Schwaner & Co. provides partnership development for digital carriers, digital agencies and marketplaces, embedded insurance providers and insurance technology companies, from target selection and executive outreach through negotiation and launch coordination. We open the embedded, affinity, carrier, lender and channel partnerships that put your product in front of people at the moment they need coverage, and we have spent nearly a decade doing exactly this inside the insurance industry.
Every engagement is run by a senior partnerships executive, supported by a team that handles research, materials and follow-up.
Insurance partnerships that put you where the policy gets bought
Nobody wakes up wanting insurance. People buy it because something else just happened. They bought a car, closed on a house, hired an employee, signed a lease, booked a trip, started driving for a platform. Whoever is standing next to the customer at that moment decides which carrier gets quoted. That is why the best distribution in insurance has always been a partnership, and why the cost of buying customers through search and lead aggregators keeps climbing for everyone who does not have one.
Our insurance partnership work starts with the partner's reason to offer your product and the customer's reason to say yes at that moment. Then we work out which lenders, dealers, employers, platforms, brands, carriers and agencies reach the right customers, what the arrangement looks like, how quoting and binding would flow and whether the premium justifies the integration and the partner's share.
For a digital carrier, the goal is usually embedded and affinity placements that bring policies at a fraction of paid acquisition cost. For a digital agency or marketplace, it is carrier appointments and supply on one side and partner traffic on the other. For an embedded insurance provider, it is the platforms and brands that want to offer coverage without becoming insurers. For a core or claims technology company, it is the carriers, MGAs and agency networks that decide what gets installed. We build the approach around your product, your economics and the premium number you have to hit.
What is happening in insurance distribution right now
Three things are moving in this market in 2026, and each one is a distribution story.
Digital carriers are scaling again, and even the full-stack ones are monetizing distribution they do not underwrite
Lemonade reported in force premium of $1.43 billion in the second quarter of 2026, up 32%, with 3.3 million customers and a gross loss ratio of 60%, down from 67% a year earlier. About 4% of that in force premium is placed with third-party insurers that pay Lemonade recurring commissions, and its car book reached $239 million. When a carrier built to underwrite everything itself starts earning commissions on policies it places elsewhere, distribution has become a product line in its own right. [2]
Brands want to offer financial products, including insurance, and most have not launched
A May 2026 survey of 152 senior brand executives found that 80% plan to launch integrated financial services, while only one in five has launched anything. Insurance was one of the sectors surveyed and one of the products those executives mean. That is a large set of retailers, platforms and consumer brands looking for a partner who can supply coverage inside their product, and the partner slots are still open. [3]
Specialized program distribution is growing faster than the market
Conning estimates U.S. MGA premium reached $128 billion in 2025, with statutory MGA premium up 12% against roughly 5% growth for the P&C market as a whole, and about 20% of MGA premium supported by fronting carriers. For a carrier, MGAs and program administrators are a partner that brings specialized books. For a digital agency, they are supply. For a technology vendor, they are a fast-growing buyer. In every case, they are reached through relationships, not ad campaigns. [4]
Put those together and the picture is clear. The companies that own the customer moment are open to offering insurance, the specialized distributors are growing faster than the carriers, and the digital carriers themselves are treating placement as revenue. More growth runs through partnerships now, and the insurance companies that build that capability will compound.
Where insurtech and insurance companies can find distribution
Insurance companies reach customers in different ways. These are examples of partner categories we would evaluate based on your product, lines, states and operating capabilities.
| Insurance segment | Potential distribution partners | What we would evaluate |
|---|---|---|
| Digital carriers | Mortgage lenders and servicers, auto lenders and dealers, property management and rental platforms, employers and benefits platforms, banks and credit unions, membership organizations, consumer brands and retailers, gig and marketplace platforms | Policies and premium the partner can produce, quote-to-bind conversion at the moment of need, loss experience by partner and the cost per bound policy against paid channels |
| Digital agencies and comparison marketplaces | Carriers and MGAs for appointments and supply; lenders, dealers, personal finance apps, employers and platforms for customer flow | Carrier appetite and commission structure on one side, partner traffic quality and conversion on the other |
| Embedded insurance providers | Ecommerce and travel platforms, ticketing and event companies, auto and equipment marketplaces, vertical software, lenders and retailers | Attach rate at checkout, claims experience, the partner's revenue share and who owns the customer and the claim |
| Carrier core and claims technology | Carriers and MGAs as clients, agency management systems and agency networks, consultancies and system integrators, reinsurers and fronting carriers, complementary insurtech vendors | Who influences the buying decision, certification and integration path, co-sell and referral economics |
| Life, health and benefits insurtech | Employers and payroll platforms, benefits brokers and PEOs, banks and lenders offering protection products, neobanks and personal finance apps, affinity groups | Enrollment moment, the partner's incentive to promote, underwriting and licensing path and persistency by channel |
Partnership models for insurance growth
Embedded insurance partnerships
Embedded insurance places coverage inside another company's purchase or workflow. Protection on a car at the dealer, home insurance at mortgage closing, renters coverage at lease signing, cargo or liability coverage inside a logistics platform, a protection plan at checkout. The partner's customer buys where they already are, and the partner earns revenue on a product it did not have to build or license.
We identify the lenders, dealers, platforms and brands where your coverage solves a real customer problem and the partner has a commercial reason to offer it, build the case for the executives who own that decision and negotiate placement, revenue sharing, customer and claims ownership and launch requirements. Your product, actuarial and compliance teams own pricing, filings, licensing and the integration. We keep the commercial side moving until the first policies bind.
Affinity, employer and association programs
An affinity program offers your product to the members of an organization that already has their trust, an employer, a union, an alumni association, a professional body, a membership brand. The organization gets a member benefit and often a revenue share. You get a defined audience, a lower cost per policy and persistency that paid channels rarely match.
We identify the employers, associations and membership organizations whose members fit your product, build the case for the people who decide what gets offered and negotiate the program structure, marketing commitments, economics and launch. Your compliance team handles the group and affinity filings that apply. We make sure the organization actually promotes the program after it signs.
Carrier, MGA and program partnerships
For a digital agency or marketplace, supply is distribution. The carriers and MGAs that appoint you, the products they let you quote and the commission they pay decide what you can sell and how much you keep. For a carrier, MGAs and program administrators bring specialized books and new segments without building the expertise in-house. For a technology company, carriers and MGAs are the buyers, and they are reached through the same relationships.
We open conversations with the carrier and MGA executives who own distribution and partnerships, build the case for the appointment, the program or the partnership in their terms, loss experience, growth, operational fit, and negotiate the commercial arrangement. Your underwriting, product and compliance teams handle appetite, filings and the operational review. We handle the relationship.
Lender, bank and real estate partnerships
Mortgage lenders and servicers, auto lenders, banks, credit unions, real estate brokerages and title companies sit at the exact moment a customer needs coverage, and most of them are looking for a better answer than a referral to a call center. A lender that offers your home or auto product at closing, a bank that offers protection products to its customers, a brokerage that places your coverage with its buyers, each is a durable source of policies.
We identify the institutions and real estate partners whose customers fit your product, open conversations with the executives who own partnerships and ancillary revenue, and negotiate placement, compliance requirements, economics and launch. Your compliance team and the partner's work through the licensing, RESPA and disclosure questions that apply. We have spent years inside banks and lenders and know who owns these decisions.
Agency and technology channel partnerships
For core, claims and agency technology companies, the buyer is reached through the ecosystem it already runs. Agency management systems, agency networks and aggregators, carrier technology marketplaces, consultancies and integrators, reinsurers and fronting carriers, and complementary vendors all influence what gets bought and installed. For a carrier or agency, the same networks are a distribution channel for products.
We map which networks, platforms and advisors reach your target carriers, MGAs and agencies, build the case for the executives who own partnerships and product decisions and negotiate referral, co-sell, certification and marketplace arrangements. Your engineering team handles integration and certification. We handle the relationship and the commercial terms.
What makes an insurance partnership worth pursuing
A partner's customer count is only a starting point. We look at how many of those customers need your coverage, when, how many would bind, what the book would look like and whether the premium and the loss experience justify the integration and the partner's share.
- Customer access. Which customers can the partner actually reach, and does it stand next to them at the moment coverage is needed?
- Product fit. Does your product match the partner's customer, states and risk profile, and does the partner have a reason to offer it beyond the commission?
- Conversion. What moves a customer from seeing the offer to a quote and a bound policy, and what does the attach rate look like?
- Economics. What premium is plausible, what remains after the partner's share, acquisition cost and expected losses, and how does it compare with your paid channels?
- Compliance path. What licensing, appointments, filings, disclosures and partner compliance requirements apply, and can both sides clear them in a reasonable time?
- Partner commitment. Who owns the opportunity on each side, and will the partner's own teams actually offer the product?
For example, a retailer with millions of shoppers may have limited near-term value if the attach rate is low and the operations team will not change the checkout. A regional auto lender writing fifty thousand loans a year could deserve priority, because every loan is a coverage requirement.
Our approach to partner selection is explained further in how we identify strategic partners.
How we develop your partnership pipeline
Identify the right targets
We agree on the product, the lines and states, the premium objective and the partner categories to pursue. Research then narrows the opportunity to specific companies, relevant decision-makers and a clear partnership rationale. You can see why each target belongs on the list and which assumptions still need to be tested.
Engage the decision-makers
We open executive conversations with an explanation of why the partnership could matter to that company and what revenue or customer benefit it could produce. In insurance, existing relationships help more than anywhere else, and we have them; we also develop new conversations through targeted outreach. Follow-up addresses the partner's questions and keeps the next decision clear.
Qualify the opportunity
Discovery tests customer access, product fit, conversion assumptions, economics, compliance requirements and the partner's willingness to act. We establish who needs to be involved and what each side needs to evaluate. Every active opportunity has a next step, an owner on each side and a target date for the next decision.
Scope and negotiate the agreement
We develop the commercial proposal and lead negotiations around the agreed partnership model. Topics may include commission or revenue sharing, attribution, customer and claims ownership, exclusivity, marketing commitments, minimum volumes and responsibilities for launch, servicing and support. We coordinate with your legal, compliance, product and actuarial leads so decisions and outstanding requirements stay visible.
Coordinate launch and handover
Once an agreement is signed, we coordinate the commercial work needed to prepare the partnership for launch. That includes agreed responsibilities, supporting materials, launch milestones and the handover of contacts and deal documents. Your teams retain responsibility for technical implementation, filings and approvals. Ongoing partner management stays with your team unless separately scoped.
Weekly pipeline reviews distinguish outreach, qualified opportunities, proposals, signed agreements and launched partners. Once a partner is live, reporting should separately show quotes, bound policies, premium and loss experience by partner.
See our business development consulting services for the broader deliverables and reporting.
Senior partnership leadership and execution
Every engagement is run by a senior partnerships executive who leads partner strategy, executive conversations and commercial negotiations. That ownership continues through agreement and launch coordination. Kevin Schwaner is the person on every call.
We have 200+ enterprise relationships across insurance, banking, lending, automotive and consumer platforms, built over nearly a decade, and have driven over $200M in partnership revenue for the companies our team members have worked for. Insurance is where that record started. Our team has worked inside life and P&C distribution, holds relationships inside several of the largest carriers and brokers in the country, and has opened the lenders, banks and automotive companies that insurance partnerships run through. Two experiences say more about how we work than any process diagram.
The first was a partnership with a top-five property and casualty carrier. There was no introduction and no existing relationship. Our team reached 173 people across that organization before the right conversation started, and that conversation became a signed partnership. Large carriers are not closed. They are layered, and the work is finding the person whose problem you solve.
The second was a national insurer that took a few hundred messages across many months to get over the line. Nobody quit, nobody got clever, and nobody made it awkward. The deal closed because the case was right and the follow-up never stopped. Carrier appointments, affinity programs and lender placements are won the same way, by a senior person who stays on it long after a sales sequence would have given up.
A supporting team handles research, materials, scheduling and follow-up. Your team receives regular pipeline updates with clear next steps, outstanding decisions and an owner for each opportunity. This engagement fits an insurance company with a working product, a defined premium or revenue target and internal capacity to integrate, file and support partners. We can lead a specific channel, lenders or employers for example, alongside your distribution team. If you need senior ownership across a broader mandate, our fractional head of partnerships service explains that structure.
Insurance partnership FAQs
What is embedded insurance?
Embedded insurance is the offer of coverage inside another company's purchase or workflow, such as protection on a car at the dealership, home insurance at mortgage closing, renters coverage at lease signing or a protection plan at checkout. The partner owns the customer moment. The carrier or embedded provider supplies the product, the licensing and the claims. For an insurance company, it is a distribution partnership that reaches customers at the exact moment they need coverage.
What is an affinity insurance program?
An affinity insurance program offers coverage to the members or customers of an organization that already has their trust, such as an employer, a union, an alumni association, a professional body or a membership brand, usually at a group rate or with a member benefit. The organization gets a benefit for its members and often a revenue share. The insurer gets a defined audience, lower acquisition cost and stronger persistency than paid channels. Affinity programs are among the oldest and most durable partnership models in insurance.
Can you help a digital carrier build embedded and affinity distribution?
Yes. We identify the lenders, dealers, platforms, employers and organizations whose customers fit your product, open conversations with the executives who decide what gets offered and negotiate placement, economics, compliance responsibilities and launch. Your product, actuarial and compliance teams own pricing, filings and the integration.
Can you help a digital agency or marketplace get carrier appointments and partner traffic?
Yes, on both sides. We open conversations with carrier and MGA distribution executives and build the case for appointments and products in their terms, and we develop the lender, platform and employer partnerships that bring customers. Your licensing, compliance and operations teams handle the appointment process and the quoting integration.
Do you work with carriers and MGAs directly?
Yes. For an insurtech, carriers and MGAs are partners, clients or supply depending on the model, and we reach them through the same relationships. We map which carriers and MGAs fit your product, open conversations at the executive level and lead the commercial discussion through agreement and launch. Ordinary transactional sales stay with your sales team, and we agree on account ownership at the start.
Can you work alongside our internal distribution or partnerships team?
Yes. We can own a defined channel or partner category while your team manages the rest. We agree on account ownership, decision authority and reporting at the start so both teams know who leads each relationship and when product, compliance or actuarial specialists should participate.
How long does it take to launch an insurance partnership?
Timing depends on the model, the partner's priorities, integration work and the filings and approvals that apply. Referral and affinity programs built on your existing quoting flow move faster than embedded integrations, carrier appointments or new program filings. We establish milestones after discovery and track progress against them. A signed agreement, a launched partner and a bound policy are separate milestones; the timeline should make each one clear.
How are insurance partnership engagements priced?
Schwaner & Co. works on a monthly retainer plus a performance fee on closed partnerships. The scope reflects the products, partner categories and work involved. We agree on responsibilities, commercial terms and how a closed partnership is defined before the engagement begins.
Discuss your insurance partnership goals
Tell us about your product, the customers you want to reach and the premium or revenue target partnerships need to support. We will prepare an initial map of eight to ten potential partners for one channel and use a 20-minute conversation to discuss where there may be a fit.