A London insurtech start-up that sells home insurance designed for people who rent.
Urban Jungle sells insurance for people who rent their homes in the UK. Most insurers design cover for homeowners, so renters can end up underinsured or paying a lot for a policy that does not suit them. Urban Jungle uses technology to keep costs down so it can build products and features renters value. It started with contents cover for shared and rented homes and has since added landlord, building and homeowner cover (2022) and travel insurance (2025), according to Insurance Times.
Its co-founder and CEO Jimmy Williams and his university friend Greg Smyth, now chief technology officer, started it in late 2016 after struggling to get suitable cover while sharing a house in South London. Their group was too large for mainstream products, their specialist broker was slow and expensive, and a later claim took four months to process. Both founders studied at the University of Cambridge (Wellfound). It is London-based and employs around 70 people (Insurance Times).
The company's aim is to fix the basics for renters. Williams said of the gap it targets, "No-one was out there fixing the obvious stuff." He has said he wants to improve financial inclusion in insurance, especially for renters and lower-income households, and to raise renters' insurance take-up by 5 to 10 per cent over the next few years. Its job listing language says it wants people who "aren't afraid to challenge the status quo".
What it does day to day: it sells policies online and handles claims through an online service, with AI used to help customers find answers while a person can always be reached, and the company is bringing its claims operation in-house. It uses AI to tell likely fraudsters from genuine customers, which it says lets it price fairly for people in lower-income postcodes and gives it a 98.7 per cent eligibility rate on its renters' product (the company's own figure). It launched a white-label renters' product with Co-op in May 2024. Former Prudential UK and Europe chief executive Rob Devey supports the company with industry advice.
The company calls itself a tech company and consumer brand in financial services and describes wanting to be a brand customers can trust. We did not find graduate schemes or internships. Check Urban Jungle's careers page for current roles.
Website: www.urbanjungle.co.uk
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