Paris-based insurtech startup GRACE, co-founded by French podcaster and entrepreneur Lou Dana, has secured €5.9 million in seed funding to modernize luxury insurance through AI-powered, 5-minute incident reporting and seamless claims handling.
The round was led by FinTech Collective and Speedinvest, with support from Firstminute Capital, Purple (Laurent Ritter’s fund), Kima Ventures, Bpifrance, and scouts from a16z and Sequoia. A group of strategic angel investors also participated.
Insurance That Matches the Luxury Experience
GRACE offers instant, automatic protection for luxury items at the point of sale, embedded directly into the checkout experience of high-end brands. There’s no paperwork, no additional registration, and no extra cost to the buyer. The platform uses proprietary AI to resolve claims in days—not weeks—while enabling incident reporting in under five minutes.
“We’re not just offering insurance — we’re redefining post-purchase luxury service,” said co-founder and president Lou Dana, known for her top luxury podcast @PodcastduLuxe.
GRACE currently works with luxury retailers and aims to cover over 200,000 high-end items by the end of 2025, offering global coverage in 190+ countries, backed by a partnership with leading insurer Chubb.
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Scaling a New Standard in Luxury Protection
The funds will support:
- Expansion of GRACE’s AI platform and infrastructure
- Growth of its product and engineering teams
- New partnerships with global luxury brands
- Further development in logistics, fraud detection, and claims automation
Founded in 2022 by Lou Dana, Quentin Roy, and Martin Lenweiter, the team brings a blend of expertise from fintech, luxury, and engineering. The idea for GRACE was born out of the gap between the premium service experience promised by luxury brands and the cumbersome, often nonexistent, post-purchase protection.
“We’re building the invisible infrastructure behind peace of mind for collectors, luxury shoppers, and brands,” said the GRACE team. “This is just the beginning — we’re expanding toward secure tracking, authentication, and resale services too.”
Investor Confidence
“GRACE has cracked a major gap in the luxury market,” said Olga Shikhantsova, Partner at Speedinvest. “Their deep understanding of both the luxury sector and insurance gives them an edge.”
Toby Triebel, Partner at FinTech Collective, added: “No other insurtech has successfully embedded protection in luxury at this scale. GRACE is poised to become the category-defining platform in this space.”
With luxury consumers demanding frictionless, premium experiences, the startup is setting a new benchmark for how insurance can support — and elevate — the luxury retail journey.
