What Guardhog does

Guardhog, founded in 2016 and headquartered in London, operates as an insurance business with its operating presence tied to Yellow Bolts Limited, an FCA-authorized independent insurance broker registered in Altrincham, Cheshire (FRN 768441). The firm places general insurance contracts across personal and commercial lines for individuals, families, and businesses, with no obligation to any specific insurer. Its core technology stack is essentially non-existent in disclosed form: the company operates as a traditional brokerage, sourcing coverage from standard insurers, specialist insurers, surplus lines providers, and Lloyd's of London, and engaging customers through phone, email, and messaging rather than automated quote engines or proprietary platforms.

The product suite spans home, motor (including non-standard vehicles), renovations, health, travel, art and collectables, mid-to-high net worth home, commercial (property, liability, professional risk, cyber), and short-term let/Airbnb cover. Customer segments are deliberately horizontal and include non-standard vehicle owners, HNW individuals, SMBs, short-term let property owners, and general consumers seeking independent advice on policy wording, conditions, and exclusions. Distribution is sales-led via direct customer engagement, supported by Google Forms proposal-intake links per product line. Revenue is generated through insurance brokerage commissions paid by insurers for placing business, with quote-based, pay-as-you-go pricing tailored to individual risk profiles.

The business model is differentiated primarily by independence and breadth of market access - particularly Lloyd's and surplus lines - enabling placement of non-standard and complex risks that other brokers decline. The firm emphasizes ongoing involvement through the policy lifecycle, including claims handling. Backed by Insurtech Gateway in 2019, Guardhog/Yellow Bolts remains a privately held, UK-domestic brokerage with 11-50 employees and no disclosed revenue or additional funding rounds.

Name

Guardhog

Legal name

Yellow Bolts Limited

Website

https://guardhog.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Guardhog is a UK-based insurance business operating through FCA-authorized Yellow Bolts Limited, an independent broker placing personal and commercial cover with standard, specialist, surplus lines, and Lloyd's insurers for individuals, families, HNW clients, and SMBs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Insurance Brokerage

NAICS

Insurance Agencies and Brokerages (52421), Insurance Agencies and Brokerages (524210), Agencies, Brokerages, and Other Insurance Related Activities (5242)

SIC

Insurance Agents, Brokers & Service (6411)

akta.pro primary industry

Commercial General Liability (CGL) (FSAJADAA)

Keywords

• On-demand insurance
• Insurance brokerage
• Sharing economy insurance
• Embedded insurance
• Specialty insurance

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Insurance Brokerage Commission: Yellow Bolts acts as an independent insurance broker, arranging and placing general insurance contracts with insurers. Revenue is generated through commissions paid by insurers for placing business, with no obligation to any specific insurer.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

Guardhog is an on-demand insurance solution supporting sharing economy platforms and their members, and is closely associated with Yellow Bolts, an FCA-authorised independent insurance broker. The business arranges, advises on, and places general insurance contracts (personal and commercial lines) directly with insurers on behalf of customers, including specialist cover for short-term/home-sharing lets.

Product overview

Guardhog is referenced in the source data solely through a compliance document URL (https://guardhog.sharepoint.com) associated with Yellow Bolts, an independent insurance broker. The source material does not contain information about Guardhog's own product or service offerings.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Home to Let / Home Sharing Insurance Specialist cover designed for properties let on a short-term basis - Airbnb, holiday lets and serviced accommodation - where standard home insurance is insufficient. Aligned with Guardhog's sharing economy focus and its platforms/members.
• Home Insurance Standard buildings and contents cover for the home the customer lives in, arranged for individuals and families.
• Motor Insurance Private motor cover, particularly for non-standard vehicles, unusual circumstances, or risks that do not fit a standard policy.
• Renovations Insurance Specialist cover during building works, when standard policies tend to fall short.
• Commercial Insurance Property, liability, professional risk, cyber and more, built around a business's specific operations and risk profile for small and medium businesses.
• Art & Collectables Insurance Agreed value cover for fine art, antiques, jewellery and collections that standard policies undervalue, aimed at high-net-worth individuals.
• Mid to High Net Worth Home Insurance Home cover that reflects what the customer actually owns rather than a standard policy with inflated limits, for affluent individuals.
• Health Insurance Individual and corporate private health insurance arranged around the customer's circumstances rather than lowest price.
• Travel Insurance Personal and corporate travel cover for individuals, families and businesses with employees travelling for work.

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Financial Conduct Authority (FCA)coreOthersYellow Bolts Limited is authorized and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) under Firm Reference Number 768441. The company is covered by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS), providing consumer protection for customers.
• Standard InsurerscoreOthersStandard insurance providers used for placing general insurance contracts for customers across home, motor, health, travel and commercial lines.
• Specialist InsurerscoreOthersSpecialist insurance providers engaged for non-standard risks, high-value situations, and complex coverage needs that standard insurers may not cover.
• Lloyd's of LondoncoreOthersLloyd's market access enables placement of sophisticated and specialist risks that require unique underwriting capacity.
• Surplus Lines InsurerscoreOthersSurplus lines insurers used for non-standard risks that cannot be placed in standard insurance markets.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Aon: Global insurance broker and risk advisor with UK retail/commercial operations covering personal, commercial, and specialty lines. Comparable as a large-scale broker with Lloyd's and specialist market access.
• Direct Line Group: Major UK personal-lines insurer/broker (Direct Line, Churchill, Privilege, Darwin). Comparable as an established UK multi-channel insurance intermediary with comparable household and motor product lines.
• Howden: Large independent UK/global insurance broker with multi-line commercial and personal offerings and broad market access including Lloyd's. Comparable as a scaled independent broker with similar placement philosophy.
• Marsh: Global insurance broker and risk advisor with UK operations across personal, commercial, and specialty lines. Comparable as a large-scale broker providing multi-line placement including via Lloyd's.
• Hiscox: UK-headquartered specialist insurer/broker with significant HNW, art & collectables, and small commercial business. Comparable as a scaled specialist in the same niches Guardhog/Yellow Bolts serves.

Direct peers

• Marshmallow: UK insurtech using data-driven underwriting to provide fairer insurance for non-standard drivers and other underserved segments — directly overlapping Guardhog/Yellow Bolts' non-standard motor and specialist broker positioning.
• Adrian Flux: Long-standing UK broker specializing in non-standard and classic/unique vehicles, household, and lifestyle insurance. Directly comparable to Yellow Bolts' focus on non-standard motor and agreed-value specialty lines.
• Many Pets: Originally launched as Bought By Many, a digital-first UK specialist insurance broker disrupting traditional broker UX. Comparable as a tech-enabled specialist insurance intermediary serving niche consumer segments in the UK.
• Zego: UK-based insurtech that began offering on-demand insurance specifically for the sharing/gig economy (ride-share, courier, delivery drivers). Direct conceptual match to Guardhog's stated mission of 'on-demand insurance solution supporting the Sharing Economy platforms,' targeting the same end customer base.

Emerging players

• Hastings Direct: UK digital-first motor and household insurer/broker targeting price-conscious segments via online channels. Comparable as a UK data-and-digital insurance intermediary competing for similar personal-lines customers.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/guardhog

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

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 Guardhog