ESP Specialty Insurance

What ESP Specialty Insurance does

ESP Specialty Insurance is a US-based specialty insurance broker and program administrator focused exclusively on the entertainment, sports, and promotion industries. Operated as ESP Specialty LLC (a division of Specialty Program Group LLC), headquartered in Worcester, Massachusetts with a secondary office in Andover, the firm offers a portfolio spanning athletic insurance, event liability, entertainment/leisure/sports facility coverage, weather insurance, prize indemnity, and event cancellation. Products are exclusively developed and managed for A.M. Best A+ rated carriers, and the firm holds in-house binding authority for more than 150 classes of business through a core partnership with SHEL Risk Purchasing Association, enabling rapid policy issuance. Sub-brand CoverSmart by ESP extends coverage to individual professionals such as DJs, entertainers, fitness instructors, and wedding planners.

The company serves a long-tail customer base of 3,000+ organizations—including youth and amateur sports leagues, family entertainment centers, bowling and axe-throwing venues, event organizers, and promotional marketers—with claims of 1,000,000+ youth participants covered and over $2.5B in insured limits for special events. Customers range from local SMBs and nonprofits (Clark County Youth Football, Bowl New England, Lake Tahoe Boat Show) to high-profile engagements (United Nations event coverage), supported by a 4.9/5 Trustpilot rating.

ESP Specialty operates a dual-channel go-to-market: direct sales via phone and website quote forms, paired with a producer/broker network in which outside agents earn commissions plus optional broker fees ('Partners, Not Competitors'). Referral partnerships with organizations like USA Football feed customer acquisition, while content marketing (blog, SEO site) and social channels (Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn) drive top-of-funnel demand. The firm is privately held, funded internally, and operates with a notably lean disclosed headcount of 1–10 employees despite significant insured volume.

Name

ESP Specialty Insurance

Legal name

ESP Specialty LLC

Website

https://espspecialty.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

ESP Specialty Insurance is a US-based specialty broker and program administrator offering athletic, event liability, entertainment facility, weather, and prize indemnity coverage exclusively through A+ rated carriers, serving 3,000+ sports organizations, event planners, and entertainment venues.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Specialty Insurance Brokerage

NAICS

Insurance Agencies and Brokerages (524210), Agencies, Brokerages, and Other Insurance Related Activities (5242), Other Insurance Related Activities (52429)

SIC

Insurance Agents, Brokers & Service (6411), Fire, Marine & Casualty Insurance (6331)

akta.pro primary industry

Specialty Insurance Brokerage (Marine, Aviation, Cyber, Professional Lines) (FSAEADAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Wholesale Insurance Brokerage (Excess & Surplus Lines) (FSAEADAD), Event Cancellation & Contingency (FSAJAGAN)

Keywords

• Specialty insurance brokerage
• Athletic team insurance
• Event liability coverage
• Weather insurance products
• Prize indemnity coverage

Headquarters

HQ city

Worcester

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Insurance Premiums: ESP Specialty earns revenue through insurance policy premiums as a broker and program administrator. They develop and manage insurance products for carriers and earn commissions on policies written.
2. Broker/Producer Commissions: Insurance agents and brokers who partner with ESP earn commission as a percentage of premium on each policy written. Producers can also add broker fees on top of commissions.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

ESP Specialty Insurance is a nationwide insurance broker and program administrator that develops and manages specialized insurance product lines for A.M. Best A+ rated carriers, focused on the entertainment, sports, and promotion industries. The company offers athletic insurance, event liability coverage, weather insurance, prize indemnity insurance, and entertainment/leisure/sports facility insurance, with in-house binding authority for over 150 classes of business through SHEL Risk Purchasing Association.

Product overview

ESP Specialty Insurance operates as a nationwide insurance broker and program administrator offering a comprehensive portfolio of specialized insurance products for the entertainment, sports, and promotion industries. The core product suite consists of five main insurance categories: Athletic Insurance covering sports teams, clubs, leagues, camps, and tournaments; Event Liability Insurance for concerts, conferences, weddings, and film productions; Entertainment, Leisure & Sports Facilities Insurance for bowling centers, arcades, escape rooms, and family entertainment centers; Weather Insurance including cost containment, income stabilization, and rain insurance; and Prize Indemnity Insurance for hole-in-one, games of skill, and promotional contests. The company also offers a sub-brand called CoverSmart by ESP providing simplified individual professional coverage. All products are underwritten through exclusive relationships with A.M. Best A+ Rated carriers, with in-house binding authority for over 150 classes of business through SHEL Risk Purchasing Association.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• CoverSmart by ESP: Insurance products for DJs, entertainers, fitness instructors, musical and theatrical performers, and party/wedding planners.

Products and services

• Athletic Insurance Comprehensive insurance coverage for sports teams, clubs, leagues, camps, clinics, and tournaments including football, baseball, basketball, soccer, lacrosse, volleyball, softball, pickleball, and running races. Targeted at youth and amateur sports organizations.
• Event Liability Insurance Insurance coverage protecting event organizers from liability claims during events including birthday parties, concerts, conferences, craft fairs, film productions, sports events, trade shows, vendor events, and weddings.
• Entertainment, Leisure and Sports Facilities Insurance Insurance coverage for entertainment and leisure venues including arcades, axe throwing facilities, batting cages, bowling centers, driving ranges, escape rooms, family entertainment centers, laser tag, mini golf, multi-sport complexes, and tennis clubs.
• Weather Insurance Weather-related insurance products including cost containment weather insurance, income stabilization weather insurance, rain insurance, and weather cancellation coverage for outdoor events.
• Prize Indemnity Insurance Insurance covering prize payouts for promotional contests including contractual bonus insurance, games of skill insurance, hole in one insurance, games of chance insurance, and over redemption insurance.
• Event Cancellation Insurance Protection for event organizers against financial losses from cancelling or postponing events due to circumstances beyond their control.
• CoverSmart by ESP Sub-brand offering simplified insurance products for individual professionals including DJ insurance, entertainer insurance, fitness instructor insurance, musical and theatrical performance insurance, and party and wedding planner insurance.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 1,000,000 youth participants covered in 2025
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• SHEL Risk Purchasing AssociationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSHEL Risk Purchasing Association is a key partner through which ESP Specialty provides over $2.5B in insured limits covering special events. ESP and SHEL together offer in-house binding authority for over 150 classes of business, allowing expedited policy issuance.
• USA FootballcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerUSA Football serves as a referral channel introducing youth football organizations to ESP Specialty's insurance services. Multiple customers were introduced to ESP through USA Football and switched from previous providers.
• Target MarketsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerTarget Markets is a partner organization shown on ESP Specialty's website, likely representing a trade association or marketing group for target market industries.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Philadelphia Insurance Companies: PHLY is a specialty carrier with deep sports, leisure, and entertainment facility coverage menus, similar to what ESP places via A+ carriers; they are an incumbent alternative to ESP's carrier partners.
• Markel Specialty: Markel Specialty underwrites sports, leisure, entertainment, and events liability at scale — a large incumbent whose appetite decisions directly impact ESP's ability to bind coverage for its niche book.
• Marsh Specialty: Marsh is a global insurance broker with a Specialty / Sports & Entertainment practice serving the same youth sports, events, and entertainment facility segments as ESP, but with much broader product breadth.
• Aon (Sports & Entertainment Group): Aon is a global insurance broker whose Sports & Entertainment practice (including K&K Insurance) competes head-on with ESP across the same verticals, though at materially larger scale and as part of a broader portfolio.

Direct peers

• Sadler & Company: Sadler & Company is a long-standing specialty broker for amateur youth and adult sports organizations, providing accident, liability, and D&O coverage — directly comparable to ESP's athletics line of business.
• K&K Insurance Group: K&K Insurance Group is a specialty insurance broker/program administrator focused on sports, leisure, entertainment, events, and tourism — essentially the closest direct competitor to ESP Specialty on products and niche verticals.
• McGowan Companies: McGowan Companies is a program administrator offering specialty insurance for sports, fitness, and entertainment risks, mirroring ESP's binding-authority model in adjacent verticals.
• Brownyard Group: Brownyard Group is a specialty insurance underwriter and program administrator for security guard, sports and entertainment liability, and leisure industries, overlapping with ESP's entertainment/leisure/facilities book.

Emerging players

• RPS (Risk Placement Services): RPS is a wholesale broker and managing general agent placing specialty and E&S coverage, comparable to ESP's program-administration/wholesale orientation for hard-to-place risks.
• Burns & Wilcox: Burns & Wilcox is a national specialty wholesale broker distributing excess and surplus lines to retail agents — comparable as a specialty distribution channel where ESP's producer network competes for niche E&S placements.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks4 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/ESPSpecialty
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/espspecialty/about
• Instagraminstagram.com/espspecialty
• Xx.com/espspecialty

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

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 ESP Specialty Insurance