---
title: "CFC vs Founder Shield D&O Insurance"
description: "CFC underwrites D&O inside a US package with California and public declines; Founder Shield brokers D&O to A- or better carriers and cites a typical $5–10 million A-B-C base layer."
canonical: "https://spot.insure/compare/cfc-vs-foundershield/directors-officers"
page-type: "line-comparison"
updated-at: "2026-09-23"
---

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# CFC vs Founder Shield D&O Insurance

CFC underwrites D&O inside a US package with California and public declines; Founder Shield brokers D&O to A- or better carriers and cites a typical $5–10 million A-B-C base layer.

## Research Scope and Use

Use this comparison to evaluate CFC and Founder Shield for D&O 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

CFC includes D&O inside its US Management Liability package and declines California-domiciled and US publicly traded risks for that package. Founder Shield is a retail brokerage that places D&O with third-party carriers rated A- or better by AM Best and describes a typical market base layer of $5 million to $10 million in combined A-B-C coverage. [5](https://www.cfc.com/en-us/products/class/management-liability/ "Management liability") [6](https://webcdn.cfc.com/media/0ttjwk3e/management-liablity_product-brochure_us_0126.pdf "Management liability — United States product brochure") [14](https://foundershield.com/about-us/ "About Us") [13](https://foundershield.com/coverage/directors-and-officers-insurance/ "Directors & Officers Insurance")

## What Is CFC Insurance?

CFC provides specialty insurance through an MGA model, with technology products for startups through multinational businesses. Its U.S. technology materials describe combined liability and cyber protection, while California eligibility requires product-specific confirmation. [1](https://www.cfc.com/en-us/company/ "About CFC") [2](https://www.cfc.com/en-us/products/industry/technology/ "Technology") [3](https://webcdn.cfc.com/media/ywdbvkpy/technology_product-brochure_us_0525_v2.pdf "Technology — United States product brochure") [4](https://www.cfc.com/en-us/support/regulatory-information/ "Regulatory information")

[CFC profile](https://spot.insure/insurance-providers/cfc)

## 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. [8](https://foundershield.com/ "Founder Shield") [9](https://apx.foundershield.com/ "Quote Portal") [10](https://foundershield.com/insurance-faqs/general-faqs/how-do-you-decide-which-carriers-to-approach/ "How Do You Decide Which Carriers to Approach?") [11](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?") [12](https://foundershield.com/claims/ "Claims")

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

## What Is Directors and Officers Insurance?

Directors and officers liability insurance addresses covered claims alleging wrongful acts in managing an organization. [15](https://www.thehartford.com/business-insurance/glossary-of-business-insurance-terms "Glossary of Business Insurance Terms")

## Key Differences in D&O Insurance

### Package Writer Versus Baldwin-Group Brokerage

CFC includes directors and officers liability inside its US Management Liability package. Founder Shield, described as the innovation arm of The Baldwin Group, places Founder Shield Directors & Officers Insurance with third-party carriers rather than underwriting it, and says it uses only AM Best A- or better insurers chosen for the client’s industry. Founder Shield does not name the issuer for a given policy; CFC’s regulatory page names CFC Underwriting Limited and Lloyd’s Syndicate 1988 without naming the US D&O issuer. [5](https://www.cfc.com/en-us/products/class/management-liability/ "Management liability") [4](https://www.cfc.com/en-us/support/regulatory-information/ "Regulatory information") [13](https://foundershield.com/coverage/directors-and-officers-insurance/ "Directors & Officers Insurance") [14](https://foundershield.com/about-us/ "About Us") [10](https://foundershield.com/insurance-faqs/general-faqs/how-do-you-decide-which-carriers-to-approach/ "How Do You Decide Which Carriers to Approach?")

### Public Companies, Term Sheets and Creditor Debt

Founder Shield targets public and private businesses, venture-backed companies (it says almost every institutional term sheet requires D&O), and businesses owing more than $1 million to creditors, and explains Side A/B/C. CFC’s brochure lists US publicly traded companies and California-domiciled business among declined package risks, while separately selling Side A DIC that it describes as excess for directors of private and publicly traded organizations. [13](https://foundershield.com/coverage/directors-and-officers-insurance/ "Directors & Officers Insurance") [6](https://webcdn.cfc.com/media/0ttjwk3e/management-liablity_product-brochure_us_0126.pdf "Management liability — United States product brochure") [5](https://www.cfc.com/en-us/products/class/management-liability/ "Management liability")

### Typical Tower Versus Unpublished Package Figures

Founder Shield describes a typical market base layer of $5 million to $10 million in combined A-B-C coverage without publishing a Founder Shield-specific offered limit, and you request coverage through its website or an advisor. CFC lists an additional insured-persons limit without a dollar amount, does not publish package D&O limits, and provides a US dedicated-adjuster claims route. [13](https://foundershield.com/coverage/directors-and-officers-insurance/ "Directors & Officers Insurance") [6](https://webcdn.cfc.com/media/0ttjwk3e/management-liablity_product-brochure_us_0126.pdf "Management liability — United States product brochure") [7](https://www.cfc.com/en-us/claims/ "Claims")

## What to Confirm in D&O Insurance Quotes

- If you are US public or California-domiciled, ask CFC whether the package is available; Founder Shield markets to public companies. [6](https://webcdn.cfc.com/media/0ttjwk3e/management-liablity_product-brochure_us_0126.pdf "Management liability — United States product brochure") [13](https://foundershield.com/coverage/directors-and-officers-insurance/ "Directors & Officers Insurance")
- Ask Founder Shield which A- or better carrier it would approach and whether the quote is the $5–10 million typical layer. [10](https://foundershield.com/insurance-faqs/general-faqs/how-do-you-decide-which-carriers-to-approach/ "How Do You Decide Which Carriers to Approach?") [13](https://foundershield.com/coverage/directors-and-officers-insurance/ "Directors & Officers Insurance")
- Ask CFC for the additional insured-persons amount and Side A DIC. [6](https://webcdn.cfc.com/media/0ttjwk3e/management-liablity_product-brochure_us_0126.pdf "Management liability — United States product brochure") [5](https://www.cfc.com/en-us/products/class/management-liability/ "Management liability")
- Get issuing names on both quotes. [10](https://foundershield.com/insurance-faqs/general-faqs/how-do-you-decide-which-carriers-to-approach/ "How Do You Decide Which Carriers to Approach?") [4](https://www.cfc.com/en-us/support/regulatory-information/ "Regulatory information")

## Offering Details

| Criteria | CFC Directors & Officers Liability | Founder Shield Directors & Officers Insurance |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Role in This Line | CFC includes directors and officers liability inside its US Management Liability package rather than selling it as a standalone product. It separately sells Side A DIC, an excess policy that sits above a company's existing D&O program. [5](https://www.cfc.com/en-us/products/class/management-liability/ "Management liability") [6](https://webcdn.cfc.com/media/0ttjwk3e/management-liablity_product-brochure_us_0126.pdf "Management liability — United States product brochure") (Evidence: Company-reported; scope: CFC's management-liability product page and brochure; package composition as CFC describes it..) | 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. [14](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 | CFC's regulatory page discloses CFC Underwriting Limited's FCA authorization and CFC's Lloyd's Syndicate 1988, managed by Asta Managing Agency Ltd, but neither the regulatory page nor the management-liability brochure names the carrier or syndicate that would issue a given US D&O policy. [4](https://www.cfc.com/en-us/support/regulatory-information/ "Regulatory information") [6](https://webcdn.cfc.com/media/0ttjwk3e/management-liablity_product-brochure_us_0126.pdf "Management liability — United States product brochure") (Evidence: Not publicly disclosed; scope: Regulatory information page and brochure 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. [10](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 | CFC's brochure lists California-domiciled business and US publicly traded companies among the risks it declines for the package that carries this D&O coverage. [6](https://webcdn.cfc.com/media/0ttjwk3e/management-liablity_product-brochure_us_0126.pdf "Management liability — United States product brochure") (Evidence: Company-reported; scope: Brochure's 'What we decline' list; underwriting still applies to any individual business..) | 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. [13](https://foundershield.com/coverage/directors-and-officers-insurance/ "Directors & Officers Insurance") (Evidence: Company-reported; scope: Directors & Officers Insurance product page..) |
| Coverage Features | CFC says its directors and officers cover includes protection for the entity itself and aims to prevent directors and officers from having to sell personal assets to pay defense costs. [6](https://webcdn.cfc.com/media/0ttjwk3e/management-liablity_product-brochure_us_0126.pdf "Management liability — United States product brochure") (Evidence: Company-reported; scope: Brochure's 'Directors and officers cover' description; the issued policy wording determines actual entity and Side B/C coverage terms..)<br><br>CFC's brochure lists an additional limit for insured persons as part of the directors and officers liability section, on top of the package's base limit. [6](https://webcdn.cfc.com/media/0ttjwk3e/management-liablity_product-brochure_us_0126.pdf "Management liability — United States product brochure") (Evidence: Company-reported; scope: Brochure's 'What else is in the policy?' list; the dollar amount of that additional limit is not stated on the reviewed pages..)<br><br>CFC separately offers Side A DIC (difference in conditions), which it describes as excess coverage for directors and officers of private and publicly traded organizations, sitting above the primary management-liability D&O cover. [5](https://www.cfc.com/en-us/products/class/management-liability/ "Management liability") (Evidence: Company-reported; scope: Management-liability product page; Side A DIC has its own brochure that was not opened for this record, so its terms are not otherwise described here..) | 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. [13](https://foundershield.com/coverage/directors-and-officers-insurance/ "Directors & Officers Insurance") (Evidence: Company-reported; scope: Product page; the issued policy and declarations control actual coverage..) |
| Limits and Retentions | The reviewed brochure does not publish a specific dollar limit, retention, or the size of the additional insured-persons limit for D&O. Those figures appear only on the quote and declarations. [6](https://webcdn.cfc.com/media/0ttjwk3e/management-liablity_product-brochure_us_0126.pdf "Management liability — United States product brochure") (Evidence: Not publicly disclosed; scope: Brochure as read on 2026-09-23..) | 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. [13](https://foundershield.com/coverage/directors-and-officers-insurance/ "Directors & Officers Insurance") (Evidence: Company-reported; scope: General market description on the product page, not a stated Founder Shield minimum or maximum..) |
| How to Apply | Not described in the reviewed sources. | 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. [14](https://foundershield.com/about-us/ "About Us") [10](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 | CFC provides a US claim-notification route by phone, email and online form, and says a dedicated claims adjuster manages a claim from notification through resolution. [7](https://www.cfc.com/en-us/claims/ "Claims") (Evidence: Company-reported; scope: Claims page as read on 2026-09-23; not specific to D&O claim outcomes or timing..) | Not described in the reviewed sources. |

## Full Comparison

- [CFC vs Founder Shield](https://spot.insure/compare/cfc-vs-foundershield): all coverage lines, business roles, service and claims.
- [What Is Directors and Officers Insurance?](https://spot.insure/coverage/directors-officers): Directors and officers insurance can help pay for covered claims against company leaders over decisions they make in running the business.
- [CFC vs Founder Shield Commercial Property Insurance](https://spot.insure/compare/cfc-vs-foundershield/commercial-property)
- [CFC vs Founder Shield Crime Insurance](https://spot.insure/compare/cfc-vs-foundershield/crime)
- [CFC vs Founder Shield Cyber Insurance](https://spot.insure/compare/cfc-vs-foundershield/cyber)
- [CFC vs Founder Shield Employment Practices Liability Insurance](https://spot.insure/compare/cfc-vs-foundershield/employment-practices)
- [CFC vs Founder Shield General Liability Insurance](https://spot.insure/compare/cfc-vs-foundershield/general-liability)
- [CFC vs Founder Shield Intellectual Property Insurance](https://spot.insure/compare/cfc-vs-foundershield/intellectual-property)
- [CFC vs Founder Shield Media Liability Insurance](https://spot.insure/compare/cfc-vs-foundershield/media)
- [CFC vs Founder Shield Product Liability Insurance](https://spot.insure/compare/cfc-vs-foundershield/product-liability)
- [CFC vs Founder Shield Professional Liability (E&O) Insurance](https://spot.insure/compare/cfc-vs-foundershield/professional-errors-omissions)
- [CFC vs Founder Shield Representations and Warranties Insurance](https://spot.insure/compare/cfc-vs-foundershield/representations-warranties)
- [CFC vs Founder Shield Telehealth Insurance](https://spot.insure/compare/cfc-vs-foundershield/virtual-care-telehealth)
- [CFC vs Founder Shield Umbrella and Excess Liability Insurance](https://spot.insure/compare/cfc-vs-foundershield/umbrella-excess)
- [Alliance Risk vs CFC D&O Insurance](https://spot.insure/compare/alliance-risk-vs-cfc/directors-officers)
- [Alliance Risk vs Founder Shield D&O Insurance](https://spot.insure/compare/alliance-risk-vs-foundershield/directors-officers)
- [Amelia Risk vs CFC D&O Insurance](https://spot.insure/compare/amelia-risk-vs-cfc/directors-officers)
- [Amelia Risk vs Founder Shield D&O Insurance](https://spot.insure/compare/amelia-risk-vs-foundershield/directors-officers)
- [Beazley vs CFC D&O Insurance](https://spot.insure/compare/beazley-vs-cfc/directors-officers)
- [Beazley vs Founder Shield D&O Insurance](https://spot.insure/compare/beazley-vs-foundershield/directors-officers)

## Sources

### CFC

1. [About CFC](https://www.cfc.com/en-us/company/). CFC; Matt Taylor biography: independent MGA and Syndicate 1988. Accessed 2026-09-16.
2. [Technology](https://www.cfc.com/en-us/products/industry/technology/). CFC; Introduction; Technology key features; Digitally traded. Accessed 2026-09-16.
3. [Technology — United States product brochure](https://webcdn.cfc.com/media/ywdbvkpy/technology_product-brochure_us_0525_v2.pdf). CFC; Page 1: coverage sections, including Products and services liability; Response app highlights; Limits and deductibles. Accessed 2026-09-16.
4. [Regulatory information](https://www.cfc.com/en-us/support/regulatory-information/). CFC; CFC Underwriting Limited; CFC Lloyd's Syndicate 1988. Accessed 2026-09-23.
5. [Management liability](https://www.cfc.com/en-us/products/class/management-liability/). CFC; Our management liability products: Management liability, Side A DIC. Accessed 2026-09-23.
6. [Management liability — United States product brochure](https://webcdn.cfc.com/media/0ttjwk3e/management-liablity_product-brochure_us_0126.pdf). CFC; Directors and officers cover; At a glance: What we like; What we decline; What else is in the policy?. Accessed 2026-09-23.
7. [Claims](https://www.cfc.com/en-us/claims/). CFC; Notify a claim or cyber incident; We're in it with you. Accessed 2026-09-23.

### Founder Shield

8. [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.
9. [Quote Portal](https://apx.foundershield.com/). Founder Shield; Public landing screen, Create Account and Sign In links. Accessed 2026-09-15.
10. [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.
11. [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.
12. [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.
13. [Directors & Officers Insurance](https://foundershield.com/coverage/directors-and-officers-insurance/). Founder Shield; What Is D&O Insurance; Who Needs D&O Insurance Coverage; What Does D&O Insurance Cover?. Accessed 2026-09-23.
14. [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.

### D&O Insurance Guide

15. [Glossary of Business Insurance Terms](https://www.thehartford.com/business-insurance/glossary-of-business-insurance-terms). The Hartford; Directors and Officers Liability Insurance; Errors and Omissions Insurance; Employment Practices Liability Insurance. 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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