---
title: "At-Bay vs Founder Shield Cyber Insurance"
description: "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."
canonical: "https://spot.insure/compare/at-bay-vs-foundershield/cyber"
page-type: "line-comparison"
updated-at: "2026-09-23"
---

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[Human-readable page](https://spot.insure/compare/at-bay-vs-foundershield/cyber)

# 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.

## Research Scope and Use

Use this comparison to evaluate At-Bay and Founder Shield for Cyber Insurance against the same documented criteria. It identifies differences and questions to confirm; it does not select a winner for a particular business. Offering claims are what each provider publishes about this line unless marked otherwise. “Not found” describes the evidence reviewed, not proof that a feature is unavailable. Confirm the insurer, policy wording, limits, retentions, exclusions and cost in an actual quote.

## Summary

Founder Shield says it places policies, including cyber liability, only with carriers rated A- or better by AM Best, while At-Bay has said eligible excess-and-surplus cyber business is issued on its own carrier paper, At-Bay Specialty Insurance Company. [9](https://foundershield.com/insurance-faqs/general-faqs/how-do-you-decide-which-carriers-to-approach/ "How Do You Decide Which Carriers to Approach?") [3](https://www.at-bay.com/insurance/cyber/ "Cyber Insurance Coverage & Policy Highlights") [5](https://www.at-bay.com/press_releases/at-bay-begins-issuing-policies-on-its-own-paper/ "At-Bay Begins Issuing Policies on its own E&S 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](https://www.at-bay.com/insurance/ "Cyber, Tech E&O & Professional Liability Insurance") [2](https://www.at-bay.com/stance/ "At-Bay Stance")

[At-Bay profile](https://spot.insure/insurance-providers/at-bay)

## 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](https://foundershield.com/ "Founder Shield") [8](https://apx.foundershield.com/ "Quote Portal") [9](https://foundershield.com/insurance-faqs/general-faqs/how-do-you-decide-which-carriers-to-approach/ "How Do You Decide Which Carriers to Approach?") [10](https://foundershield.com/insurance-faqs/general-faqs/what-if-our-company-grows-a-lot-or-things-change-during-the-year/ "What If Our Company Grows A Lot or Things Change During the Year?") [11](https://foundershield.com/claims/ "Claims")

[Founder Shield profile](https://spot.insure/insurance-providers/foundershield)

## What Is Cyber Insurance?

Cyber insurance can help a business respond to cyber incidents and address covered liability claims arising from them. [14](https://www.ftc.gov/business-guidance/small-businesses/cybersecurity/cyber-insurance "Cyber Insurance")

## 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](https://foundershield.com/insurance-faqs/general-faqs/how-do-you-decide-which-carriers-to-approach/ "How Do You Decide Which Carriers to Approach?") 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](https://www.at-bay.com/press_releases/at-bay-begins-issuing-policies-on-its-own-paper/ "At-Bay Begins Issuing Policies on its own E&S Paper")

### 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](https://foundershield.com/coverage/cyber-liability-insurance/ "Cyber Liability Insurance") 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](https://www.at-bay.com/insurance/cyber/ "Cyber Insurance Coverage & Policy Highlights")

### Four Named Industries vs Revenue Ceilings

Founder Shield calls cyber coverage a priority for healthcare, financial services, SaaS and e-commerce companies. [12](https://foundershield.com/coverage/cyber-liability-insurance/ "Cyber Liability Insurance") 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](https://www.at-bay.com/insurance/cyber/ "Cyber Insurance Coverage & Policy Highlights")

## What to Confirm in Cyber Insurance Quotes

- Ask Founder Shield which specific AM Best A- or better carrier it placed your policy with. [9](https://foundershield.com/insurance-faqs/general-faqs/how-do-you-decide-which-carriers-to-approach/ "How Do You Decide Which Carriers to Approach?")
- Ask At-Bay whether your account would be issued on At-Bay Specialty Insurance Company paper or placed elsewhere. [3](https://www.at-bay.com/insurance/cyber/ "Cyber Insurance Coverage & Policy Highlights") [5](https://www.at-bay.com/press_releases/at-bay-begins-issuing-policies-on-its-own-paper/ "At-Bay Begins Issuing Policies on its own E&S Paper")
- 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](https://foundershield.com/coverage/cyber-liability-insurance/ "Cyber Liability Insurance")
- Get the actual limit and retention from both; neither publishes standard figures. [12](https://foundershield.com/coverage/cyber-liability-insurance/ "Cyber Liability Insurance") [3](https://www.at-bay.com/insurance/cyber/ "Cyber Insurance Coverage & Policy Highlights")

## Offering Details

| 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](https://www.at-bay.com/licenses/ "Licenses") [5](https://www.at-bay.com/press_releases/at-bay-begins-issuing-policies-on-its-own-paper/ "At-Bay Begins Issuing Policies on its own E&S Paper") (Evidence: Company-reported; scope: 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. [13](https://foundershield.com/about-us/ "About Us") (Evidence: Company-reported; scope: 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](https://www.at-bay.com/insurance/cyber/ "Cyber Insurance Coverage & Policy Highlights") [5](https://www.at-bay.com/press_releases/at-bay-begins-issuing-policies-on-its-own-paper/ "At-Bay Begins Issuing Policies on its own E&S Paper") (Evidence: Company-reported; scope: 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. [9](https://foundershield.com/insurance-faqs/general-faqs/how-do-you-decide-which-carriers-to-approach/ "How Do You Decide Which Carriers to Approach?") (Evidence: Company-reported; scope: 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. [12](https://foundershield.com/coverage/cyber-liability-insurance/ "Cyber Liability Insurance") (Evidence: Company-reported; scope: 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. [3](https://www.at-bay.com/insurance/cyber/ "Cyber Insurance Coverage & Policy Highlights") (Evidence: Company-reported; scope: Product-page coverage highlights; the issued policy and endorsements control actual terms..)<br><br>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. [3](https://www.at-bay.com/insurance/cyber/ "Cyber Insurance Coverage & Policy Highlights") (Evidence: Company-reported; scope: 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. [12](https://foundershield.com/coverage/cyber-liability-insurance/ "Cyber Liability Insurance") (Evidence: Company-reported; scope: Product page; the issued policy and declarations control actual coverage..)<br><br>Founder Shield says cyber policies typically exclude loss of value from stolen IP, internal technology system upgrades, and possible future lost profits. [12](https://foundershield.com/coverage/cyber-liability-insurance/ "Cyber Liability Insurance") (Evidence: Company-reported; scope: 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. [3](https://www.at-bay.com/insurance/cyber/ "Cyber Insurance Coverage & Policy Highlights") (Evidence: Company-reported; scope: 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. [3](https://www.at-bay.com/insurance/cyber/ "Cyber Insurance Coverage & Policy Highlights") (Evidence: Company-reported; scope: 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. [3](https://www.at-bay.com/insurance/cyber/ "Cyber Insurance Coverage & Policy Highlights") (Evidence: Company-reported; scope: 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](https://foundershield.com/about-us/ "About Us") [9](https://foundershield.com/insurance-faqs/general-faqs/how-do-you-decide-which-carriers-to-approach/ "How Do You Decide Which Carriers to Approach?") (Evidence: Company-reported; scope: 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. [6](https://www.at-bay.com/claims/ "Claims Handling") (Evidence: Company-reported; scope: Claims-handling page process description; does not establish claim outcomes or payment speed..) | Not described in the reviewed sources. |

## Full Comparison

- [At-Bay vs Founder Shield](https://spot.insure/compare/at-bay-vs-foundershield): all coverage lines, business roles, service and claims.
- [What Is Cyber Insurance?](https://spot.insure/coverage/cyber): Cyber insurance can help pay your response costs and covered claims against your business after a cyber incident.
- [At-Bay vs Founder Shield Professional Liability (E&O) Insurance](https://spot.insure/compare/at-bay-vs-foundershield/professional-errors-omissions)
- [Alliance Risk vs At-Bay Cyber Insurance](https://spot.insure/compare/alliance-risk-vs-at-bay/cyber)
- [Alliance Risk vs Founder Shield Cyber Insurance](https://spot.insure/compare/alliance-risk-vs-foundershield/cyber)
- [Amelia Risk vs At-Bay Cyber Insurance](https://spot.insure/compare/amelia-risk-vs-at-bay/cyber)
- [Amelia Risk vs Founder Shield Cyber Insurance](https://spot.insure/compare/amelia-risk-vs-foundershield/cyber)
- [At-Bay vs Beazley Cyber Insurance](https://spot.insure/compare/at-bay-vs-beazley/cyber)
- [At-Bay vs CFC Cyber Insurance](https://spot.insure/compare/at-bay-vs-cfc/cyber)

## Sources

### At-Bay

1. [Cyber, Tech E&O & Professional Liability Insurance](https://www.at-bay.com/insurance/). At-Bay; Product cards and agency disclosure. Accessed 2026-09-16.
2. [At-Bay Stance](https://www.at-bay.com/stance/). At-Bay; Real Protection Against Real Threats; Endpoint, Email, MXDR; footnotes 1 and 3–6. Accessed 2026-09-16.
3. [Cyber Insurance Coverage & Policy Highlights](https://www.at-bay.com/insurance/cyber/). At-Bay; Cyber Coverage Highlights; Primary & Excess Appetite; InsurSec Packages (Core, Advanced, Complete); footnotes 1–7. Accessed 2026-09-23.
4. [Licenses](https://www.at-bay.com/licenses/). At-Bay; At-Bay Insurance Services LLC producer introduction and 50-state P&C/surplus-lines license table. Accessed 2026-09-23.
5. [At-Bay Begins Issuing Policies on its own E&S Paper](https://www.at-bay.com/press_releases/at-bay-begins-issuing-policies-on-its-own-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.
6. [Claims Handling](https://www.at-bay.com/claims/). At-Bay; At-Bay Cyber Incident Roadmap; Call an At-Bay Breach Coach; The At-Bay Claims Team. Accessed 2026-09-23.

### Founder Shield

7. [Founder Shield](https://foundershield.com/). Founder Shield; Opening broker description; Specialized Practices; Smart Tech, Smarter People; quote and sign-in links. Accessed 2026-09-15.
8. [Quote Portal](https://apx.foundershield.com/). Founder Shield; Public landing screen, Create Account and Sign In links. Accessed 2026-09-15.
9. [How Do You Decide Which Carriers to Approach?](https://foundershield.com/insurance-faqs/general-faqs/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.
10. [What If Our Company Grows A Lot or Things Change During the Year?](https://foundershield.com/insurance-faqs/general-faqs/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.
11. [Claims](https://foundershield.com/claims/). Founder Shield; Our Approach; How We Support Claims Management, steps 1–5; Make a claim link. Accessed 2026-09-15.
12. [Cyber Liability Insurance](https://foundershield.com/coverage/cyber-liability-insurance/). Founder Shield; What Is Cyber Liability Insurance?; Who Needs Cyber Insurance Coverage?; What Does Cyber Insurance Cover?. Accessed 2026-09-23.
13. [About Us](https://foundershield.com/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

14. [Cyber Insurance](https://www.ftc.gov/business-guidance/small-businesses/cybersecurity/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.

Updated 2026-09-23. 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](https://spot.insure/editorial-policy). To suggest a correction, [contact Spot](https://spot.insure/contact) with the page URL and supporting source.

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- [Markdown page](https://spot.insure/compare/at-bay-vs-foundershield/cyber.md)
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