Alliance Risk vs Founder Shield D&O Insurance

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.

Founder Shield is a retail insurance brokerage, described on its site as “the innovation arm of The Baldwin Group,” and places Founder Shield Directors & Officers Insurance with third-party carriers rather than underwriting the policy itself. ¹¹Company-reported. About-us page; applies to Founder Shield's brokerage model generally, restated here for this line.

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.

Founder Shield says it places policies, including Founder Shield Directors & Officers Insurance, only with carriers rated A- or better by AM Best, chosen for the client's industry. It does not name the issuing insurer for this line; that depends on which carrier the policy is placed with. ⁷Company-reported. General carrier-selection FAQ, not specific to this line's placements.

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.

Founder Shield targets D&O at public and private businesses, venture-backed companies (it says almost every institutional term sheet requires the coverage), and businesses owing more than $1 million to creditors. ¹⁰Company-reported. Directors & Officers Insurance product page.

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.

Founder Shield describes a three-part structure: Side A pays individual directors/officers directly when the company cannot or will not indemnify them, Side B reimburses the company for indemnification it pays, and Side C provides entity coverage for the company itself. ¹⁰Company-reported. Product page; the issued policy and declarations control actual coverage.

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.

Founder Shield's page describes a typical market base layer of $5 million to $10 million in combined A-B-C coverage, but does not publish a specific limit Founder Shield itself offers; actual limits are set on the quote. ¹⁰Company-reported. General market description on the product page, not a stated Founder Shield minimum or maximum.

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.

Not described in the reviewed sources.

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.

You request Founder Shield Directors & Officers Insurance through Founder Shield's website or an insurance advisor rather than binding coverage directly; Founder Shield says its placement team then approaches carriers on the client's behalf. ^11,7Company-reported. About-us and carrier-selection pages describe the general placement process, not a line-specific application form.

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.