In the rapidly evolving world of Advanced Air Mobility, innovation often moves faster than the systems designed to protect it. While the horizon is filled with autonomous drones and eVTOL aircraft, traditional insurance has frequently remained grounded by legacy models.
Enter Simon Ritterband and the team at Moonrock Insurance. Founded on the realization that emerging aviation technologies required a new breed of underwriting, Moonrock has transformed insurance from a regulatory hurdle into a strategic enabler for the drone industry.
Based in the heart of London, Simon has steered Moonrock to become a global leader, bridging the gap between cutting-edge robotics and A+ rated financial security. In this Q&A, we sit down with Simon to discuss the complexities of low-altitude airspace and how Moonrock is de-risking the future of flight.
1. Tell us about yourself / your co‑founder(s)
I’m Simon Ritterband, Founder and Managing Director of Moonrock Insurance, a specialist insurance MGA focused exclusively on drones, UAVs, and emerging aviation aircraft.
Moonrock was founded to address a gap I saw first‑hand in aviation insurance: traditional insurers struggled to assess and support new aerial technologies because they lacked technical understanding, data, and risk appetite. Rather than treating these technologies as an exception, we built a business designed to underwrite them from day one.
Over the past decade, Moonrock has grown into one of the leading drone insurers, working with operators, OEMs, brokers, and regulators globally. We combine deep sector expertise with strong A+ rated capacity. We position insurance as an enabler of innovation, not a blocker.
2. Who are your target customers, and what problem do you address for them?
Our core customers are commercial and enterprise drone operators, OEMs, training providers, and increasingly advanced air mobility (AAM) and eVTOL developers operating in regulated or complex environments.
These customers face three persistent problems:
- Lack of suitable insurance for non‑standard or novel operations (e.g. BVLOS, heavy lift, autonomous, test & development).
- Poor underwriting understanding of the technology, operational risks, and regulatory pathways.
- Insurance becoming a bottleneck to certification, deployment, or commercial scaling.
Moonrock solves this by offering specialist aviation‑grade insurance that is tailored, technically informed, and aligned with how these systems are actually designed and operated.
3. What is your product / solution, who do you compete with, and what is your USP?
Moonrock is a specialist MGA providing insurance solutions for drones, UAVs, and eVTOL aircraft. We insure everything from sole‑operator commercial users and agricultural spraying drones, through to drone‑delivery systems, complex multi‑territory operations, and high‑value military or government platforms.
Our primary competition is generalist aviation insurers, who typically apply legacy underwriting models to emerging technologies.
Moonrock’s key USP is focus and depth. We exist solely to insure emerging aerial technologies. This allows us to:
- Underwrite risks that others decline or defer.
- Work closely with regulators, OEMs, and operators as the market, technology, and regulation evolve.
- Apply operational understanding, claims experience, and data‑led underwriting rather than generic aviation templates.
This singular focus is extremely difficult for generalist insurers to replicate.
4. What is your current stage and traction, and how can our network help you in the next 6–12 months?
Moonrock is a mature, revenue‑generating MGA with a leading position in the global drone insurance market.
In the next 6–12 months, our priorities are:
- Deepening relationships with OEMs, infrastructure players in AAM and advanced logistics.
- Scaling data‑driven underwriting and actuarial capability for emerging aircraft.
- Partnering with strategic networks who want exposure to the low‑altitude aviation ecosystem but lack in‑house expertise.
Your network could accelerate this through strategic partnerships, distribution relationships, and regulatory or ecosystem access, rather than capital alone.
5. How do you go to market? How are banks or insurers working with you (or how could they work with you)?
Insurers currently work with us by providing capacity (Lloyd’s and company markets).
Referring specialist or non‑standard aviation risks.
6. Any relevant industry trends or market shifts we should be watching?
Key trends shaping our market include:
Rapid growth of Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) and autonomous operations, forcing regulators and insurers to move beyond legacy aviation models.
Convergence of aviation, robotics, and software risk, making traditional insurance silos obsolete.
Government‑led low‑altitude airspace strategies, particularly in Europe and Asia, which increasingly mandate suitable insurance as a prerequisite for operation.
Rising importance of insurance in certification, financing, and public trust, rather than as a post‑deployment requirement.
Insurance is becoming a core infrastructure component of the emerging low‑altitude and AAM economy, not just a compliance cost.
7. What’s on your bookshelf or podcast app? Your favourite place for a coffee or a drink?
Much of the innovation in our sector is currently coming from the Far East, which has meant I’ve been travelling back and forth to China a fair bit recently.
As you’d expect, that’s been reflected in my reading. Most recently, I’ve been reading The New China Playbook: Beyond Socialism and Capitalism by Keyu Jin, which offers a fascinating perspective on the region’s economic and strategic direction.
As for coffee, I’m rather spoiled for choice being based in the heart of the City. That said, Rosslyn Coffee is my current go‑to and a firm favourite.
As the low-altitude economy accelerates, Moonrock Insurance continues to prove that specialist knowledge and forward-thinking underwriting can turn risk into real momentum for innovation. Simon Ritterband’s insights remind us that in fast-moving sectors like drones and advanced air mobility, the right insurance partner doesn’t just protect — it propels progress.
If you’re operating in this space, exploring partnerships, or simply watching the skies with interest, Moonrock offers a compelling case study in how deep focus and technical understanding can redefine an entire category. Stay tuned for more stories from the founders and innovators shaping the future of flight.