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§ Private Profile · 9 Miller Court Severn Drive, Tewkesbury Business Park, Tewkesbury, England, GL20 8DN
Mobile-first insurance provider offering flexible pay-as-you-use policies for freelancers, covering indemnity, equipment, liability.
Based in London, United Kingdom, Dinghy provides mobile-first, on-demand insurance policies tailored specifically for freelance professionals. The digital platform serves independent workers such as technology developers, designers, management consultants, and creatives who require adaptable commercial coverage. Dinghy offers flexible coverage options including professional indemnity, business equipment, public liability, and cyber liability, utilizing a pay-as-you-use model that automatically adjusts to working and non-working periods. Users can generate insurance quotes in under 40 seconds and secure active policies in under 90 seconds, supported by continuous 24/7 claims handling, with all premiums billed in arrears and zero administrative fees for policy modifications. The company has raised $1.2 million in initial seed funding from institutional investors including Balderton Capital, ReSolution Underwriting Partnerships, and various industry angels. Dinghy was founded in 2018 by Edward Woodcock, Rob Hartley, and Ben Wilks.
Dinghy has raised $1.0M across 1 funding round.
Dinghy has raised $1.0M in total across 1 funding round.
Dinghy has raised $1.0M across 1 funding round. Most recently, it raised $1.0M Seed in January 2018.
| Date | Round | Lead Investors | Other Investors | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 1, 2018 | $1M Seed | Balderton Capital | Angel Invest, Draper Associates, Maven Capital Partners, Session VC, Bart Swanson, Nigel Wray, Resolution Ventures | Announced |
Dinghy has raised $1.0M in total across 1 funding round.
Dinghy's investors include Balderton Capital, Angel Invest, Draper Associates, Maven Capital Partners, session vc, Bart Swanson, Nigel Wray, Resolution Ventures.
Dinghy is a UK-based technology-enabled insurance company that builds flexible, usage‑based insurance for freelancers and self‑employed professionals; it began as a startup offering quick online quotes and “pay-as-you-use” professional indemnity and equipment cover and later expanded its product set and distribution through partnerships and investment from venture backers such as Balderton Capital[2][5].
High-Level Overview
Dinghy is a product-focused insurtech that delivers on-demand, usage‑sensitive insurance products tailored to freelance and gig‑economy workers, enabling fast quotes and short‑term policy activation via digital flows[2][5]. Dinghy’s core mission is to make appropriate insurance accessible and affordable for independent professionals by matching cover to when they work (reducing cost when not in use) and streamlining purchase and management through its online platform[2][5]. The company’s investment backing and partnerships have helped it scale distribution and product variety, influencing the broader freelance-support ecosystem by lowering the friction of obtaining business insurance for non‑traditional workers[2][5].
Origin Story
Dinghy was founded by freelancers for freelancers (the founding team drew on freelance and insurance experience) and launched its on-demand insurance product for independent professionals in 2018; at launch it raised a seed round led by Balderton Capital and several angel investors, which enabled rapid product development and market entry[2][5]. The idea grew from observing that traditional insurance products were ill-suited to freelance working patterns—pricing and policy terms assumed full‑time, continuous exposure—so Dinghy designed short‑term, usage‑based policies and a very fast quote-to-policy digital flow to address that gap[2]. Early milestones included public launch coverage and the $1.2M funding round led by Balderton that validated investor appetite for the model[2][5].
Core Differentiators
Role in the Broader Tech Landscape
Dinghy sits at the intersection of insurtech and the gig economy trend—rising freelancer and platform‑based work created a structural need for flexible, modular insurance products[2][5]. Timing mattered because freelancing growth and digital distribution made it possible to price risk more granularly and deliver policies instantly via online channels[2][5]. Market forces in Dinghy’s favor include continued expansion of independent work, greater demand for tailored B2C/B2B2C financial products for microbusinesses, and investor interest in insurtech innovation[2][5]. By lowering the barrier to insurance for freelancers, Dinghy has influenced competitors and incumbents to consider more flexible, digital-first offerings for nontraditional workers[2][5].
Quick Take & Future Outlook
What’s next: logical paths include expanding product breadth (additional covers or tiers), deeper platform integrations with freelance marketplaces and accounting/contracting tools, and geographic expansion where regulation and market opportunity align[2][5]. Trends that will shape Dinghy’s journey include continued growth of freelance work, advances in risk pricing and telematics/data enrichment for on‑demand coverage, and competitive pressure from both insurtech startups and incumbent insurers rolling out flexible products[2][5]. If Dinghy continues to execute on smooth digital UX and partnerships, it can consolidate a niche as a go‑to insurer for independent professionals and act as a model for usage‑based business insurance.
Sources: Dinghy company site and contemporaneous coverage of the company’s launch and seed round led by Balderton Capital[1][2][5].