Certua
Certua Life is a UK-authorized life insurer that embeds individual life insurance via API into banking apps, savings platforms, wealth management services, and employee benefits portals, targeting UK adults without protection coverage through B2B2C distribution partnerships.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2016
- HeadquartersLondon, United Kingdom
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Certua does
Certua Life is a UK-authorized, protection-focused life insurer that launched in March 2026 as the first new entrant in this category in nearly two decades. It offers non-advised individual life insurance distributed through an API-driven embedded model, enabling third-party digital platforms — banking apps, savings platforms, wealth management services, and employee benefits portals — to offer life cover to their users without becoming licensed insurers themselves. The company targets the UK protection gap identified by the FCA's January 2026 report, where 58% of UK adults hold no protection product and 72% of protection needs remain unmet, and is currently onboarding its first wave of launch partners across FinTech, employee benefits, and wealth management. A group life insurance product is planned to follow the individual launch.
The underlying technology is a proprietary API platform that allows programmatic integration of life cover into partner applications, with documentation and integration described as the primary interoperability differentiator. Revenue is generated through insurance premiums collected on embedded policies, characterized as a recurring subscription-like revenue stream, though no public pricing or unit economics are disclosed. The operating footprint is UK-only with headquarters in London, and the company is privately held with 51–100 employees.
The parent entity, Certua, was founded in 2016 as a data-driven financial solutions provider and acquired Surely Group in May 2019, indicating an operational history predating the life insurance underwriting pivot. Leadership comprises Tom Williams as CEO and co-founder, John Levin as co-founder and director, and Michaela Bowen as COO. Ownership structure, funding history, and capital base are not disclosed in the available sources.
Certua firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Certua
- Website
- https://certua.io
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2016
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- Certua Life is a UK-authorized life insurer that embeds individual life insurance via API into banking apps, savings platforms, wealth management services, and employee benefits portals, targeting UK adults without protection coverage through B2B2C distribution partnerships.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Certua industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Embedded Life Insurance
- NAICS
- Direct Life Insurance Carriers (524113)
- SIC
- Life Insurance (6311)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Level Term Life Insurance (FSAIAAAA)
Keywords
Where Certua is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- London
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Certua business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Life Insurance Premiums: Certua Life generates revenue through insurance premiums collected from life insurance policies embedded within third-party digital platforms. The company operates as a protection-focused life insurer offering individual life insurance products.
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels3 records
Certua product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Certua Life is a protection-focused individual life insurance product distributed via a proprietary API-driven embedded insurance platform. It is the first new protection-focused life insurer authorized in the UK in nearly two decades, built to embed life cover inside third-party digital platforms (banking apps, savings platforms, wealth managers, employee benefits portals). The offering targets the approximately 58% of UK adults who do not currently hold protection products.
Product overview
Certua operates as a single-product company offering Certua Life, an API-driven life insurance platform. The product is distributed exclusively through embedded partnerships with third-party digital services rather than direct-to-consumer channels. The platform enables partners to embed life cover into their existing applications, targeting the significant protection gap in the UK market.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Certua Life
Quantifiable outcome
- Targeting the 72% of protection needs that remain unmet in the UK market
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use Certua
Customer profileSegments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Certua technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- Yes
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature1 record
Certua partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators2 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Certua competitors and assessment
Company assessmentOthers
- Boost Insurance: Boost Insurance is an embedded insurance infrastructure platform that enables digital companies to offer insurance products through APIs. It is comparable as an enabler of the embedded insurance distribution model Certua exemplifies, though operating on the platform side rather than as a carrier.
Emerging players
- Ethos Life: Ethos is a US online term life insurance carrier offering instant-issue policies via API and partner distribution. It is comparable in technology approach (API-driven underwriting and distribution) but is in a different geography.
- Bestow: Bestow is a US digital life insurance carrier with an API-based distribution model enabling partners to embed term life cover. It is a category analogue to Certua's embedded life model, although operating in the US market.
- Haven Life: Haven Life (backed by MassMutual) is a US online term life insurer that pioneered direct digital distribution and embedded term life via partner platforms. It is comparable to Certua in product (term life) and digital-first positioning.
- Ladder Financial: Ladder is a US digital term life insurance carrier offering fully online, API-enabled policies. Like Certua, it focuses on term life protection with modern technology distribution.
Broad incumbents
- Aviva: Aviva is one of the largest UK life insurers with a broad product portfolio. It is comparable as the dominant incumbent in the UK life market Certua is entering, with materially greater capital and distribution.
- Legal & General: Legal & General is a major UK life and pensions provider with scale advantages in capital, brand, and adviser distribution. It is the principal incumbent Certua competes against in UK individual and group life.
Direct peers
- YuLife: YuLife distributes life insurance as an employee benefit via workplace platforms, with a digital, wellness-driven product embedded in HR systems. This directly mirrors Certua's API-driven, embedded distribution model targeting the employer benefits channel in the UK.
- DeadHappy: DeadHappy is a UK digital life insurance startup offering non-advised individual cover directly to consumers. It is the closest UK life insurtech competitor in terms of product and target customer, though its distribution is direct rather than embedded.
- Anorak: Anorak is a UK life insurance insurtech targeting under-served customer segments such as gig and flexible workers. It shares Certua's focus on the UK protection gap and digital-first distribution.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks7 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Certua social profiles
Digital presenceCertua financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Certua leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
Certua funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Certua M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A1 record
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Certua
What does Certua do?
Certua Life is a protection-focused individual life insurance product distributed via a proprietary API-driven embedded insurance platform. It is the first new protection-focused life insurer authorized in the UK in nearly two decades, built to embed life cover inside third-party digital platforms (banking apps, savings platforms, wealth managers, employee benefits portals). The offering targets the approximately 58% of UK adults who do not currently hold protection products.
Is Certua a public or private company?
Certua is a private company. It is classified as unknown and is currently operating.
When was Certua founded?
Certua was founded in 2016. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is Certua based?
Certua is headquartered in London, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Certua make money?
One revenue line is on record: life Insurance Premiums.
Who are Certua's main competitors?
Boost Insurance is listed as an others. Emerging players are Ethos Life, Bestow, Haven Life and Ladder Financial. Broad incumbents are Aviva and Legal & General. Direct peers are YuLife, DeadHappy and Anorak.
Does Certua have an API?
Yes. Certua operates an API-driven distribution model that enables embedding of life insurance products into third-party digital services such as banking apps, savings platforms, and employee benefits portals. The API allows partners to integrate and distribute protection products programmatically.
What industry is Certua in?
Certua's product category is Embedded Life Insurance. Its primary akta.pro industry code is FSAIAAAA, Level Term Life Insurance. Its NAICS code is 524113 and its SIC code is 6311.