AssureStart starts selling online small-business insurance in New York state

AssureStart Insurance Agency, Inc., a Seattle–based, online small-business insurance provider, announced it is now open for business across New York state.

AssureStart sells business property and general liability insurance on the Internet exclusively to small businesses with fewer than 30 employees. The company says in a new release that this is an underserved and often overlooked segment of the commercial insurance market.

By answering a few questions at AssureStart.com, qualified small businesses in New York state can get coverage recommendations and a rate quote, purchase a business-owner’s policy, and download the policy and a certificate of insurance — all in less than 10 minutes, the company says. 

 “A growing number of small businesses handle their administrative tasks on the Internet. We’re offering a new way for them to buy business insurance and manage the entire process on their own,” AssureStart CEO Greg Tacchetti said in the news release. “With certificates of insurance available at the point of sale, a small business owner can buy a policy online and present the necessary credentials to start work on a client project the same day.”

AssureStart formed in February 2013 and launched service in its first state in November 2013. The firm currently sells business-owners’ policies in 19 states. It plans to cover 70 percent of U.S. small businesses by the end of 2014, with a national footprint complete by mid-2015, the release stated. Over time, AssureStart intends to introduce commercial auto and workers’-compensation insurance on its sales and administrative platform.