Alliance Risk vs Amelia Risk D&O Insurance

Alliance Risk times D&O to the first priced round and publishes Side A bands; Amelia Risk times it to outside funding and budgets two to three weeks for underwriting.

What Is Alliance Risk?

Alliance Risk describes itself as an independent commercial insurance brokerage serving complex businesses, including technology startups. Its offering includes technology E&O placement and review of existing policies. 1,2

Read the Alliance Risk profile

What Is Amelia Risk?

Amelia Risk is a women-owned San Francisco insurance brokerage that says it designs commercial programs for startups, consumer packaged goods, technology companies, and consumer-product brands by approaching multiple insurers rather than selling a self-serve policy. 5,6,7

Read the Amelia Risk profile

What Is Directors and Officers Insurance?

Directors and officers liability insurance addresses covered claims alleging wrongful acts in managing an organization. 14

Read the full coverage guide

Key Differences in D&O Insurance

When Each Broker Says to Turn Coverage On

Alliance Risk and Amelia Risk both arrange D&O rather than underwrite it, and neither reviewed source names the issuing insurer. 3 8

Alliance Risk says to turn D&O on at the first priced funding round, because institutional investment brings personal exposure from day one. Amelia Risk says most companies consider D&O after outside funding, that Series A term sheets usually require it, and that seed purchases are becoming more common as seed rounds grow larger. 4 8 9

Side A/B/C Bands Versus a Broad Insured Definition

Alliance Risk describes Side A, Side B and Side C on policies it places, and publishes illustrative Side A limits and premium bands. Amelia Risk’s reviewed materials do not publish those bands; they describe covering directors, officers, the board and the entity. 3 8

Amelia’s co-founder says policies she has reviewed generally define “directors and officers” broadly enough to include employees and even interns. Alliance Risk’s reviewed D&O materials do not describe that insured definition. 9 3

What to Confirm in D&O Insurance Quotes

  • Ask both which carrier would issue the policy; neither D&O page names it. 3 8
  • Ask Alliance Risk whether the published Side A and premium bands apply to your stage, and whether D&O shares a limit with EPLI or fiduciary. 3 4
  • Ask Amelia Risk how the insured definition treats employees and interns on the form being quoted. 9
  • Confirm underwriting calendar if a funding close is near; Amelia budgets two to three weeks. 9

Offering Details

Alliance Risk vs Amelia Risk D&O Insurance: documented features by provider

CriteriaAlliance Risk Directors & Officers (D&O) InsuranceAmelia Risk Directors & Officers (D&O) Liability Insurance Brokerage
Role in This Line

Alliance Risk places D&O insurance as a broker: it reviews a company's existing D&O program and markets the risk to carriers that specialize in management liability. 3Company-reported. D&O product page; Alliance Risk does not underwrite the policy itself.

Amelia Risk arranges D&O liability coverage for clients, describing and structuring the policy around protecting individual directors and officers, the board, and the company entity, rather than underwriting it directly. 8Company-reported. D&O product page as of 23 September 2026. Does not establish who issues a particular client's policy.

Issuing Insurer

The reviewed D&O page does not name the insurer that would issue a policy; it says Alliance Risk markets a company's risk to carriers that specialize in management liability, so the issuing insurer depends on the placement. 3Not publicly disclosed. D&O product page as read on 2026-09-23.

The reviewed pages do not name an insurer for D&O placements; Amelia's marketing describes access to underwriters, wholesale brokers and carrier partners generally, without attributing any of them to D&O specifically. 8Not publicly disclosed. D&O product page and podcast transcript, checked 23 September 2026.

Who It’s For

Alliance Risk says D&O is relevant to venture-backed and public companies, high-risk industries such as fintech, healthcare, real estate and financial services, companies going through M&A, IPO or leadership changes, nonprofits, and small private companies without outside investors. 3Company-reported. D&O product page; eligibility for a particular company depends on underwriting.

Alliance Risk says a company should turn on D&O coverage at its first priced funding round, because institutional investment brings personal exposure for directors and officers from day one. 4Company-reported. Management liability page's program-staging guidance, describing D&O specifically among the three bundled lines.

Amelia Risk lists D&O among the policies it places for startups, technology companies, CPG brands, and consumer-product companies. 10,11,12,13Company-reported. Specialty pages' "policies to consider" lists, marketed segments rather than an underwriting appetite statement.

Amelia Risk says most companies consider D&O once they've taken outside funding, that Series A term sheets usually require it, and that it's becoming more common to see D&O bought at the seed stage as seed rounds grow larger. 8,9Company-reported. D&O product page timing guidance, restated in more detail by co-founder Danielle Holyoake in the company's podcast episode.

Coverage Features

Alliance Risk describes D&O policies it places as having three parts: Side A for individual directors and officers when the company cannot indemnify them, Side B reimbursing the company for indemnification costs, and Side C covering the company directly for certain liabilities. 3Company-reported. D&O product page; actual policy structure and whether sides are combined or separately limited depend on the carrier and the policy as issued.

Alliance Risk lists standard D&O exclusions it sees, including fraud and intentional misconduct, criminal acts, bodily injury and property damage, and often prior acts before the policy started; it says employment practices and ERISA benefit-plan claims are typically excluded and need separate EPLI or fiduciary liability coverage. 3Company-reported. D&O product page; exclusion wording varies by carrier and the policy as issued.

Amelia describes the D&O policy as covering the individual directors and officers, the board, and the entity, with claims typically alleging mismanagement and most often coming from shareholders, though they can also come from regulators, competitors, or employees. 8Company-reported. D&O product page description; the actual policy wording, definitions, and exclusions depend on the issuing insurer and the client's declarations.

In the company's podcast, co-founder Danielle Holyoake says the D&O policies she has reviewed and sold generally define "directors and officers" broadly enough to include employees and even interns, rather than naming specific individuals on the policy. 9Company-reported. Her description of policies she has personally reviewed and sold, not a specimen form or a statement about every D&O policy Amelia places.

Limits and Retentions

Alliance Risk publishes indicative Side A limit and premium ranges: mid-size companies ($5M-$50M revenue) typically carry $2M-$5M in Side A limits, and larger private companies $5M-$25M or more. It shows overall D&O premium bands from $2,500-$10,000 for small private companies up to $50,000-$500,000 for large private companies, noting fintech, crypto and venture-backed companies often pay 2-3x more. 3Company-reported. D&O product page; illustrative bands, not a quote for any particular company.

Alliance Risk says entry-level management-liability packages that bundle D&O with EPLI and fiduciary often share a single aggregate limit, so a large EPLI or fiduciary settlement earlier in the policy year can reduce what is left for a later D&O claim; it says a specialist broker structures shared versus separate limits to manage that risk. 4Company-reported. Management liability page's discussion of bundled D&O, EPLI and fiduciary programs.

Not described in the reviewed sources.

Risk Services

Alliance Risk offers a no-charge review of an existing D&O policy, identifying gaps in the Side A/B/C structure and missing endorsements and comparing the program to market options. 3Company-reported. D&O product page, Get Your D&O Risk Review section.

The reviewed D&O materials don't describe governance training, board-advisory services, or other risk-control services specific to D&O policyholders beyond the coverage description and general claims-advocacy language. 8,9Not found in reviewed sources. D&O product page and podcast transcript as read on 23 September 2026; does not establish that no such services exist, only that these pages don't describe them.

How to Apply

For a D&O quote, Alliance Risk asks for company revenue, industry and stage, board composition, investor structure, current D&O coverage and carrier, five-year claims history and upcoming events such as M&A or an IPO, and says it typically delivers proposals within a few business days. 3Company-reported. D&O product page, What We Need for Your Quote section; timing is a company estimate, not a guarantee.

Amelia's co-founder says D&O underwriting can take as little as a few days to a few weeks once complete information is provided, and recommends budgeting two to three weeks; she also cautions founders not to wait until a funding round or other transaction is imminent, because decisions made before a claims-made D&O policy starts aren't covered by it. 9Company-reported. Illustrative timing comment in a company-hosted podcast interview, not a binding service-level agreement.

Claims Support

The reviewed D&O page does not describe an Alliance Risk claims-handling or claims-advocacy process; it discusses what a D&O policy covers rather than how Alliance Risk itself supports a claim. 3Not found in reviewed sources. D&O product page as read on 2026-09-23.

Not described in the reviewed sources.

Full Comparison

More Alliance Risk vs Amelia Risk Comparisons

Other D&O Insurance Comparisons

Sources

Alliance Risk

  1. About Us. Alliance Risk; Our Story. Accessed 2026-09-16.
  2. Tech E&O Insurance. Alliance Risk; Opening placement description; Get Your Tech E&O Risk Review; What We Need for Your Quote; Policy Review. Accessed 2026-09-16.
  3. Directors & Officers Insurance (D&O). Alliance Risk; D&O Insurance: Protecting Directors and Officers From Personal Liability; The Three Sides of D&O Coverage; What D&O Insurance Does NOT Cover; Who Needs D&O Insurance?; D&O Insurance Cost: What to Expect; How to Buy D&O Insurance; Get Your D&O Risk Review. Accessed 2026-09-23.
  4. Management Liability Insurance: How D&O, EPLI, and Fiduciary Fit Together. Alliance Risk; The shared limit problem; How to structure the program as you scale. Accessed 2026-09-23.

Amelia Risk

  1. Amelia Risk Insurance Brokers. Amelia Risk Insurance Brokers; Who is Amelia?; specialty tiles for startups, CPG, technology, and consumer products; schema.org Organization name and logo; footer locations San Francisco and East Bay; Client Login Portal, Pay Now, and Privacy links; official logo asset. Accessed 2026-09-16.
  2. Our Specialties. Amelia Risk Insurance Brokers; Narrow industry-vertical focus; underwriters, brokers, and carrier partners; four-step process; claims advocacy sentence; specialty sections for startups, CPG, technology, and consumer products. Accessed 2026-09-16.
  3. About Us. Amelia Risk Insurance Brokers; Opening brokerage description; How we're different (no multiple PDFs to print, sign, and scan); We do the right thing (underwriters, wholesale brokers, and strategic partners). Accessed 2026-09-16.
  4. Directors and Officers Liability. Amelia Risk Insurance Brokers; What's covered by a Directors & Officers Liability (D&O) Policy?; When should a company buy a Directors & Officers Liability (D&O) Policy? Accessed 2026-09-23.
  5. Podcast Episode – Beyond The Certificate With Startup CPG. Amelia Risk Insurance Brokers; Danielle Holyoake (CRO and co-founder) on D&O: why it comes up during fundraising, who it protects, when claims typically arise, underwriting timing of days to a few weeks with complete information, budgeting two to three weeks, and the caution against waiting until a transaction is imminent. Accessed 2026-09-23.
  6. Insurance For Startups. Amelia Risk Insurance Brokers; Insurance policies for startups to consider: Directors & Officers Liability (D&O). Accessed 2026-09-23.
  7. Insurance For Technology Companies. Amelia Risk Insurance Brokers; Insurance policies for tech companies to consider: Directors & Officers Liability (D&O). Accessed 2026-09-23.
  8. Insurance For CPG Companies. Amelia Risk Insurance Brokers; Insurance policies for CPG companies to consider: Directors & Officers Liability (D&O). Accessed 2026-09-23.
  9. Consumer Product Insurance. Amelia Risk Insurance Brokers; Insurance policies for Consumer Product companies to consider: Directors & Officers Liability (D&O). Accessed 2026-09-23.

D&O Insurance Guide

  1. Glossary of Business Insurance Terms. The Hartford; Directors and Officers Liability Insurance; Errors and Omissions Insurance; Employment Practices Liability Insurance. Accessed 2026-09-16.

Updated . Spot, a product of Tools for Enlightenment, publishes this research and works in the commercial insurance market. The comparison applies the same criteria to both providers. Editorial policy. To suggest a correction, contact Spot with the page URL and supporting source.

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