Foundations Insurance & Financial Services

What Foundations Insurance & Financial Services does

Foundations Insurance & Financial Services, Inc. is a privately held independent insurance agency incorporated in Colorado and headquartered in Denver, with a secondary operating presence in California via a DBA (Foundations Bonding and Insurance Services, CA License #0M07582). Founded in 2013 by Brian C. Richardson and Rebecca M. Richardson, the agency operates as an independent broker representing over 20 insurance carriers including Safeco, MetLife, The Hartford, Progressive, AIG, Lloyd's of London, Berkshire Hathaway Homestate, and several specialty wholesalers. The firm does not operate a proprietary technology platform; its core workflow is a consultative evaluation process that begins with a client questionnaire and includes ongoing program review as client needs evolve.

The agency's product portfolio spans five core verticals: Personal Insurance (homeowners, auto, recreational vehicles), Commercial/Investment Property Insurance, Business Insurance (general liability, professional liability, workers compensation, D&O, bonds), Cannabis Insurance, and Psychedelic/Natural Medicine Insurance. The cannabis and psychedelic lines are positioned as differentiated specialties, with the firm claiming to have pioneered cannabis insurance since 2013 and to operate at the forefront of developing coverage for the psychedelic medicine industry. Customer segments include investment property owners, individuals and families, small businesses across legal, accounting, healthcare, and agriculture, and a range of cannabis and psychedelic industry participants (cultivators, dispensaries, manufacturers, consultants, therapists, retreat centers, and landlords).

Revenue is earned through commissions on policies placed with carriers, with no proprietary pricing or product innovation disclosed. Distribution is direct and consultative, supported by a website (foundationsifs.com) and word-of-mouth referrals; no digital marketplace, mobile app, or self-service platform is offered. The marketing and distribution footprint is regional, concentrated in Colorado and California, with no disclosed expansion into additional states. The firm qualifies prospects through a questionnaire-driven intake and routes them into a comparative carrier shopping process.

Name

Foundations Insurance & Financial Services

Legal name

Foundations Insurance & Financial Services, Inc.

Website

https://foundationsifs.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Foundations Insurance & Financial Services is a Denver-based independent insurance agency representing over 20 carriers, providing personal, commercial, cannabis, and psychedelic insurance coverage to individuals, small businesses, and investment property owners in Colorado and California.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Lakewood

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Insurance Commissions: The firm earns commissions from insurance carriers they represent. As an independent agency, they access multiple carriers to provide competitive options to clients and receive commission-based compensation from insurers for policies placed.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

Foundations Insurance & Financial Services is an independent insurance brokerage that places personal, commercial property, business, cannabis, psychedelic, and natural medicine insurance policies on behalf of clients by shopping across a network of more than 20 insurance carriers. The firm acts as a client advocate, performing consultative evaluations, comparing carriers, and coordinating ongoing program reviews as client needs evolve. Its defining specialty is pioneering insurance coverage for the cannabis and psychedelic medicine industries since 2013, an area where most standard carriers decline to underwrite.

Product overview

Foundations Insurance & Financial Services is an independent insurance agency offering a portfolio of insurance products across multiple specialty areas. The core offerings include Personal Insurance (homeowners, automobiles, boats, recreational vehicles), Commercial/Investment Property Insurance, Business Insurance, and two specialized niches: Cannabis Insurance (covering cultivators, retailers, manufacturers, consultants, and landlords in the legal marijuana industry) and Psychedelic Insurance (covering practitioners, cultivators, R&D organizations, and ancillary businesses in the alternative health sector). The company operates as a broker representing multiple insurance carriers and positions itself as a client advocate in insurance negotiations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Investment Property / Commercial Property Insurance
• Personal Insurance

Quantifiable outcome

• Saved clients thousands of dollars through thorough evaluation process
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

24 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Safeco InsurancecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMajor insurance carrier represented by the agency, providing personal and commercial insurance products to clients.
• MetLifecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorGlobal insurance carrier represented by the agency for employee benefits and personal insurance products.
• Pinnacol AssurancecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorColorado-based workers compensation specialist providing coverage through the agency.
• The HartfordcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMajor commercial lines insurer represented by the agency for business insurance solutions.
• State Auto InsuranceminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRegional insurer providing personal and commercial insurance products through independent agents.
• Kemper InsuranceminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSpecialty insurer represented by the agency for niche insurance products.
• Encompass InsuranceminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPersonal insurance carrier specializing in customized coverage solutions.
• Foremost Insurance GroupminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSpecialty insurer known for coverage for manufactured homes, motorhomes, and specialty properties.
• Progressive InsurancecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMajor personal lines insurer represented for auto and home insurance products.
• American Strategic InsuranceminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPersonal lines insurer providing home and auto coverage in select states.
• Berkshire Hathaway Homestate CompaniescoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorBerkshire Hathaway subsidiary providing workers compensation and commercial insurance products.
• Lloyd's of LondoncoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorGlobal insurance market represented for complex and specialty coverage including cannabis and psychedelic insurance.
• Scottsdale InsuranceminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCommercial lines insurer part of Nationwide, providing specialty coverage products.
• AIG (American International Group)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorGlobal insurance giant represented for commercial and specialty insurance solutions.
• Burns & WilcoxminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorManaging general agent/underwriter providing wholesale insurance products.
• RPS (Rhoden Insurance)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorWholesale insurance broker providing access to specialty markets.
• Colony InsuranceminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorWholesale insurance broker specializing in niche and specialty lines.
• AmTrust FinancialminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSpecialty insurance provider for small businesses and niche markets.
• USLI (United States Liability Insurance)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSpecialty insurer providing niche insurance products for unique risks.
• Central Insurance CompaniesminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRegional commercial and personal lines insurer.
• Standard Insurance CompanyminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorEmployee benefits and life/disability insurance provider.
• Penn America InsuranceminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCommercial lines insurer specializing in package policies for small businesses.
• PFG (Producers Financial Group)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorFinance company serving the insurance industry.
• Protective Life InsuranceminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorLife insurance and annuity products provider.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Others

• Burns & Wilcox: Wholesale insurance broker / managing general agent that supplies specialty coverage to retail agents including Foundations. Listed as a partner carrier in Foundations' carrier roster — a direct upstream ecosystem participant.
• Lloyd's of London: Global specialty insurance market providing surplus-lines and complex-risk capacity. Listed as one of Foundations' represented carriers for cannabis, psychedelic, and other specialty placements.
• RPS Insurance (Rhoden): Wholesale insurance broker providing retail agents access to specialty markets. Listed as one of Foundations' carrier partners, functioning as an upstream wholesale counterparty for complex placement.

Broad incumbents

• Brown & Brown: National insurance brokerage and agency acquiring independent agencies across the U.S. Comparable in the independent multi-carrier distribution model; relevant as a potential acquirer or competitive benchmark for boutique agencies like Foundations.
• Hub International: Large North American insurance brokerage offering commercial, personal, and specialty coverage through carrier partnerships. Comparable to Foundations as an independent multi-carrier broker, but with vastly broader geographic reach and product depth.
• Acrisure: Tech-enabled global insurance brokerage built largely through roll-up of independent agencies. Mirrors Foundations' independent broker model but at scale, with proprietary technology Foundations lacks.

Emerging players

• Insureon: Online marketplace connecting small businesses with commercial insurance carriers. Comparable target customer (small business) but competes via digital UX rather than the relationship-driven brokerage model Foundations uses.
• Cannabis Insurance Solutions: Independent agency focused specifically on cannabis and hemp insurance, directly competing for the same cultivator/dispensary/manufacturer accounts Foundations targets as its flagship niche.
• Next Insurance: Digital-first commercial insurance carrier targeting small businesses with online quoting and bind. Represents the insurtech trajectory that threatens traditional independent agencies reliant on manual, consultative placement.
• Simply Business: Online small business insurance aggregator operating in the U.S. and U.K. Comparable in serving small commercial accounts, but with digital distribution in contrast to Foundations' local, consultative approach.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/Foundations12
• Facebookfacebook.com/Foundationsifs

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 Foundations Insurance & Financial Services