What Is Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance?
BHSI provides commercial and specialty insurance in the U.S., with product-specific industry lists that include healthcare, energy and technology. Online quote and application submissions are nonbinding. 1,2,3,4
Read the Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance profile
Read the Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance D&O Insurance page
What Is Risklytics Insurance?
Risklytics suits robotics, autonomy and AI businesses that want help preparing an application and checking Tech E&O wording for AI exclusions; standard small businesses should compare generalist agencies. California eligibility is not established in its public materials. 7,8,9
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. 12,13,14
Key Differences in D&O Insurance
Funding milestone and limit planning
Risklytics says startups commonly buy D&O at or before the first priced funding round and lists a typical $1 million to $3 million limit ask for venture-backed companies. Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance names large commercial and financial firms as target accounts, without publishing a standard limit in the reviewed record. A founder can compare Risklytics’ stage-specific benchmark with BHSI’s appetite and the capacity each carrier actually quotes. 10 10 5
Who issues the policy and what it covers
Risklytics places coverage with outside insurers and says its licensed producer stays on the file through binding; the carrier appears on the policy. Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance describes investigation coverage, including informal inquiries, and shareholder derivative-action costs in its product summary. A startup comparing the routes should identify Risklytics’ proposed insurer and test its investigation wording against BHSI’s stated terms. 7 11 5
What to Confirm in D&O Insurance Quotes
- Ask Risklytics whether the $1–3 million typical ask fits your funding stage, who the carrier is, and what premium or fees apply; compare BHSI’s quoted capacity. 10 10
- Have each proposal state how informal investigations, derivative actions, and defense costs are treated, including any sublimits. 5 10
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.
Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance
Review Score
No reviews found
The public ratings for Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance are low but thin: Trustpilot shows 2.1 out of 5 from 9 reviews and BBB shows 1 out of 5 from 6. Both mix travel and commercial customers, so we don't count them in a score.[5][7]
Read Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance reviewsRisklytics
Review Score
No reviews found
Risklytics has no public customer reviews or ratings that we found, so there is no Review Score. That isn't a bad sign, just not enough to judge.[10][1][6]
Read Risklytics reviewsOffering Details
Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance vs Risklytics: D&O Insurance: documented features by provider
| Criteria | Executive First D&O Liability Insurance | Risklytics Directors & Officers Insurance |
|---|---|---|
| Role in This Line | Confirm in your quote. | Risklytics Insurance Services is a licensed insurance producer (NPN 22311838) that places Risklytics Directors & Officers Insurance with outside carriers; it says it does not underwrite policies itself. 7Company-reported. About page; describes Risklytics' brokerage model generally, restated for this line. |
| Issuing Insurer | Confirm in your quote. | Risklytics does not name the carrier that underwrites Risklytics Directors & Officers Insurance on its site. It says it places business with specialist insurers willing to write robotics, autonomy and AI risk; the issuing carrier appears on the bound policy. 10,7Company-reported. Lines page and about page; no specific insurer is published for this line. |
| Who It’s For | The D&O page names large commercial and financial firms as target accounts. 5Company-reported. U.S. target-account description, not a complete eligibility rule or acceptance commitment. | Risklytics says the norm is buying D&O at or before a startup's first priced round, since term sheets and incoming board members typically require it as a closing condition. 10Company-reported. Lines page. |
| Coverage Features | The U.S. Executive First D&O page describes coverage for government investigations, including informal investigations of insured individuals without sublimits. 5Company-reported. U.S. D&O product-page summary; the actual policy, definitions, exclusions, conditions, insureds, and state forms control. BHSI says its D&O product covers plaintiffs’ attorney fees and costs for shareholder derivative actions and company costs to investigate derivative demands or actions where no demand is made. 5Company-reported. U.S. D&O product-page summary; do not read as all derivative-action costs covered under every issued policy. | Risklytics describes D&O as protecting a founder's personal assets when an investor or regulator sues over how the company was run, citing an investor suit after a down round and a regulator inquiry into AI capability claims as examples, and distinguishes it from Tech E&O, which answers a customer's product-failure claim instead. 10Company-reported. Lines page; the issued policy and declarations control actual coverage. |
| Limits and Retentions | Confirm in your quote. | Risklytics lists a typical ask of $1 million to $3 million for venture-backed companies for this line. 10Company-reported. Lines page; actual limits are set on the bound policy. |
| Risk Services | BHSI describes full choice of defense counsel for the D&O product. 5Company-reported. Company-reported product feature; applicable policy terms and any state-specific requirements remain controlling. | Risklytics calls D&O easy to get for venture-backed companies with a clean story, describing quick placement for that segment. 10Company-reported. Lines page. |
| How to Apply | Confirm in your quote. | You start Risklytics Directors & Officers Insurance through Risklytics' online application. Risklytics says there is no broker fee on top of the premium and a licensed producer stays on the file until the program binds; its commission is paid by the carrier out of the premium either way. 11,7Company-reported. Pricing page describes the general application and fee process, not a line-specific form. |
Full Comparison
More Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance vs Risklytics Comparisons
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Sources
Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance
- At A Glance. Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance; United States section, zero-based PDF pages 49–53 (viewer pages 50–54): product/industry lists on pages 49–50; U.S. disclosure/version footer on page 53 is 2026-8-03 A. The 2026-09-14 A footer is on preceding European page 48, not the U.S. section. Accessed 2026-09-29.
- About Us. Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance; About BHSI; company profile page re-opened through official site on 2026-09-28; company says it is part of National Indemnity group. Accessed 2026-09-28.
- Terms of Service. Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance; Important Information Concerning Use of this Web Site, paragraphs 2–4; nonbinding submissions, contracted-agent authority, state variation, product availability and policy-specific terms. Accessed 2026-09-28.
- Public Disclosure — Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance Singapore Branch. Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance; Singapore branch public disclosure, Company Profile ¶¶ 1–2; direct page opened 2026-09-28. ¶ 1 identifies BHSIC as a Nebraska-domiciled direct P&C insurer; ¶ 2 states BHSIC is wholly owned by National Indemnity Company, itself wholly owned by Berkshire Hathaway Incorporated. Accessed 2026-09-28.
- Executive First Directors & Officers Liability Insurance. Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance; Product Highlights: government investigations, shareholder derivative actions, late-notice qualification, defense counsel selection; Top Targets: large commercial and financial firms, lines 6–19. Accessed 2026-09-28.
- Executive First Private Company Portfolio. Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance; Product Highlights: D&O, EPL, Fiduciary, Commercial Crime and Employed Lawyers in one comprehensive form; shared or separate limits to $50m; EPL First services. Top Targets: private companies at $10m+ revenues and listed industries, lines 11–25. Portfolio limit is not a separate line limit. Accessed 2026-09-28.
Risklytics
- About Risklytics: who we are. Risklytics; “What we do”; Licensing: Risklytics Insurance Services, National Producer Number 22311838, resident license Massachusetts. Accessed 2026-09-23.
- Insurance for Frontier Tech. Risklytics; You describe your company; One application. Written for you; footer. Accessed 2026-09-16.
- Terms of Service. Risklytics; Effective August 7, 2026; sections 1–5, 7, 9 and 12. Accessed 2026-09-16.
- Directors & Officers Insurance. Risklytics; Coverage line: Directors & Officers; Built for moments like these; When to buy; Who requires it; How hard to get; Common questions. Accessed 2026-09-23.
- How pricing and broker fees work. Risklytics; Buying direct / Generic broker / Risklytics comparison table: no broker fee, commission paid by the carrier out of premium. Accessed 2026-09-23.
D&O Insurance Guide
- Glossary of Business Insurance Terms. The Hartford; Directors and Officers Liability Insurance; Errors and Omissions Insurance; Employment Practices Liability Insurance. Accessed 2026-09-16.
- 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.
- 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.
