Zesty.ai — the carriers using its wildfire and property risk AI in 2026.

TL;DR

• ~16 named US carriers and counterparties publicly use Zesty.ai as of 2026: Farmers Insurance, California FAIR Plan, Cincinnati Insurance, Amica Mutual, MetLife, CSAA Insurance Group, Kin Insurance, NEXT Insurance, Marsh McLennan Agency PCS, Kingstone Insurance, American European Insurance Group, Harford Mutual, Horace Mann, Southern Oak Insurance, Lilypad-Centauri, DUAL.
• The mix spans tier-1 nationals (Farmers, MetLife, Amica), regional specialty (CSAA, Cincinnati, Horace Mann, Southern Oak), insurtech-stage (Kin, NEXT, Lilypad), HNW (Marsh McLennan PCS), and the California FAIR Plan residual market.
• The California FAIR Plan deployment is the most-significant: it's the largest CA wildfire-zone residual writer, and its adoption of Zesty's Z-FIRE wildfire model puts AI-native property risk into the post-Sustainable-Insurance-Strategy rate-making framework.
• For carriers evaluating wildfire / property risk AI in 2026, Zesty competes most directly with Cape Analytics (broader property-imagery, more carrier deployments — see Cape Analytics carrier roster for State Farm-investor pattern), CoreLogic (incumbent property risk + analytics), Verisk (Lighting, AIR — incumbent catastrophe modeling), and First Street Foundation (climate-physical-risk-focused).
• Zesty's positioning is the AI-native wildfire and property-peril modeling layer specifically — not the property-imagery layer (Cape Analytics owns that), not the catastrophe-modeling-by-portfolio (Moody's / Verisk own that). It tends to deploy alongside other property-data vendors rather than replacing them.

The 2026 carrier roster

All carriers below are sourced individually on the Zesty.ai tool card with primary URLs.

Tier-1 nationals

• Farmers Insurance — multi-line property + wildfire deployment
• MetLife — auto / home property risk
• Amica Mutual Insurance — direct-writer with strong customer-NPS positioning

Regional specialty + mutual

• CSAA Insurance Group (AAA) — California-strong; high relevance to wildfire deployment
• Cincinnati Insurance — Ohio-based, broad personal lines
• Horace Mann — educators-focused
• Southern Oak Insurance — Florida-specialty
• Harford Mutual Insurance Group — Maryland-based

Insurtech-stage

• Kin Insurance — coastal specialty + wildfire-risk innovation
• NEXT Insurance — small-business commercial
• Lilypad-Centauri — Florida specialty
• Kingstone Insurance — Northeast specialty (homeowner / fire)
• American European Insurance Group — specialty

Specialty / HNW

• Marsh McLennan Agency (Private Client Services)
• DUAL — MGA specialty

Residual market

• California FAIR Plan Association — CA wildfire-zone residual writer; notable because it's the de facto coverage option for high-risk CA properties and its adoption of Z-FIRE puts AI-native modeling into the post-2024 Sustainable Insurance Strategy rate-making framework

What Zesty actually does

Zesty.ai builds AI-native property-peril models, with Z-FIRE (wildfire risk model) as the most-cited product. The platform uses high-resolution aerial imagery, building characteristics, vegetation analysis, fuel modeling, and historical claims data to score individual property wildfire risk at the address level — far more granular than zip-code-level historical-loss averages.

For carriers using it, Zesty typically:

• Provides individual-address wildfire risk scores (typically 0-100 scale) used in underwriting decisioning
• Surfaces specific risk drivers (vegetation density, defensible space adequacy, roof type, ember-vulnerable construction features) for risk-mitigation conversations with policyholders
• Feeds into rate-filing as an AI-native model in jurisdictions (California specifically, post-2024 Sustainable Insurance Strategy) where AI-native models are now permitted
• Extends from wildfire into hail, hurricane wind, and other property perils

These outcomes are publicly cited in Zesty case studies (Farmers, CSAA, FAIR Plan) and in trade-press coverage of regulatory developments.

Why the customer roster looks like this

Three reasons Zesty's customer base has the shape it does:

1. California disruption created the use-case. The 2018-2024 CA wildfire crisis exposed the limitations of zip-code-level historical-loss modeling. Carriers needed individual-address risk scoring to write coastal Tier-3/4 properties with confidence. Zesty was the AI-native answer.

2. The 2024 Sustainable Insurance Strategy permits it. California's 2024 reform allowed catastrophe modeling (rather than 20-year historical averages) in rate filings — but the model has to be acceptable to CDI. Zesty's Z-FIRE has been accepted by CDI, making it usable in CA rate filings for the first time. This regulatory acceptance is a meaningful moat.

3. The FAIR Plan deployment validates the approach. The California FAIR Plan is the largest CA wildfire residual writer; its adoption of Z-FIRE is a strong validation signal for other CA-writing carriers. The FAIR Plan deployment cascades — once it adopts a vendor, other carriers face less procurement-risk in following.

Adjacent vendors and how Zesty fits

Three categories of overlap:

Property-imagery vendors: Cape Analytics is the most-cited adjacent vendor. Cape provides building characteristics (roof type, condition, square footage) at scale; Zesty provides peril-specific risk modeling on top. Carriers often deploy both — Cape for building data, Zesty for wildfire / peril modeling. State Farm Ventures invested in Cape Analytics; Farmers has both.

Catastrophe-modeling vendors: Moody's RMS, Verisk AIR, Karen Clark & Co — these are portfolio-level catastrophe models for reinsurance purchasing and capital management. They operate at a different layer than Zesty (portfolio vs individual-property). Zesty's individual-address scoring complements rather than competes with portfolio catastrophe models.

Climate-physical-risk vendors: First Street Foundation, Jupiter Intelligence, Climavision — these are climate-change-specific physical risk models. They overlap with Zesty's perils (wildfire, flood, wind) but with different positioning (long-horizon climate vs near-term underwriting).

What this means for buyers

For carriers evaluating Zesty in 2026:

1. It's the most-cited AI-native wildfire model in California. With Z-FIRE accepted in the 2024 Sustainable Insurance Strategy framework and the FAIR Plan deploying it, Zesty has regulatory credibility hard for competitors to match short-term.
2. The integration with Cape Analytics, Verisk, and Guidewire matters. Zesty plugs into existing underwriting workflows; verify the integration is real for your stack.
3. Cross-peril extensibility is real but newer. Zesty's wildfire deployment is the deepest; hail, wind, and other perils are growing but with thinner public references. If your primary need is wildfire, Zesty is well-validated. If your primary need is hail or wind, evaluate the depth of Zesty's models against alternatives.
4. Watch the California Sustainable Insurance Strategy implementation. The framework is mid-implementation; CDI's acceptance of specific models can shift. Zesty's regulatory position is strong but not unassailable.
5. For non-California carriers, evaluate Cape Analytics and Verisk alongside. Outside California, the regulatory-acceptance moat is less significant. Cape Analytics has deeper carrier deployment overall; Verisk has incumbent catastrophe modeling. The choice is more competitive.

Adjacent reading

• Zesty.ai — vendor card — full sourced customer list with primary URLs
• State Farm + Cape Analytics — adjacent property-imagery investment
• Best home insurance California wildfire 2026 — adjacent buyer-guide on the disrupted market
• Carrier × vendor matrix — broader graph of who uses what