Buoy
Buoy provides usage-based, per-trip boat rental insurance covering both renters and rental companies. Its digital platform integrates with major boat booking systems, meets Florida SB606 requirements, and is underwritten by Markel American Insurance Company.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2022
- HeadquartersMiami, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingServices
What Buoy does
Buoy is a digital insurance platform that provides usage-based, per-trip liability insurance for boat rental companies and the consumers renting from them. The core product is an admitted liability policy with coverage limits of up to $500,000 per person and $1 million per occurrence, designed to protect both the rental operator (livery) and the renter during the rental period. Buoy is built specifically to align with the Florida Safe Boating Act of 2022 (SB606), and the company bundles free white-glove support for obtaining the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) Livery Permit required under that law. The platform also includes a digital check-in/check-out system for paperless pre-charter safety instruction and boat condition inspection, a prototype mobile application, and a 'Lighthouse' resource hub with regulatory guides for all 50 US states and the District of Columbia.
The technical architecture is a cloud-based digital insurance platform delivered as a mobile-friendly web application (with a mobile app in prototype) and exposed through APIs and developer documentation for booking system integration. The platform is offered as 'bring your own booking system' (BYOBS), and is natively integrated at checkout with the major boat rental booking platforms: Boatsetter, Stellar, FareHarbor, BookingCentral, and BoatRentalSoftware. Payment processing runs on Stripe, the site is hosted on Netlify with Cloudflare for security/performance, and customer data flows to LexisNexis for insurance-related verification. Insurance is underwritten by Markel American Insurance Company and its affiliates, and is sold through Buoy's licensed insurance producer affiliate, Bolt Agency (Business Owners Liability Team LLC), which holds producer licenses in all 50 states and DC.
The business model is a two-sided, usage-based market: boat rental companies use Buoy free of charge, while renters pay a per-trip premium whose price varies with trip duration, season, boat type, and renter age. Bolt Agency receives commissions on placed policies, and Markel retains the bulk of underwriting risk and premium. Go-to-market combines a self-serve product-led growth motion (renter sign-up and livery fleet registration both completable in under 15 minutes), a sales-assisted B2B motion (Calendly-driven demos and onboarding specialists), and channel partnerships with boat rental booking platforms for in-checkout insurance purchase. Buoy Boat Holdings, LLC (the operating entity) was founded in 2022 and is headquartered in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, with a small team of 1-10 employees and no disclosed external funding.
Buoy firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Buoy
- Legal name
- Buoy Boat Holdings, LLC
- Website
- https://buoy.rent
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2022
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Buoy provides usage-based, per-trip boat rental insurance covering both renters and rental companies. Its digital platform integrates with major boat booking systems, meets Florida SB606 requirements, and is underwritten by Markel American Insurance Company.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Buoy industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Boat Rental Insurance
- NAICS
- Insurance Agencies and Brokerages (524210), Direct Property and Casualty Insurance Carriers (524126)
- SIC
- Insurance Agents, Brokers & Service (6411), Fire, Marine & Casualty Insurance (6331)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Mid-Market Commercial Package (Package Policies) (FSAJAFAB)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Small Business BOP (Main Street) (FSAJAFAA)
Keywords
Where Buoy is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Miami
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
Buoy business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Per-Trip Renter Insurance Premiums: Usage-based insurance premiums charged to renters on a per-trip basis. The cost is passed through entirely to the renter; boat rental companies pay nothing to use the platform. Premium factors include trip duration, season, boat type, and renter age. The policy is underwritten by Markel American Insurance Company and issued through affiliate Bolt Agency (Business Owners Liability Team LLC), which earns commissions on placed policies.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Usage-based | Pay-as-you-go | Free for boat rental companies; usage-based per-trip premium for renters |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels5 records
Buoy product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Buoy is a digital insurance platform that provides usage-based, per-trip liability insurance for boat rental companies and their renters. Coverage limits reach $500,000 per person and $1 million per occurrence, and the policy is compliant with the Florida Safe Boating Act of 2022 (SB606). The platform includes self-serve fleet registration, paperless check-in/check-out with pre-charter safety instructions, booking-system API integrations, and free FWC Livery Permit application assistance. Insurance is underwritten by Markel American Insurance Company and issued through affiliated producer Bolt Agency (Business Owners Liability Team LLC).
Product overview
Buoy is a digital boat rental insurance platform offering a single unified product: per-trip liability insurance coverage for boat rental companies and their renters. The core offering is the Buoy Boat Rental Insurance / Livery and Renter Liability Policy, which provides coverage limits of $500,000 per person and $1 million per occurrence. This is complemented by a Check-In/Check-Out System for paperless pre-rental safety instructions and boat inspections. The company also provides free FWC Livery Permit Assistance to help operators comply with Florida's Boating Safety Act of 2022 (SB606). A mobile application is in prototype stage to further streamline compliance workflows.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Buoy Boat Rental Insurance Digital per-trip liability insurance product for boat rental companies and individual boat renters. Covers both the renter and the rental company (livery) during the rental period. Policy is admitted coverage and meets the requirements of the Florida Safe Boating Act of 2022 (SB606). Renters pay per trip; boat rental companies use the platform free.
- Livery and Renter Liability Policy Insurance policy compliant with Florida's Boating Safety Act of 2022 (SB606) that covers both the livery (boat rental company) and the renter for any accident, loss, injury, property damage, or other casualty resulting from operation of the boat during the rental period.
- Digital Check-In/Check-Out System Digital process built into the Buoy platform for pre-rental safety instructions and boat condition inspection. Enables paperless completion of required pre-charter safety instructions and vessel inspection at the dock.
- FWC Livery Permit Assistance Free white-glove support service helping boat rental companies obtain the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) Livery Permit required under SB606, including document preparation and submission guidance.
- Buoy Mobile Application
Quantifiable outcome
- Fleet registration completed in under 15 minutes
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use Buoy
Customer profileSegments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Buoy technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- Yes
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration6 records
Feature5 records
Buoy partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Six partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- BoatsettercoreBoatsetter is a boat rental marketplace. On Boatsetter's platform, renters have the option to purchase Buoy insurance directly at checkout. This integration embeds Buoy's per-trip insurance into Boatsetter's booking flow, enabling seamless compliance with SB606 for Boatsetter's livery operators.
- StellarcoreStellar (by Boatrentalmanagement.com) is a boat rental management software platform. Renters on Stellar's platform can purchase Buoy insurance directly at checkout. The integration enables Stellar's boat rental operator customers to offer compliant renter insurance without switching platforms.
- FareHarborcoreFareHarbor is a booking platform for marine and water activities. Integration with Buoy allows FareHarbor's boat rental operator customers to offer renters the option to purchase insurance at checkout, meeting Florida's SB606 requirements.
- BookingCentralcoreBookingCentral is a boat rental booking platform. Integration with Buoy enables BookingCentral's operators to offer renters insurance coverage at checkout, simplifying compliance with Florida's boat rental insurance law.
- Markel American Insurance CompanycoreMarkel American Insurance Company and its insurance company subsidiaries and affiliates are the underwriters of Buoy's boat rental insurance policies. All insurance coverage described on the Buoy platform is underwritten and issued by Markel. Buoy provides the digital distribution and customer interface layer while Markel provides the insurance capacity and risk-bearing.
- Bolt Agency (Business Owners Liability Team LLC)coreBolt Agency is Buoy Boat Holdings LLC's licensed insurance producer affiliate, domiciled in Delaware with principal place of business in Austin, TX. Licensed in all 50 states and DC (CA license 0G93017; FL license L067337; NY license 1146433; TX license 1617771). Bolt Agency earns commissions on insurance policies placed through the Buoy platform and is the entity through which all insurance products and services on the website are sold.
Scale indicators2 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Buoy competitors and assessment
Company assessmentMarket position
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Buoy social profiles
Digital presenceBuoy financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Buoy leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
Buoy funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Buoy 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 Buoy
What does Buoy do?
Buoy is a digital insurance platform that provides usage-based, per-trip liability insurance for boat rental companies and their renters. Coverage limits reach $500,000 per person and $1 million per occurrence, and the policy is compliant with the Florida Safe Boating Act of 2022 (SB606). The platform includes self-serve fleet registration, paperless check-in/check-out with pre-charter safety instructions, booking-system API integrations, and free FWC Livery Permit application assistance. Insurance is underwritten by Markel American Insurance Company and issued through affiliated producer Bolt Agency (Business Owners Liability Team LLC).
Is Buoy a public or private company?
Buoy is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Buoy founded?
Buoy was founded in 2022. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Buoy based?
Buoy is headquartered in Miami, United States, in the North America region.
How does Buoy make money?
One revenue line is on record: per-Trip Renter Insurance Premiums.
Does Buoy have an API?
Yes. Buoy mentions availability of APIs and developer-friendly documentation for integrating their insurance solution with booking systems. Partners can integrate Buoy's insurance offering directly at checkout for platforms like Boatsetter and Stellar. No public API documentation URL is provided in the source material.
What industry is Buoy in?
Buoy's product category is Boat Rental Insurance. Its primary akta.pro industry code is FSAJAFAB, Mid-Market Commercial Package (Package Policies), with a secondary code of FSAJAFAA, Small Business BOP (Main Street). Its NAICS code is 524210 and its SIC code is 6411.