The Cannabis Insurance Company

What The Cannabis Insurance Company does

The Cannabis Insurance Company (operated by CIS Insurance Services, LLC) is a Managing General Agency and wholesale insurance provider headquartered in Fort Collins, Colorado, founded in 2015 to serve cannabis and hemp businesses that mainstream commercial insurers decline or misprice. The company exclusively focuses on the cannabis supply chain, offering nine distinct product lines: dispensary insurance, cultivation insurance, manufacturing insurance, building insurance for properties with grow operations, laboratory insurance, product liability, professional liability, delivery and transport insurance, and hemp/CBD insurance, with additional lines in workers' compensation, D&O, cyber, equipment breakdown, and general liability. The firm maintains custom state-specific insurance forms approved across all 50 US states, reflecting deep regulatory specialization in a federally complex market.

Underlying the offering is TheChampApp, a cloud-based portal that provides instant quoting and policy management for cannabis insureds and the company's appointed agent network. The platform's primary technical differentiator is its domain specialization — pre-built cannabis-specific forms and workflows — rather than proprietary AI or data science capability. The company does not expose public APIs or partner integrations beyond established channel relationships.

Commercially, CIS operates a hybrid MGA/wholesale model: it earns commission-based revenue on insurance premiums placed through nationwide agency appointments to cannabis and hemp agents, supplemented by direct quote-driven sales to cannabis operators via its website and phone channel. Pricing is fully quote-based across all lines except crop coverage, which is capped at $5 million in total limit per location. The firm has six customer segments — dispensaries, cultivators, manufacturers, laboratories, hemp/CBD businesses, and insurance agents — and recently launched CIS Plus+ to extend reach into ancillary, non-plant-touching cannabis-related businesses. The customer base is distributed SMB-style with no disclosed enterprise anchors, and growth has been funded organically with no outside capital raised to date.

Name

The Cannabis Insurance Company

Legal name

CIS Insurance Services, LLC

Website

https://thecannabisinsurancecompany.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Cannabis Insurance Company is a Managing General Agency and wholesale insurer providing specialized insurance products exclusively to cannabis and hemp businesses across all 50 US states, distributed through appointed agents and a cloud-based portal called TheChampApp.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Littleton

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Insurance Premium Revenue: As a Managing General Agent (MGA) and wholesaler, the company earns revenue through insurance premiums placed through its network of appointed agents. Insurance products include property, liability, crop, and professional liability coverage for cannabis and hemp businesses.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

The Cannabis Insurance Company (CIS Insurance Services, LLC) is a Managing General Agency (MGA) and wholesale insurance provider offering specialized insurance products exclusively for the cannabis, hemp, and CBD industries. It covers the entire supply chain from cultivation to retail with property, liability, crop, product, and professional liability coverage across all U.S. states.

Product overview

The Cannabis Insurance Company (operated by CIS Insurance Services, LLC) is a Managing General Agency (MGA) and wholesale insurance provider offering a comprehensive portfolio of insurance products exclusively for the cannabis, hemp, and CBD industries. The company operates as a single unified offering with multiple specialized insurance products covering the entire cannabis supply chain from seed to sale. The product portfolio includes: Dispensary Insurance (protecting retail operations, inventory, and liability), Cultivation Insurance (covering plants, equipment, and grow operations), Manufacturing Insurance (protecting infused product manufacturers), Building Insurance (specialized coverage for properties with grow operations), Laboratory Insurance (testing facility coverage), Product Liability (supply chain product protection), Professional Liability Insurance (errors and omissions for trained professionals), Delivery & Transport Insurance (armored car and transit coverage), and HEMP-CBD Insurance (specialized coverage for the hemp and CBD market). All products can be written in all U.S. states with custom forms specific to each business. Additional coverage types mentioned include Worker’s Compensation, Director’s and Officer’s policies, Cyber coverage, Equipment Breakdown, and General Liability.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Dispensary Insurance Insurance coverage designed to protect dispensary businesses against property and inventory loss, liability claims, and loss of income in the event of theft, fire, vandalism, explosion, hail, water damage, or other catastrophic losses.
• Cultivation Insurance Insurance coverage protecting plants, equipment, liability, and business income for grow operations against risks including lighting failure, theft, fire, explosion, hail, vandalism, smoke, and water damage.
• Manufacturing Insurance Insurance coverage for cannabis manufacturing businesses covering direct physical loss, professional liability, and general liability to protect against product-related claims from sickness, physical damage, or bodily injury.
• Building Insurance Specialized building insurance for properties with cannabis grow operations, addressing coverage challenges many landlords face when insurance companies decline to write liability or property coverage due to grow operations.
• Laboratory Insurance Insurance coverage for cannabis testing laboratories, including professional liability protection against errors and omissions in testing services, and property insurance for laboratory equipment.
• Product Liability Product liability insurance protecting cannabis businesses from lawsuits when a product causes bodily injury or property damage, covering design defects, manufacturing flaws, and labeling/failure to warn claims.
• Professional Liability Insurance Coverage for trained professionals in the cannabis industry (labs, manufacturers, growers) who may face liability claims when errors or omissions in performing professional services result in direct physical damage or bodily injury.
• Delivery & Transport Insurance Insurance coverage for the transportation of marijuana products from grow to extraction to testing to manufacturing to dispensary, covering liability, commercial auto, property, and crop against theft and direct physical loss.
• HEMP - CBD Insurance Specialized insurance coverage for the HEMP and CBD market covering growers, extractors, wholesalers, and retailers with custom coverages addressing rapidly evolving national and state regulations.

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• National Cannabis Industry Association (NCIA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNCIA is the only national trade association advancing the interests of the legitimate and responsible cannabis industry. The company partners with NCIA to support cannabis businesses, agents, and industry growth. Shauna Blackburn, a company executive, has served as Chairperson and Vice Chair for NCIA.
• CannaShield Insurance ServicescoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorFamily-owned, multi-generational retail insurance agency specializing in cannabis insurance solutions. With more than 30 years of commercial insurance experience and nearly a decade focused on the cannabis industry.
• Sugarleaf Insurance ServicescoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSpecializes in high-risk and emerging industries that most traditional insurance agencies either decline or misprize. Values high standards of ethics and teamwork.
• Good Harbor Insurance GroupminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRelationship-driven insurance provider offering personalized guidance for individuals, families, and businesses. Known for hands-on service and long-term client relationships.
• Insurance JournalminorGTM or Marketing PartnerLeading source of news and insights for the U.S. property and casualty insurance industry. Provides media coverage and industry visibility.
• My New MarketsminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPremier online marketplace connecting insurance professionals with specialty and hard-to-place markets. Links retail agents with wholesalers, MGAs, and carriers.
• Rubicon EHSminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerEnvironmental health and safety consulting services. Helps businesses maintain compliance, reduce risk, and create safer workplaces with OSHA compliance, safety training, and regulatory guidance.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• CannaShield Insurance Services: CannaShield is described in the data as a family-owned, multi-generational retail agency specializing in cannabis insurance with nearly a decade of cannabis-specific experience. It is both a channel partner and a direct competitor offering dispensary, cultivation, product liability, and ancillary coverages to cannabis operators nationally.
• Cannabis Connect Insurance Services: Cannabis Connect Insurance Services is a cannabis-focused insurance agency where the company's EVP previously served as Executive Accounts Director. It specializes in tailored risk management and coverage strategies for licensed cannabis businesses, making it a directly comparable direct peer in both product scope and target customer.
• ICan Insurance Services: ICan Insurance Services is a specialty MGA focused on cannabis and hemp insurance coverage nationally. It offers a comparable product set (dispensary, cultivation, manufacturing, transport, product liability) and operates in the same agent-distributed MGA model as The Cannabis Insurance Company.
• Blitz Insurance (cannabis insuretech): Blitz is a cannabis insure-tech MGA on whose platform California's first online rater for cannabis was written. Multiple members of the company's team (Shauna Blackburn as Cannabis Team Lead; Katelynn Walsh as Business Operations Analyst) previously worked at Blitz, evidencing direct overlap in cannabis MGA platform capabilities, agent distribution, and target insureds.
• Sugarleaf Insurance Services: Sugarleaf is a specialty MGA focused on high-risk and emerging industries, including cannabis and hemp. It is listed as a channel partner in the company's data and offers directly comparable products (property, liability, crop, product liability) for cannabis operators, making it a head-to-head direct peer.
• Good Harbor Insurance Group: Good Harbor is an insurance provider listed as a channel partner in the company's data, with a hands-on service model for commercial clients including cannabis operators. It targets the same cannabis and hemp market with personal coverage guidance, positioning it as a regional-scale direct competitor.
• CannGen Insurance: CannGen is a managing general agency focused exclusively on cannabis and hemp insurance, offering cultivation, dispensary, product liability and ancillary coverages similar to The Cannabis Insurance Company. The company's EVP previously served as Marketing Manager for CannGen, and a junior underwriter also spent four years there, indicating direct overlap in product, distribution model, and target customer.

Broad incumbents

• Next Insurance: Next Insurance is a well-capitalized digital small-business insurance carrier/MGA that has expanded aggressively into specialty verticals. It is not yet a major cannabis-specialist, but its product breadth, agent-friendly platform, and balance sheet make it a credible broad incumbent that could encroach on The Cannabis Insurance Company's territory if cannabis commerce mainstreaming continues.
• Hiscox Insurance: Hiscox is a global specialty insurer with a long-standing small-business and professional liability franchise in the US. While it does not focus on cannabis today, its appetite for specialty commercial lines and ability to launch vertical-specific products make it a broad incumbent that competes indirectly for some of the company's ancillary (non-plant-touching) cannabis accounts.

Emerging players

• Vantor Insurance Services: Vantor is an emerging specialty MGA placing cannabis and hemp commercial lines for retail agents. While smaller and more limited in geographic reach, it targets the same licensed cannabis operators with property, liability, and crop coverages, partially overlapping with The Cannabis Insurance Company.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Subsidiaries1 record

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 The Cannabis Insurance Company