Insurtech ZestyAI has expanded its Severe Convective Storm risk suite with a feature that lets insurers update property risk scores in response to verified improvements.
The system now accounts for upgrades like roof replacements, repairs, and other mitigation work, reflecting changes directly in model outputs.
Carriers can incorporate these adjustments in real time, correct outdated property information, and even simulate the effect of proposed upgrades before they’re carried out.
That functionality supports more accurate underwriting decisions, improves inspection workflows, and sharpens rating precision. Homeowners and agents also gain clearer insight into how mitigation efforts influence future loss potential.
Models should be powerful, but also flexible and responsive to real-world improvements
Kumar Dhuvur, Co-Founder and Chief Product Officer of ZestyAI
“By giving carriers the ability to incorporate mitigation and field data into model outputs, we’re supporting transparent, action-oriented risk management that benefits both insurers and homeowners,” Kumar Dhuvur said.
ZestyAI already applies this mitigation-aware approach in its wildfire models, which regulators have approved for use in filings.
Extending it to severe convective storms creates a consistent framework across hazards, ensuring insurers can apply verified property-level data wherever exposure is concentrated.
The platform draws on property-specific details—roof geometry and condition, surrounding vegetation—combined with historical claims data, moving beyond broad territory-based models.
ZestyAI’s storm tools are already approved for rating and underwriting across more than 20 U.S. states in the Great Plains, Midwest, and South.
ZestyAI has attracted steady backing to fuel its growth in property and climate risk analytics. The company closed a $33 mn Series B in 2022, led by Centana Growth Partners, which brought total equity funding to roughly $56 mn.
That capital has underpinned expansion of its wildfire and severe convective storm models, as well as regulatory approvals across more than 20 states.
In 2025, ZestyAI added a $15 mn credit facility from CIBC Innovation Banking, a move that provides flexible financing to accelerate adoption of its AI-driven risk platform.
Together, the equity and debt financing reflect investor confidence in the company’s ability to combine advanced data science with insurance applications at scale.
According to Beinsure, ZestyAI has received regulatory approval from the Ohio Department of Insurance for its Severe Convective Storm suite, which includes Z-HAIL™, Z-WIND™, and Z-STORM™. With Ohio added, the suite is now approved in 16 states.
Severe convective storms, including hail, wind, and tornadoes, have caused over 57% of Ohio’s weather-related damages since 1980.
In the past five years, Ohio recorded 36 storm events with losses exceeding $1bn each, compared to 33 such events over the previous 20 years, based on data from NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI).
