At-Bay vs
Founder Shield Cyber Insurance
Founder Shield commits to carriers rated A- or better by AM Best; At-Bay names no rating standard but can issue on its own paper.
What Is At-Bay Insurance?
At-Bay offers Cyber, Tech E&O, and miscellaneous professional liability insurance through its disclosed insurance agency and surplus lines broker. Its Stance security services have policy eligibility conditions, with managed detection and response sold separately. 1,2
What Is Founder Shield Insurance?
Founder Shield is a commercial insurance broker for venture-backed and growing businesses. Buyers can request coverage through its online portal and work with advisors on insurer selection, policy changes and claims reporting. 7,8,9,10,11
What Is Cyber Insurance?
Cyber insurance can help a business respond to cyber incidents and address covered liability claims arising from them. 14
Key Differences in Cyber Insurance
A Rating Floor vs a Named Carrier
Founder Shield says it places policies, including Founder Shield Cyber Liability Insurance, only with carriers rated A- or better by AM Best, chosen for the client's industry, without naming the specific insurer. 9 At-Bay's current product page also names no insurer, but At-Bay has separately said eligible new excess-and-surplus cyber business is issued on its own carrier paper, At-Bay Specialty Insurance Company. 5
Named Exclusions vs Named Highlights
Founder Shield says cyber policies it places typically exclude loss of value from stolen intellectual property, internal technology system upgrades, and possible future lost profits. 12 At-Bay's page does not list comparable exclusions; it instead highlights what the policy includes, such as full limits for cryptojacking and bricking and broad extortion coverage. 3
Four Named Industries vs Revenue Ceilings
Founder Shield calls cyber coverage a priority for healthcare, financial services, SaaS and e-commerce companies. 12 At-Bay instead defines its appetite by revenue and limit ceilings, up to $5 billion in revenue and $10 million in limits, without naming specific industries. 3
What to Confirm in Cyber Insurance Quotes
- Ask Founder Shield which specific AM Best A- or better carrier it placed your policy with. 9
- Ask At-Bay whether your account would be issued on At-Bay Specialty Insurance Company paper or placed elsewhere. 3 5
- Confirm whether stolen-IP value or internal technology upgrades are excluded on your Founder Shield quote as they are on the standard form it describes. 12
- Get the actual limit and retention from both; neither publishes standard figures. 12 3
Offering Details
At-Bay vs Founder Shield Cyber Insurance: documented features by provider
| Criteria | At-Bay Cyber Insurance | Founder Shield Cyber Liability Insurance |
|---|---|---|
| Role in This Line | At-Bay places cyber insurance through its disclosed producer, At-Bay Insurance Services LLC, which is licensed as an insurance producer in all 50 states. At-Bay says eligible new excess-and-surplus (E&S) cyber business has been written on its own carrier paper, At-Bay Specialty Insurance Company, since August 2023. 4,5Company-reported. Producer role from the current license page; carrier role from a 2023 transition announcement, not confirmed for every current cyber quote. | Founder Shield is a retail insurance brokerage, described on its site as “the innovation arm of The Baldwin Group,” and places Founder Shield Cyber Liability Insurance with third-party carriers rather than underwriting the policy itself. 13Company-reported. About-us page; applies to Founder Shield's brokerage model generally, restated here for this line. |
| Issuing Insurer | The current cyber product page does not name an issuing insurer. At-Bay's 2023 announcement says new E&S cyber business is quoted on At-Bay Specialty Insurance Company paper, but that is a historical statement, not a per-quote disclosure. 3,5Company-reported. Cyber product page checked today names no insurer; the carrier-transition release is dated August 2023 and does not cover every current state or account. | Founder Shield says it places policies, including Founder Shield Cyber Liability 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. 9Company-reported. General carrier-selection FAQ, not specific to this line's placements. |
| Who It’s For | Not described in the reviewed sources. | Founder Shield calls cyber coverage a priority for healthcare, financial services, SaaS and e-commerce companies, citing their exposure to data breaches and business interruption. 12Company-reported. Cyber Liability product page. |
| Coverage Features | At-Bay lists direct and contingent business interruption and system failure coverage, social engineering and invoice manipulation coverage for all classes of business, full limits for cryptojacking and bricking, broad cyber extortion coverage including cryptocurrency payment, and reputational-harm coverage for PR costs from adverse publicity. 3Company-reported. Product-page coverage highlights; the issued policy and endorsements control actual terms. At-Bay sells cyber insurance with optional InsurSec security tiers: Core includes vulnerability monitoring and a fraud-defense sub-limit; Advanced adds a reduced ransomware retention and a zero-hour ransomware waiting period; Complete adds a $0 financial-fraud retention and a $1 million financial-fraud sub-limit. Each higher tier requires a separately purchased managed detection and response (MDR) subscription. 3Company-reported. Product-page InsurSec package descriptions and footnotes; availability depends on the business's risk profile and qualifying conditions. | Founder Shield lists loss or damage to electronic data, income loss and extra expense from a system outage, cyber extortion payments, and breach-notification and reputation-management costs as the branches of cyber coverage it places. 12Company-reported. Product page; the issued policy and declarations control actual coverage. Founder Shield says cyber policies typically exclude loss of value from stolen IP, internal technology system upgrades, and possible future lost profits. 12Company-reported. Product page; specific exclusions depend on the issued policy. |
| Limits and Retentions | At-Bay says it writes primary and excess cyber insurance for businesses with revenue up to $5 billion and limits up to $10 million. Through its Broker Platform, brokers can get automated quotes only for businesses up to $100 million in revenue and $3 million in limits. 3Company-reported. Published appetite ceilings, not guaranteed offers; underwriting and the appetite guide control individual accounts. | Not described in the reviewed sources. |
| Risk Services | Every At-Bay cyber policy includes access to At-Bay Stance, a security platform with vulnerability monitoring, vCISO advisory and tabletop exercises, and security awareness training. Managed detection and response (MDR) for endpoints or email costs extra, $16 or $25 per user per month respectively, and is sold separately by At-Bay Security, LLC. 3Company-reported. Product-page InsurSec and footnote descriptions; MDR pricing is described as estimated and subject to change. | Not described in the reviewed sources. |
| How to Apply | You apply for At-Bay cyber coverage by emailing a submission to underwriting@at-bay.com or by requesting an automated quote through At-Bay's Broker Platform. 3Company-reported. Product-page submission instructions; the Broker Platform route is limited to accounts within its lower appetite ceilings. | You request Founder Shield Cyber Liability 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. 13,9Company-reported. About-us and carrier-selection pages describe the general placement process, not a line-specific application form. |
| Claims Support | At-Bay describes an in-house claims team and a named breach-coach phone line for active ransomware or system-interruption incidents, alongside a published cyber incident roadmap that assembles response partners after a claim is reported. 6Company-reported. Claims-handling page process description; does not establish claim outcomes or payment speed. | Not described in the reviewed sources. |
Full Comparison
More At-Bay vs Founder Shield Comparisons
Other Cyber Insurance Comparisons
Sources
At-Bay
- Cyber, Tech E&O & Professional Liability Insurance. At-Bay; Product cards and agency disclosure. Accessed 2026-09-16.
- At-Bay Stance. At-Bay; Real Protection Against Real Threats; Endpoint, Email, MXDR; footnotes 1 and 3–6. Accessed 2026-09-16.
- Cyber Insurance Coverage & Policy Highlights. At-Bay; Cyber Coverage Highlights; Primary & Excess Appetite; InsurSec Packages (Core, Advanced, Complete); footnotes 1–7. Accessed 2026-09-23.
- Licenses. At-Bay; At-Bay Insurance Services LLC producer introduction and 50-state P&C/surplus-lines license table. Accessed 2026-09-23.
- At-Bay Begins Issuing Policies on its own E&S Paper. At-Bay; August 9, 2023 release: "At-Bay ... has begun issuing Cyber and Tech E&O policies under its Delaware-based Excess and Surplus (E&S) carrier, At-Bay Specialty Insurance Company"; "All E&S Cyber and Tech E&O new business in eligible states and territories is now being quoted on At-Bay Specialty Insurance Company paper, as of August 7, 2023". Accessed 2026-09-23.
- Claims Handling. At-Bay; At-Bay Cyber Incident Roadmap; Call an At-Bay Breach Coach; The At-Bay Claims Team. Accessed 2026-09-23.
Founder Shield
- Founder Shield. Founder Shield; Opening broker description; Specialized Practices; Smart Tech, Smarter People; quote and sign-in links. Accessed 2026-09-15.
- Quote Portal. Founder Shield; Public landing screen, Create Account and Sign In links. Accessed 2026-09-15.
- How Do You Decide Which Carriers to Approach? Founder Shield; FAQ answer on carrier selection: works exclusively with A-rated (AM Best) carriers, matched by industry appetite. Accessed 2026-09-23.
- What If Our Company Grows A Lot or Things Change During the Year? Founder Shield; Carl Niedbala answer, November 25, 2024: operational changes and coverage adjustments. Accessed 2026-09-15.
- Claims. Founder Shield; Our Approach; How We Support Claims Management, steps 1–5; Make a claim link. Accessed 2026-09-15.
- Cyber Liability Insurance. Founder Shield; What Is Cyber Liability Insurance?; Who Needs Cyber Insurance Coverage?; What Does Cyber Insurance Cover? Accessed 2026-09-23.
- About Us. Founder Shield; “Founder Shield is the innovation arm of The Baldwin Group”; company history and mission. Accessed 2026-09-23.
Cyber Insurance Guide
- Cyber Insurance. Federal Trade Commission; Opening; First-Party and Third-Party Coverage; First-Party Coverage; Third-Party Coverage; What Should Your Cyber Insurance Policy Cover. Accessed 2026-09-16.





