Corgi, a San Francisco-based AI-powered insurance startup backed by $378 million in venture capital, is opening three "Corgi Cafes" in Manhattan. The first location, at East 27th Street in Nomad, will operate 24/7 in a former cocktail venue, with Tribeca and Chelsea to follow, the company said. The move marks an unusual blending of direct-to-consumer branding and physical retail for an insurtech company.
The cafe-as-office model
The concept first launched in San Francisco last February, when Corgi acquired a retail space alongside its new headquarters. Rather than sublet the storefront, the company turned it into a canteen. Nico Laqua, Corgi's 26-year-old CEO and co-founder, told the San Francisco Gazetteer the cafe was built "for people who really want to work, for builders."
The San Francisco location serves protein chips, $14 smoothies, and specialty drinks named after other AI startups, like the "Brexspresso" and the "ElevenLatte." Customers can add creatine, spirulina, or collagen peptides to their beverages. The cafe's website describes it as "A Cafe Open 24/7 Because the World's Greatest and Most Impactful Work Doesn't Stop."
A seven-day work culture
Laqua said that everyone at Corgi is required to work seven days a week. A handful of employees previously lived in the office space above the cafe, though a Corgi representative later clarified that employees no longer reside there. The company's approach to work and retail has drawn attention from the insurance world, where AI for Insurance continues to reshape distribution and customer engagement models.
Reviews run from enthusiasm to fraud accusations
The San Francisco cafe holds a 4.2-star average from 172 Google reviews. "A place you will be welcomed and encouraged to ship fast, iterate harder, PMF or bust," wrote one reviewer. Another called it "an engineers wet dream." A third claimed to have "instantly became a 10x founder" upon entering. Other patrons complained about cleanliness and crowding, while several people on Yelp objected to the absence of corgis. "These people should be put in jail for lying," one wrote. In New York, keeping a dog in a cafe is illegal, but a 24/7 employee is not.
Why this matters for insurance professionals
Insurtechs have long tested new distribution channels, but Corgi's cafes represent a physical commitment that most digital-native insurers avoid. The model positions an insurance brand as a lifestyle and productivity hub, targeting a founder and tech-worker demographic that overlaps with high-value personal lines and commercial policies. For insurance professionals tracking customer acquisition costs and brand loyalty, the experiment tests whether selling coffee and community can ultimately sell policies.
Your membership also unlocks:
