Is Risklytics profitable in 2026?

No. Risklytics is a pre-launch, 2-person YC S26 startup as of July 2026 with no disclosed revenue, customers, or funding amount beyond standard YC backing, per its own YC and API listings dated 2026-07-22.

Who is Risklytics' biggest competitor?

On risk scoring, ZestyAI, which raised $33M in 2022 and already ships nationally with DOI regulatory approvals versus Risklytics' California-only model. On brokerage, Harper, which raised $47M in February 2026 and claims 5,000+ customers, a 20-month head start.

Could AI replace Risklytics?

Risklytics is itself an AI product (per-property risk scoring and AI brokerage agents), so the risk is being out-modeled by better-funded AI rivals like ZestyAI, which has claimed national coverage, rather than being replaced by generic AI tools.

Risklytics was founded in 2026 by Samuel Gold and Alexander Risio and is a current Y Combinator Summer 2026 (S26) batch company. No external investors or funding amount are disclosed beyond YC backing as of 2026-07-22.

Does Risklytics have regulatory approval for its risk model?

No. As of 2026-07-22, Risklytics' Ember API (version ember-1.3.0-firewall) is limited to California with no disclosed Department of Insurance (DOI) model approvals, unlike competitor ZestyAI, which touts a proven DOI approval track record.

What does Risklytics' Ember product actually do?

Ember is a per-property (not ZIP-code) natural disaster risk API covering wildfire, flood, wind, earthquake, and debris runout using building footprints, lidar, and public records, returning a score, risk drivers, and a retrofit path to insurability, per YC's 2026-07-09 listing.

YC Summer 2026 · United States

Risklytics

Two-person YC startup scoring per-property disaster risk and brokering hard-to-place commercial insurance.

Losing its protection

Assessed 26 July 2026 · Evidence as of 26 July 2026

The structural protection is eroding.

On the recordSince 26 July 2026 · Checkable from August 2026 · Every call on the record Checkpoint: YC S26 Demo Day

The call

Risklytics runs two unproven products in markets where ZestyAI and Harper already have funding, coverage, and customers ahead of them.

Risklytics is trying to do two things at once: sell property risk scores to insurance brokers (Ember, only in California) and build an AI-powered brokerage to sell insurance directly to customers. On the risk-scoring side, a company called ZestyAI already raised $33 million, covers the whole country, and got approval from state regulators, a race that looks mostly over. On the brokerage side, Harper (another startup, also from Y Combinator, but 20 months older) has already signed 5,000 customers and raised $47 million, making it a far bigger threat than the old insurance giants. The one thing that could matter: if Risklytics stops trying to win at two games and instead combines its risk model with its brokerage into one product, selling custom policies backed by its own catastrophe data, it might carve out a small wedge before Harper locks in too many customers.

Why

AI pressure: ZestyAI. ZestyAI already scores 97-99.7% of US properties with DOI-approved models while Ember covers only California at v1.3. Could AI do the core job? Only partly.

Bigger players: Munich Re (REALYTIX ZERO). A major reinsurer is building its own location risk intelligence tool, which could sideline small scoring APIs like Ember. Could a giant copy it? Yes, easily.

What protects it. None identified: no proprietary data, no DOI approvals, no carrier deals, so nothing yet stops either rival from closing the gap.

What would change this call

Risklytics announces Ember expansion beyond California within 12 months. Would show the scoring product is gaining traction against ZestyAI's national footprint.
Risklytics discloses a carrier appointment, MGA partnership, or DOI filing within 18 months. Would show progress toward a defensible regulatory or distribution moat.
Harper announces a new funding round or customer count milestone within 12 months. Would show the E&S brokerage window closing faster than Risklytics can respond.

Key numbers

ZestyAI raised $33M (2022-07)
Harper raised $47M, 5,000+ customers (2026)
Risklytics team size approx 2 employees (2026-07-22)

Named risks

No proprietary data, DOI regulatory approval, or carrier relationships disclosed as of 2026-07-22. Severity: high
Running two unfocused product lines (scoring API and brokerage) with only 2 employees. Severity: high
Harper's $47M capital and 20-month head start could close the AI brokerage niche before Risklytics scales. Severity: high
Ember model limited to California only, restricting addressable market versus nationally covered rivals. Severity: medium
No disclosed funding beyond standard YC backing raises runway and survival risk. Severity: medium

Rivals, as read in July 2026

Rival	Direction	Evidence
ZestyAI	losing to	National coverage, $33M raised 2022, DOI approvals vs Risklytics CA-only, no approvals, 2026-07-22
Harper	losing to	20-month head start, $47M raised Feb 2026, 5,000+ claimed customers vs Risklytics 2-person pre-launch team
Coverwatch	contesting	Similar pre-seed stage AI brokerage, raised $4.5M July 2026, no disclosed Risklytics funding to compare
Newfront	losing to	Scaled incumbent brokerage with 800 employees and 150+ public company clients per its own claim, 2026-07-22
Aon/Marsh/Willis Towers Watson	contesting	Structural commission-economics barrier limits their entry into hard-to-place E&S niche Risklytics targets

Questions people ask

Is Risklytics profitable in 2026?: No. Risklytics is a pre-launch, 2-person YC S26 startup as of July 2026 with no disclosed revenue, customers, or funding amount beyond standard YC backing, per its own YC and API listings dated 2026-07-22.
Who is Risklytics' biggest competitor?: On risk scoring, ZestyAI, which raised $33M in 2022 and already ships nationally with DOI regulatory approvals versus Risklytics' California-only model. On brokerage, Harper, which raised $47M in February 2026 and claims 5,000+ customers, a 20-month head start.
Could AI replace Risklytics?: Risklytics is itself an AI product (per-property risk scoring and AI brokerage agents), so the risk is being out-modeled by better-funded AI rivals like ZestyAI, which has claimed national coverage, rather than being replaced by generic AI tools.
Who owns Risklytics?: Risklytics was founded in 2026 by Samuel Gold and Alexander Risio and is a current Y Combinator Summer 2026 (S26) batch company. No external investors or funding amount are disclosed beyond YC backing as of 2026-07-22.
Does Risklytics have regulatory approval for its risk model?: No. As of 2026-07-22, Risklytics' Ember API (version ember-1.3.0-firewall) is limited to California with no disclosed Department of Insurance (DOI) model approvals, unlike competitor ZestyAI, which touts a proven DOI approval track record.
What does Risklytics' Ember product actually do?: Ember is a per-property (not ZIP-code) natural disaster risk API covering wildfire, flood, wind, earthquake, and debris runout using building footprints, lidar, and public records, returning a score, risk drivers, and a retrofit path to insurability, per YC's 2026-07-09 listing.

Timeline

2026-07-23Rival Coverwatch raises $4.5M pre-seed for AI-native commercial brokerage
2026-07-22Risklytics API listing shows Ember v1.3.0-firewall, CA-only, 2-person team
2026-07-20Munich Re's REALYTIX ZERO climate-underwriting tool described as ongoing
2026-07-09YC lists Risklytics' scoring mission in SF Bay Area insurance startup directory
2026-06-19Report cites Bank of America flagging AI risk to broker revenue
2026-03-31Rival brokerage Cara raises $8M seed round
2026-02-25Rival Harper raises $47M combined seed and Series A
2025-10ZestyAI releases Z-SPARK non-weather fire risk model
2022-07ZestyAI raises $33M

Revision history

26 July 2026

First assessed. Losing its protection. The text above is fixed as of this date and is not edited afterwards.

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