---
title: "CFC vs StartupInsurance.ai D&O Insurance"
description: "CFC’s D&O package declines California-domiciled and US public risks; StartupInsurance.ai places D&O for venture-backed startups and reviews forms for blanket AI exclusions."
canonical: "https://spot.insure/compare/cfc-vs-startupinsurance/directors-officers"
page-type: "line-comparison"
updated-at: "2026-09-23"
---

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# CFC vs StartupInsurance.ai D&O Insurance

CFC’s D&O package declines California-domiciled and US public risks; StartupInsurance.ai places D&O for venture-backed startups and reviews forms for blanket AI exclusions.

## Research Scope and Use

Use this comparison to evaluate CFC and StartupInsurance.ai 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. StartupInsurance.ai lists D&O among lines its startup program places, frames it as coverage founders typically need once a term sheet requires it, and says it reviews policies for blanket AI exclusions that can arrive at renewal. [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") [10](https://www.startupinsurance.ai/ "Startup Insurance | Coverage that clears the review") [11](https://www.contractornerd.com/terms-and-conditions/ "Terms and Conditions")

## 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 StartupInsurance.ai?

StartupInsurance.ai is a marketing brand of ContractorNerd Insurance Services, LLC, offering startup insurance placement and policy reviews. Buyers can begin with an online coverage selection or a review of existing policies and contract requirements. [8](https://www.startupinsurance.ai/company/ "Company | Startup Insurance") [9](https://quotes.startupinsurance.ai/ "Apply for Startup Insurance | StartupInsurance.ai")

[StartupInsurance.ai profile](https://spot.insure/insurance-providers/startupinsurance)

## What Is Directors and Officers Insurance?

Directors and officers liability insurance addresses covered claims alleging wrongful acts in managing an organization. [12](https://www.thehartford.com/business-insurance/glossary-of-business-insurance-terms "Glossary of Business Insurance Terms")

## Key Differences in D&O Insurance

### Package Versus Brokered Startup Program

CFC’s directors and officers cover sits in its US Management Liability package. StartupInsurance.ai lists D&O among the lines its startup program places. [5](https://www.cfc.com/en-us/products/class/management-liability/ "Management liability") [10](https://www.startupinsurance.ai/ "Startup Insurance | Coverage that clears the review")

A CFC quote is CFC’s package module. A StartupInsurance.ai quote is a placement; its carrier panel names insurers with D&O capacity without stating which one would issue a given policy. [5](https://www.cfc.com/en-us/products/class/management-liability/ "Management liability") [10](https://www.startupinsurance.ai/ "Startup Insurance | Coverage that clears the review")

### Who Each Positions the Line For

StartupInsurance.ai frames D&O for venture-backed startups with a board, typically once a term sheet requires it, rather than pre-revenue companies with no outside investors. CFC lists California-domiciled business and US publicly traded companies among declined package risks. [10](https://www.startupinsurance.ai/ "Startup Insurance | Coverage that clears the review") [6](https://webcdn.cfc.com/media/0ttjwk3e/management-liablity_product-brochure_us_0126.pdf "Management liability — United States product brochure")

A company without investors may sit outside StartupInsurance.ai’s described D&O moment. A California-domiciled or US-public company may sit outside CFC’s package. [10](https://www.startupinsurance.ai/ "Startup Insurance | Coverage that clears the review") [6](https://webcdn.cfc.com/media/0ttjwk3e/management-liablity_product-brochure_us_0126.pdf "Management liability — United States product brochure")

## What to Confirm in D&O Insurance Quotes

- Ask StartupInsurance.ai which carrier on its panel would issue D&O and whether a blanket AI exclusion is attached. [10](https://www.startupinsurance.ai/ "Startup Insurance | Coverage that clears the review")
- Ask CFC whether California domicile or US-public status blocks the package. [6](https://webcdn.cfc.com/media/0ttjwk3e/management-liablity_product-brochure_us_0126.pdf "Management liability — United States product brochure")
- 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")
- If you already have a program, ask StartupInsurance.ai what its 48-hour check would flag on CFC’s package. [10](https://www.startupinsurance.ai/ "Startup Insurance | Coverage that clears the review") [5](https://www.cfc.com/en-us/products/class/management-liability/ "Management liability")

## Offering Details

| Criteria | CFC Directors & Officers Liability | StartupInsurance.ai Directors & Officers (D&O) 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..) | StartupInsurance.ai lists directors and officers coverage among the lines its startup program places, and its homepage cites an investor's term-sheet request for D&O as a typical reason a founder comes to it. ContractorNerd Insurance Services, LLC arranges the placement as agent/broker of record rather than underwriting it. [10](https://www.startupinsurance.ai/ "Startup Insurance | Coverage that clears the review") [11](https://www.contractornerd.com/terms-and-conditions/ "Terms and Conditions") (Evidence: Company-reported; scope: Homepage coverage list and "the problem" narrative, plus ContractorNerd's terms and conditions on its producer role; does not describe a specific D&O policy's terms..) |
| 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..) | The homepage's carrier panel names insurers with D&O capacity, such as Chubb (shown as A++ Admitted) and Coalition (shown as A- Surplus), but does not state that either one specifically underwrites D&O placements; the issuing insurer varies by placement. [10](https://www.startupinsurance.ai/ "Startup Insurance | Coverage that clears the review") (Evidence: Not publicly disclosed; scope: Homepage carrier panel and ratings card; the panel is program-wide, not broken out by coverage line..) |
| 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..) | StartupInsurance.ai frames D&O as coverage founders typically need once an investor's term sheet requires it, positioning the line for venture-backed startups with a board rather than pre-revenue companies with no outside investors. [10](https://www.startupinsurance.ai/ "Startup Insurance | Coverage that clears the review") (Evidence: Company-reported; scope: Homepage narrative example; not a stated underwriting eligibility rule (e.g., minimum funding stage or headcount)..) |
| 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..) | StartupInsurance.ai says one major carrier added a blanket AI exclusion to D&O (along with E&O and fiduciary forms), typically arriving at renewal inside an endorsement, and that it reviews policies for this exclusion as part of its free check. [10](https://www.startupinsurance.ai/ "Startup Insurance | Coverage that clears the review") (Evidence: Company-reported; scope: Homepage "wording that still says yes" section; names the exclusion trend industrywide but not the carrier, and does not state whether any StartupInsurance.ai-placed D&O policy carries this specific endorsement..) |
| 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..) | Not described in the reviewed sources. |
| Risk Services | Not described in the reviewed sources. | StartupInsurance.ai's free policy check reviews an existing program for AI exclusions and contract gaps within 48 hours, and the homepage specifically calls out D&O as one of the forms affected by the AI-exclusion trend it checks for. [10](https://www.startupinsurance.ai/ "Startup Insurance | Coverage that clears the review") (Evidence: Company-reported; scope: Homepage service description; a marketing offer describing what the review covers, not a report on any specific customer's D&O policy..) |
| How to Apply | Not described in the reviewed sources. | Directors & Officers (D&O) is the first coverage box on StartupInsurance.ai's online quote-intake screen, described there as coverage that "protects your board and executives from lawsuits." [9](https://quotes.startupinsurance.ai/ "Apply for Startup Insurance | StartupInsurance.ai") (Evidence: Company-reported; scope: Initial coverage-selection screen of the quote application; does not show the underwriting questions that follow for this line..) |
| 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 StartupInsurance.ai](https://spot.insure/compare/cfc-vs-startupinsurance): 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 StartupInsurance.ai Commercial Property Insurance](https://spot.insure/compare/cfc-vs-startupinsurance/commercial-property)
- [CFC vs StartupInsurance.ai General Liability Insurance](https://spot.insure/compare/cfc-vs-startupinsurance/general-liability)
- [CFC vs StartupInsurance.ai Product Liability Insurance](https://spot.insure/compare/cfc-vs-startupinsurance/product-liability)
- [CFC vs StartupInsurance.ai Tech E&O Insurance](https://spot.insure/compare/cfc-vs-startupinsurance/technology-errors-omissions)
- [Alliance Risk vs CFC D&O Insurance](https://spot.insure/compare/alliance-risk-vs-cfc/directors-officers)
- [Alliance Risk vs StartupInsurance.ai D&O Insurance](https://spot.insure/compare/alliance-risk-vs-startupinsurance/directors-officers)
- [Amelia Risk vs CFC D&O Insurance](https://spot.insure/compare/amelia-risk-vs-cfc/directors-officers)
- [Amelia Risk vs StartupInsurance.ai D&O Insurance](https://spot.insure/compare/amelia-risk-vs-startupinsurance/directors-officers)
- [Beazley vs CFC D&O Insurance](https://spot.insure/compare/beazley-vs-cfc/directors-officers)
- [Beazley vs StartupInsurance.ai D&O Insurance](https://spot.insure/compare/beazley-vs-startupinsurance/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.

### StartupInsurance.ai

8. [Company | Startup Insurance](https://www.startupinsurance.ai/company/). StartupInsurance.ai; The story; founders; The free policy check; legal footer. Accessed 2026-09-16.
9. [Apply for Startup Insurance | StartupInsurance.ai](https://quotes.startupinsurance.ai/). StartupInsurance.ai; Coverage-selection screen: Directors & Officers (D&O) — “Protects your board and executives from lawsuits”. Accessed 2026-09-23.
10. [Startup Insurance | Coverage that clears the review](https://www.startupinsurance.ai/). StartupInsurance.ai; The problem (“An investor's term sheet asked for D&O”); Wording that still says yes (“One major carrier added a blanket AI exclusion to D&O, E&O and fiduciary”); Coverage: What we place; The free policy check. Accessed 2026-09-23.
11. [Terms and Conditions](https://www.contractornerd.com/terms-and-conditions/). ContractorNerd; Section 2, Insurance Services: “ContractorNerd is an insurance agency/insurance producer... not an insurance company, does not underwrite insurance”; Section 2.A, Broker/Agent of Record. Accessed 2026-09-23.

### D&O Insurance Guide

12. [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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