Amelia Risk vs Zurich U.S.: How Do They Compare for D&O Insurance?

Amelia says outside funding commonly triggers D&O consideration and Series A term sheets usually require it; Zurich lists coverage for private companies and IPOs. Founders should coordinate purchase timing with fundraising because Amelia notes a claims-made policy does not cover decisions before its start date. 4,12

What Is Amelia Risk?

Amelia Risk is a San Francisco brokerage for startups, CPG and consumer-product companies that want an advisor to shop multiple insurers; buyers seeking a direct online purchase should look elsewhere. Ask about fees before appointing it. 1,2,3

Read the Amelia Risk profile

Read the Amelia Risk D&O Insurance page

Zurich U.S. Business Insurance: Products, Access, and Claims

Zurich U.S. serves Middle Market businesses and large or national accounts with commercial property-casualty and specialty insurance. Buyers can explore product lines and work through an agent or broker; the insurer named on a quote or policy identifies which Zurich company underwrites that coverage. 10,11

Read the Zurich U.S. profile

What Is Directors and Officers Insurance?

D&O insurance can help pay covered defense costs and losses from claims against company leaders over management decisions. If your organization has a board or executives, check whether the company itself is insured and whether legal bills reduce the limit. 13,14,15

Read the full coverage guide

Key Differences in D&O Insurance

Coverage structure and scope

Amelia describes claims from shareholders, regulators, competitors or employees and notes underwriting may take days to weeks once information is complete. Zurich says its D&O claims team members are attorneys. Ask both about notice requirements, prior acts, and the time needed before a financing. 4 12

Terms and services to compare

Amelia does not name a D&O insurer or describe policyholder governance services. Zurich identifies claim-team expertise but not broader governance support. Request the actual carrier, prior-acts date and claim reporting process in each quote. 4 12

What to Confirm in D&O Insurance Quotes

  • Ask Amelia Risk to identify the prior-acts date and how outside-funding timing affects the claims-made start date; ask Zurich how quickly underwriting can complete. 4 12

Review Scores

These averages can combine ratings for different products, locations, and customer groups, including approximate BBB grade conversions. Read each review for the sources, scope, and calculation.

Amelia Risk

2.0/ 10

Review Score

1 rated source

Amelia Risk’s only matched public rating is 1/5 from one Google-linked local listing. That is a warning to investigate, but too little feedback to judge the firm’s overall service.[7]

Read Amelia Risk reviews

Zurich U.S.

-/ 10

Review Score

No reviews found

The available Zurich review evidence is mixed and comes from distinct populations: a car-rental-business editorial rating, broad global and U.S. review-platform snapshots, and a BBB business-profile grade. These are not a representative measure of every Zurich commercial policy or claim.[1][4][5][6][7]

Read Zurich U.S. reviews

Offering Details

Amelia Risk vs Zurich U.S.: D&O Insurance: documented features by provider

CriteriaAmelia Risk Directors & Officers (D&O) Liability Insurance BrokerageZurich Directors and Officers Liability Insurance
Role in This Line

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. 4Company-reported. D&O product page as of 23 September 2026. Does not establish who issues a particular client's policy.

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Issuing Insurer

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. 4Not publicly disclosed. D&O product page and podcast transcript, checked 23 September 2026.

Confirm in your quote.

Who It’s For

Amelia Risk lists D&O among the policies it places for startups, technology companies, CPG brands, and consumer-product companies. 6,7,8,9Company-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. 4,5Company-reported. D&O product page timing guidance, restated in more detail by co-founder Danielle Holyoake in the company's podcast episode.

Zurich lists coverage options for publicly traded, private and nonprofit companies, including IPOs. 12Company-reported. Zurich U.S. brand; exact underwriting company may vary by policy and state; directors and officers liability; United States. Company-reported product description; actual coverage, underwriting, limits and state availability are governed by issued policy terms.

Coverage Features

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. 4Company-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. 5Company-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.

Zurich D&O can help protect directors’ and officers’ personal assets and address covered company legal fees and costs. 12Company-reported. Zurich U.S. brand; exact underwriting company may vary by policy and state; directors and officers liability; United States. Company-reported product description; actual coverage, underwriting, limits and state availability are governed by issued policy terms.

Risk Services

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. 4,5Not 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.

Confirm in your quote.

How to Apply

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. 5Company-reported. Illustrative timing comment in a company-hosted podcast interview, not a binding service-level agreement.

Confirm in your quote.

Claims Support

Confirm in your quote.

Zurich says every member of its D&O claims team is an attorney with current-litigation and global-exposure knowledge. 12Company-reported. Zurich U.S. brand; exact underwriting company may vary by policy and state; directors and officers liability; United States. Company-reported product description; actual coverage, underwriting, limits and state availability are governed by issued policy terms.

Full Comparison

More Amelia Risk vs Zurich U.S. Comparisons

Other D&O Insurance Comparisons

Sources

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.

Zurich U.S.

  1. About Us | Zurich U.S. | Commercial Insurance. Zurich U.S.; About Zurich U.S.; customer and industry description; FAQ on U.S. product focus. Accessed 2026-09-28.
  2. Agents and Brokers | Zurich U.S. Zurich U.S.; Agent/broker route and locator. Accessed 2026-09-28.
  3. Management Liability Insurance | Zurich U.S. Zurich U.S.; Management liability, D&O, crime, fiduciary, EPLI. Accessed 2026-09-28.

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.
  2. The Chubb Primary Directors & Officers and Entity Securities Liability Insurance. Chubb Group of Insurance Companies; hosted by eperils; I.A–C p.1; I.C p.1; I and III.A–B pp.1–2; VI Reporting pp.3–4. Accessed 2026-09-16.
  3. Private Company Directors and Officers Liability Coverage. Travelers Casualty and Surety Company of America; I.A–C p.1; I.C p.1; Header p.1 and VI.A pp.6–7. 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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