customers.
Broad incumbents
- Travelers: Travelers is a large U.S. P&C insurer with a personal auto book and the IntelliDrive telematics program. It is a broad incumbent competing with Root in personal auto with deeper capital reserves and an established agency channel.
- Liberty Mutual: Liberty Mutual is a top-10 U.S. P&C insurer with personal auto, homeowners, and renters offerings. Its RightTrack telematics program and broad multi-line portfolio position it as a broad incumbent competing with Root across the same customers.
Emerging players
- Hippo Insurance: Hippo is an insurtech focused on homeowners insurance with a digital-first model, comparable to Root's strategy of using technology to disrupt personal lines distribution. It is an emerging peer in the broader insurtech category overlapping with Root's homeowners ambitions.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Root social profiles
Digital presenceRoot financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Root leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
Root subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries1 record
Root funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Root 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 Root
What does Root do?
Root is a mobile-first insurance carrier that prices personal lines insurance—primarily auto, with renters and homeowners coverage in select states—based on individual driving behavior captured through a smartphone telematics application rather than traditional demographic factors. Customers use the mobile app to test-drive, receive a personalized quote, purchase a policy, and manage claims. The company also exposes its insurance offering through Enterprise APIs so partner businesses can distribute Root-issued policies inside their own customer experiences.
Is Root a public or private company?
Root is a public company. It is classified as public and is currently operating.
When was Root founded?
Root was founded in 2015. It employs 1,001 to 5,000 people.
Where is Root based?
Root is headquartered in Columbus, United States, in the North America region.
How does Root make money?
One revenue line is on record: insurance Premiums.
Who are Root's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Metromile, Lemonade, State Farm, GEICO, Allstate, Progressive and Nationwide. Broad incumbents are Travelers and Liberty Mutual. Hippo Insurance is listed as an emerging player.
Does Root have an API?
No public API is recorded for Root.
What industry is Root in?
Root's product category is Auto Insurance. Its primary akta.pro industry code is FSAJAAAC, Pay-Per-Mile Personal Auto Insurance.