What Stella Insurance does

Stella Insurance is an Australian insurance distributor operating under the legal entity Stella Underwriting Pty Ltd (ABN 72 633 811 319), headquartered in Sydney and founded circa 2020. The company sells car, travel, pet, and life/income/home loan protection insurance to Australian consumers through a direct-to-consumer digital channel (stellainsurance.com.au, pet-quote.stellainsurance.com.au, and app.stellainsurance.com.au) supplemented by phone support. Stella does not underwrite risk itself; it acts as an Authorised Representative distributing policies underwritten by Virginia Surety Company and QBE (car), Pacific International Insurance (travel and pet), and Zurich Australia (life, income protection, and home loan protection via referral at 60% upfront and 10% ongoing commission).

The brand is positioned as purpose-driven and women-first, offering standard inclusions tailored to women's needs (A$2,000 baby-gear cover, new car replacement within two years, pregnancy/childcare travel cover, domestic-violence excess waiver, 24/7 pet vet hotline). Stella runs a community-led go-to-market anchored by partnerships with six women's organizations (WAGEC, Her Heart, One Roof, Freelancing Gems, Women's Agenda, The Parenthood), content marketing (Stella Stories, Stella Women Series, "It Takes Boobs" podcast), and earned media across major Australian women's publications. Revenue is generated entirely through recurring premium commissions across the four product lines.

The business operates with a very lean team (1–10 employees) and has not disclosed revenue, funding rounds, or premium volume. Stella has won the WeMoney Car Insurer of the Year award for three consecutive years through 2024, plus awards for quality, customer service, and claims experience, providing third-party validation of brand and customer-execution quality. Geographic scope is limited to Australia, and the company has no proprietary technology platform, depending instead on partner underwriting and distribution infrastructure.

Name

Stella Insurance

Legal name

Stella Underwriting Pty Ltd

Website

https://stellainsurance.com.au

Company type

Private

Founded year

2020

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Stella Insurance is an Australian digital insurance distributor selling car, travel, pet, and life protection policies underwritten by partner carriers, targeted at women and families in Australia through purpose-driven community-led marketing.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Sydney

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Car Insurance: Comprehensive car insurance distributed by Stella Underwriting Pty Ltd as Authorised Representative of Virginia Surety Company (policies from 24 June 2024) or QBE (policies before 1 May 2024). Revenue generated from annual insurance premiums paid by policyholders.
2. Travel Insurance: Domestic and international travel insurance issued by Pacific International Insurance and distributed by Stella Underwriting via battleface/binding authority. Revenue from policy premiums.
3. Pet Insurance: Pet insurance issued by Pacific International Insurance, distributed by Stella Underwriting as Authorised Representative of ThePetInsuranceCompany.com.au. Covers vet costs at 70%, 80%, or 90% reimbursement rates (subject to annual excess). Revenue from policyholder premiums.
4. Life, Income Protection and Home Loan Protection Insurance: Life insurance, income protection, and home loan protection products underwritten by Zurich Australia. Stella acts as a referrer for these products and receives commission of 60% upfront and 10% ongoing (plus GST) of premiums paid.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Stella Insurance is an Australian purpose-driven, women-first insurance brand operated by Stella Underwriting Pty Ltd, founded in 2020 and headquartered in Sydney. The company underwrites and distributes personal insurance products including car, travel, pet, life, income protection, and home loan protection insurance, acting as an underwriting agent on behalf of partner insurers such as Virginia Surety Company, Pacific International Insurance, QBE, and Zurich.

Product overview

Stella Insurance is an Australian insurance provider operating as a purpose-driven brand focused on leveling the playing field for women. The company offers a portfolio of insurance products including Car Insurance, Travel Insurance, Pet Insurance, Life Insurance, Income Protection, and Home Loan Protection. All products are distributed through Stella Underwriting Pty Ltd (ABN 72 633 811 319) as an Authorised Representative, with insurance issuers including Virginia Surety Company (car insurance), Pacific International Insurance (travel and pet insurance), and Zurich Australia (life/income/home loan insurance). The product architecture combines core offerings with optional add-ons (roadside assistance for car insurance, alternative therapies/dental/behavioural add-ons for pet insurance).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Car Insurance Motor vehicle insurance policy sold directly to women consumers in Australia, underwritten through partner insurers.
• Travel Insurance Travel insurance covering domestic and international trips, sold to women consumers in Australia through partner underwriters.
• Pet Insurance Insurance covering veterinary expenses for cats and dogs, sold to women pet owners in Australia via partner insurers.
• Life Insurance Life cover policy providing a lump sum payment upon death or terminal illness, distributed in Australia under partner underwriting arrangements.
• Income Protection Insurance Policy that replaces a portion of the insured's income if they are unable to work due to illness or injury, sold to women consumers in Australia.
• Home Loan Protection Insurance Mortgage-related insurance that pays out the outstanding home loan balance in the event of death, terminal illness, or specified trauma, sold to Australian women via partner underwriters.

Quantifiable outcome

• Donates $5 to WAGEC for every new car insurance policy sold

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Women's and Girls' Emergency Centre (WAGEC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-term partnership with WAGEC, an organization supporting women affected by domestic violence. Stella donates $5 for every new car insurance policy sold to help women walk away from domestic violence. Given 1 in 4 women experience some form of violence from an intimate partner, this is a core partnership aligned with Stella's mission. The company also provides a domestic violence excess waiver on car insurance policies if a customer's car is damaged in a domestic violence incident.
• Her HeartminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Her Heart to improve women's heart health outcomes. Statistics show Australia loses 1 woman every hour to a heart attack (24 per day), a condition that is 80% preventable. The partnership supports raising awareness and funding for women's cardiovascular health.
• One RoofminorGTM or Marketing PartnerOne Roof is a community platform and virtual network dedicated to helping entrepreneurial women build thriving businesses. The partnership provides resources and support for women in business and entrepreneurship. One Roof has onboarded over 1,000 members across Australia and overseas.
• Freelancing GemsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPartnership with Freelancing Gems to support women at work to get seen and be rewarded fairly. CEO Fleur found that female consultants charge up to 38% less than male counterparts. Stella co-created the 'Power: We Don't Need Permission' online masterclass series with Freelancing Gems to help professional Australian women level up in their careers. Freelancing Gems is Australia's first intelligent jobs platform dedicated to women searching for flexible work.
• Women's AgendaminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPartnership with Women's Agenda to launch the 6-part 'It Takes Boobs' podcast series exploring stories of resilience from women across industries. Women's Agenda is Australia's leading news hub for professional and entrepreneurial women, and is 100% female owned. Episodes cover women's sport, postnatal depression, career building, family/domestic violence, women's health/endometriosis, and endurance athletics.
• The ParenthoodminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerStella joined The Parenthood alliance to help prioritise support for parents, children, and families across Australia. Research shows women's earnings fall by an average of 55% in the first 5 years of parenthood. The Parenthood focuses on paid parental leave reform, universal access to quality early childhood education, and family-friendly workplaces.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Bingle: Suncorp-owned online direct car insurance brand in Australia. Directly comparable to Stella's car insurance line as a digital-first, low-overhead D2C distributor competing on price and simplicity.
• Youi: Australian direct-to-consumer personal lines insurer with a strong brand-differentiation and lifestyle-led marketing approach, mirroring Stella's strategy of competing on brand and customer experience rather than pure price.
• Budget Direct: Australian online direct insurer offering car, home, travel and pet insurance through a self-serve digital channel — directly comparable multi-product D2C proposition to Stella.
• 1Cover: Australian travel insurance specialist distributing direct-to-consumer travel cover online. Closest specialist peer to Stella's travel insurance line and an instructive comparison on digital travel distribution.
• Real Insurance: Australian direct personal-lines insurer offering car, home, travel and pet cover via digital channels. Comparable multi-line D2C competitor to Stella.

Emerging players

• Honey Insurance: Australian insurtech startup offering home and contents insurance with a digital-first, modern brand. Comparable as a digitally native Australian personal-lines entrant competing with established carriers.

Broad incumbents

• AAMI: Major Australian personal-lines insurer (Suncorp-owned) offering car, home and other general insurance products. Comparable as a scaled incumbent Stella competes against in the Australian car and home markets.
• NRMA Insurance: One of Australia's largest personal-lines insurers, with dominant car and home positions. Represents the scaled incumbent benchmark for Stella's core car insurance product.
• Allianz Australia: Global insurer with a broad Australian personal and commercial portfolio, including car, home and travel cover. Comparable as a multi-line incumbent competitor across several of Stella's product categories.
• Zurich Australia: Global insurer underwriting Stella's life, income protection and home loan protection products. Comparable as a broad incumbent in the life and personal-lines market and a partner/competitor in adjacent categories.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/stellainsurance
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/stellainsurance
• Instagraminstagram.com/stellainsurance

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 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 Stella Insurance