Fernstone

Based in San Francisco, California, Fernstone is an artificial intelligence-powered commercial insurance brokerage and software platform that automates policy management and compliance for businesses. The company combines human brokers with automated systems to facilitate the issuance of Certificates of Insurance, track active claims, and manage operational risk across various enterprise scales. While serving a broad range of small to large corporate clients, the platform currently specializes in providing rapid coverage quotes and administrative reduction for security guard companies, including armed and unarmed patrols. Operating with a dedicated team of three employees, the firm has successfully raised $1.5 million in pre-seed funding to accelerate product development. The startup is also backed by the prominent technology accelerator Y Combinator as a participating member of its F25 cohort. Fernstone was founded in 2025 by Luke Button, James Chen, and Bryant Le.

High-Level Overview

Fernstone is an AI-powered insurance brokerage platform designed to serve businesses, particularly those with complex or high-risk insurance needs. It combines advanced artificial intelligence with licensed human brokers to streamline the traditionally slow and manual process of securing business insurance. Fernstone’s platform automates policy management, claims tracking, and the issuance of Certificates of Insurance (COIs), enabling faster, more transparent, and efficient risk management. Its clients range from small to large enterprises, benefiting from dedicated risk advisors who proactively manage coverage and compliance[1][2][3][5].

Origin Story

Founded in 2025 by Luke Button, James Chen, and Bryant Le, Fernstone emerged from the founders’ shared experience at Traba, a Series A warehouse staffing startup. There, they encountered frustrating delays and inefficiencies in obtaining insurance coverage, such as brokers being unresponsive and slow to deliver quotes, which sometimes caused clients to lose business deals. Motivated to solve this problem, they built Fernstone to combine AI automation with expert human brokers to accelerate and simplify insurance brokerage for businesses. The founders bring diverse backgrounds in growth, enterprise sales, consulting, and software engineering, which shaped Fernstone’s focus on technology-driven insurance solutions[3][4][6].

Core Differentiators

• AI-Driven Automation: Fernstone’s AI agent automates manual communications with insurance carriers, tracking email threads and instantly following up to speed up quote and coverage binding processes[3].
• Licensed Brokers-in-the-Loop: Unlike fully automated platforms, Fernstone integrates licensed brokers who review and finalize coverage, ensuring expert oversight and personalized service[3][5].
• Dedicated Risk Advisors: Each client receives a dedicated advisor who understands their business operations, proactively manages coverage, and updates policies as risks evolve[2][5].
• All-in-One Platform: The platform supports issuing COIs instantly, managing policies, tracking claims, and maintaining compliance without cumbersome back-and-forth communications[1][5].
• Transparent Pricing: Fernstone offers clear, competitive pricing across multiple carriers, avoiding hidden fees and ensuring clients are not overpaying as they scale[2][5].

Role in the Broader Tech Landscape

Fernstone rides the wave of digital transformation in insurance (InsurTech), addressing the longstanding inefficiencies of commercial insurance brokerage, which remains largely analog and fragmented. The timing is critical as businesses increasingly demand faster, more transparent, and tech-enabled risk management solutions. Market forces such as rising complexity in business risks, the need for compliance agility, and the growth of AI capabilities favor Fernstone’s model. By combining AI with human expertise, Fernstone is influencing the broader ecosystem by setting new standards for speed, accuracy, and customer experience in commercial insurance brokerage[3][5].

Quick Take & Future Outlook

Fernstone is positioned to become a leading player in AI-powered insurance brokerage by continuously enhancing its automation capabilities and expanding its client base across critical industries with complex insurance needs. Future trends shaping its journey include increased adoption of AI in risk assessment, greater demand for real-time insurance services, and regulatory shifts emphasizing compliance agility. As Fernstone scales, its influence may extend beyond brokerage to broader risk management solutions, potentially reshaping how businesses manage insurance and compliance in a fast-moving economy. The company’s blend of technology and human expertise offers a compelling model for the future of insurance[3][5].