# Cole Riccardi

> Cole Riccardi is the founder and CEO of Authentic, a New York based insurtech startup that lets software platforms and affinity groups launch their own branded insurance programs. A former investor at Aquiline Capital Partners and a Notre Dame finance graduate, he left the investing side of insurance in 2022 to build what he calls 'captive-in-a-box' - turnkey infrastructure that brings captive insurance, once reserved for large corporations, to gyms, restaurants, salons and other small businesses. Authentic has raised roughly $16 million, including an $11 million Series A led by FirstMark Capital.

- **Role:** Founder & CEO at Authentic
- **Organizations:** Authentic (Authentic Insurance), Aquiline Capital Partners
- **From:** Madison, New Jersey, United States
- **Nationality:** American
- **Education:** Finance, University of Notre Dame, Mendoza College of Business
- **Known for:** Founded Authentic in 2022 to make captive insurance accessible to small businesses, Raised roughly $16 million total, including an $11 million Series A led by FirstMark Capital, Signed platform partners including Mindbody, Restaurant365, theCut and PushPress

## Career timeline

- **~2016** — Graduated from the University of Notre Dame with a finance degree, having played lacrosse
- **2016-2022** — Investor at Aquiline Capital Partners, a financial services firm focused on insurance
- **2022** — Founded Authentic and raised a $5.5 million seed round
- **2024** — Raised an $11 million Series A led by FirstMark Capital; grew team and partner platforms

## Achievements

- Founded Authentic in 2022 to make captive insurance accessible to small businesses
- Raised roughly $16 million total, including an $11 million Series A led by FirstMark Capital
- Signed platform partners including Mindbody, Restaurant365, theCut and PushPress
- Built a 'captive-in-a-box' model handling underwriting, claims and regulatory compliance for partners

## Latest updates

- **2024-05** — Announced an $11 million Series A led by FirstMark Capital, with Slow Ventures, Altai Ventures, MGV, Upper90 and Commerce Ventures participating.
- **2024-08** — Featured discussing Authentic's 'captive-in-a-box' model and plans to broaden into new insurance lines.

## Links

- Website: https://authenticinsurance.com
- LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/cole-riccardi-63a243127
- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ErTg0Xyar98

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/cole-riccardi
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-07-22