Cameron Mooney was an insurance claims adjuster with a habit he couldn’t shake – spending a few minutes on the phone with homeowners whose claims he couldn’t take on, giving free advice, then sending them away with nothing.
One day in 2021, he called his cousin Aaron Mooney with a question: “If you had 5 minutes to help somebody with the claim, do you think you could get them a couple thousand dollars more?” Aaron’s immediate response: “Oh yeah, every time.”
That conversation evolved and became Tugboat. The Simi Valley-based insurance tech startup announced it has raised $3 million in seed funding to expand its artificial intelligence-powered platform that helps homeowners navigate the increasingly complex insurance claims process.
The round was led by ResilienceVC, with participation from Sure Ventures, South Dakota First and Gener8or.
“Tugboat creates massive value for its users, supporting them through a moment of extreme vulnerability as they struggle to navigate an extremely complex insurance claims process that is often incentivized to delay or deny payments,” said Tahira Dosani, general partner and co-founder of ResilienceVC, in a statement.
For $99 a year, Tugboat gives homeowners the same analytics used by insurance carriers to help them better understand how they can get more out of their policy. The platform uses an agentic AI layer to analyze a host of 10,000 real claims patterns. It combs over carrier notes, documents and denial letters and formulates denial disputes, and provides guidance for policyholders on what to expect and how to get more money.
“We don’t have to advise them about their policy, but we can let them know the data that we have about that carrier,” Cameron said. “How do they respond to water claims? Or what is their wildfire coverage like when it comes to smoke damage and you live in the hills?”
The insurance squeeze
Tugboat has entered the market at a turbulent time for California homeowners’ insurance. State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Co. and The Allstate Corp. have both stopped accepting new property and casualty applications in the state, citing escalating wildfire risk.
Cameron and Aaron acknowledged that the shift underscores the need for a consumer-side advocate in the claims process.
When the two quit their jobs to start their company, Hurricane Ian struck Florida. In response, they rented a minivan-turned-campervan and headed out to the Sunshine state. For a month, they set up shop, knocking on doors with the goal to talk to homeowners about their experience filing claims, and trying to get the best possible outcome.
“We hadn’t thought through (the process),” said Cameron, adding that they slept in a Walmart parking lot. “What does it look like to support the average homeowner who’s doing this on their own?”
In 2025, following the Palisades and Eaton fires in Los Angeles, Tugboat representatives were able to reclaim an average of $25,000 more than their first offer, according to the company.
“We see a huge opportunity for Tugboat with their market expanding rapidly as climate-related disaster events increase and insurance coverage narrows,” Dosani said in the statement.
