FAQ: What is Hedge Insurance?
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Frequently asked questions about Hedge Insurance.

What Hedge Insurance is, who we serve, the lines we write, and how brokers get appointed. If your question isn't answered here, the team is one email away.

Luke Button, Hedge Insurance co-founder & CEO
Answers from Luke Button, Co-founder & CEO of Hedge Insurance. Both founders are on every account; reach the team via contact. Last updated · May 2026
01

What is Hedge Insurance?

Hedge Insurance is a specialty insurance shop based in San Francisco that places hard-to-place commercial risks for retail brokers. We bridge the gap between retail agents and the specialty markets that are hard for many agents to access directly.

02

Who is Hedge Insurance for?

Hedge Insurance works with retail insurance agents who have a commercial account that the standard market won't quote: too coastal, too distressed, too thin a file, or too tough a class. We work broker-to-broker; we are not a direct-to-consumer carrier.

03

What kinds of risks does Hedge Insurance write?

Hedge Insurance places hard-to-place commercial risks across every class of E&S, including commercial property (cat-exposed coastal, vacant buildings, frame habitational), general & excess liability, commercial auto, inland marine, cyber & tech E&O (distressed risk), management liability (D&O), employment practices, environmental & pollution, medical malpractice for allied health, product liability, and miscellaneous E&O. If it trades in the specialty market, we place it.

04

Is Hedge Insurance an admitted carrier or surplus lines?

Hedge Insurance is a wholesale specialty broker, not a carrier. We place risks with both admitted markets and surplus-lines (E&S) carriers, including Lloyd's of London syndicates, depending on what fits the file.

05

How do brokers get appointed with Hedge Insurance?

Five short steps via Get Appointed. There are no minimum premium thresholds and no production quotas. Send your agency details, E&O certificate, and a sample submission, and you'll typically be set up within the week.

06

How fast does Hedge Insurance respond to submissions?

Median first response is around 30 minutes during US business hours. Clean property files get same-day indications. Larger placements typically come back with full quotes within 48 business hours of a complete submission.

07

What states does Hedge Insurance operate in?

Hedge Insurance is licensed in California (CA license #6018729, NPN 22154671) and adding states. The state list updates as new licenses come online. Reach out via Contact if you need to confirm a specific state.

08

Where is Hedge Insurance based?

Hedge Insurance is headquartered in San Francisco, California, at 2261 Market Street, Suite 18450, San Francisco, CA 94114. The team works US business hours and accepts submissions Monday through Friday.

09

Who founded Hedge Insurance?

Hedge Insurance was founded in 2026 by Luke Button (Co-founder & CEO) and Luke Rosa (Co-founder & COO). Luke Button previously founded Fernstone, an AI-powered retail insurance brokerage. Luke Rosa was Head of Scaled Systems at Traba. Both founders are actively on every account.

10

What makes Hedge Insurance different?

Two ways. First: every account gets the same four people (a broker, a broker's assistant, an underwriter liaison, and a claims contact) from intake through every renewal, with no rotating inboxes and no re-explaining your file. Second: founder access. Both founders actively underwrite, so retail agents working with Hedge Insurance reach a real human on the first call.

Still have questions?

The team is one email away.

Submissions, appointments, and general inquiries all go to a real person at Hedge Insurance.

General   hello@hedgespecialty.comBased in San Francisco