Windward Risk Managers Deepens Partnership with ZestyAI to Power California Market Entry

ZestyAI, the Risk and Decision Intelligence Platform for the insurance industry, today announced that Windward Risk Managers is using Z-FIRE™ to power wildfire underwriting as it expands into the California insurance market.

Windward Risk Managers already utilizes Z-PROPERTY™ across its Florida homeowners portfolio. The platform applies computer vision and machine learning to analyze aerial imagery, building permit records, tax assessment data, and other verified sources, generating insights across more than 70 structural and parcel attributes for 150 million residential and commercial properties nationwide.

The expansion into California builds on that relationship, extending the insurer’s use of the ZestyAI platform to address wildfire risk in one of the country’s most complex catastrophe markets.

“Z-PROPERTY gave us accurate property insights and broad coverage across our Florida portfolio,” said Gard Olbers, Chief Risk Officer at Windward Risk Managers. “That experience made ZestyAI a natural partner as we expand into California, where Z-FIRE gives us an accurate, predictive view of wildfire risk as we evaluate and manage exposure.”

In recent years, catastrophic wildfires have driven record losses and prompted several carriers to reduce their presence in the state. For insurers entering the market, accurately assessing wildfire exposure at the individual property level has become essential.

Z-FIRE predicts which properties are most likely to experience a wildfire and which ones will survive. The model applies computer vision and machine learning to analyze structural and environmental characteristics such as defensible space, vegetation density, building materials, and topography, and is trained on the industry’s largest wildfire loss dataset.

“Windward Risk Manager’s expansion into California reflects how insurers can use advanced analytics to operate more confidently in wildfire-exposed markets,” said Attila Toth, Founder and CEO of ZestyAI. “Windward Risk Managers has been a valued partner for many years, and their continued expansion with ZestyAI reflects the trust insurers place in accurate risk models as they navigate increasingly complex markets.”

Z-FIRE is approved across Western wildfire markets and was the first AI-based wildfire model approved as part of a carrier rate filing in California. ZestyAI’s broader portfolio of risk models has secured more than 200 regulatory approvals nationwide.