CNA vs Founder Shield: How Do They Compare for Employment Practices Liability Insurance?

CNA’s ©2022 brochure lists private, nonprofit and public potential EPL customers, subject to underwriting; Founder Shield markets to first-hire startups, technology and other people-intensive employers. ^4,¹⁰

CNA Small Business Insurance: Products, Agents and Service

CNA directs small-business buyers to independent agents and describes CNA Connect as a businessowners policy for more than 600 small-business classes. Issuer and availability vary by policy and state, so confirm both in a quote. ^1,^2,³

Read the CNA profile

Read the CNA Employment Practices Liability Insurance page

What Is Founder Shield Insurance?

Founder Shield is a broker for venture-backed startups: you apply online in under 15 minutes, and an advisor shops its 200+ carrier markets to build a program that changes as your products and locations change. It doesn't insure you itself, so ask which insurer carries each policy. ^5,^6,^7,^8,⁹

Read the Founder Shield profile

Read the Founder Shield Employment Practices Liability Insurance page

What Is Employment Practices Liability Insurance?

EPLI can help pay covered defense costs and losses when applicants or workers allege discrimination, harassment, wrongful termination or other workplace wrongdoing. If you employ people, check the claim definition, defense costs and prior acts. ^12,^13,¹⁴

Read the full coverage guide

Key Differences in Employment Practices Liability Insurance

Organization class and hiring stage

CNA’s ©2022 Epack 3 brochure identifies private, nonprofit and public organizations as potential customer classes, subject to underwriting and policy state. Founder Shield markets EPLI to startups making first hires, as well as retail, hospitality, professional-services and technology businesses and nonprofits with volunteers. New employers can ask Founder Shield which carrier appetite fits their workforce; public or nonprofit buyers should verify CNA’s current eligibility rather than treating the dated brochure as a current underwriting commitment. ⁴ ¹⁰

Employment allegations and listed claim costs

Founder Shield says EPLI responds to defense costs, settlements and judgments for claims such as wrongful termination, discrimination, harassment and retaliation. CNA’s ©2022 brochure lists discrimination, harassment, retaliation, failure to hire or promote, wrongful discipline and employment-contract breach, and separately describes third-party acts involving certain nonemployee groups. Compare the current definitions and the costs each form addresses; these summaries do not establish policy terms. ¹⁰ ⁴

What to Confirm in Employment Practices Liability Insurance Quotes

Which Founder Shield carrier would consider your sector and first-hire profile? ⁷
Which CNA allegations and claimant definitions appear in the current state-specific form? ⁴

CNA and Founder Shield Review Scores for 2026

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.

CNA Review Score

9.0/ 10

Review Score

1 rated source

Customer feedback on CNA is mixed and hard to compare. NerdWallet gave it 4.5 out of 5 for manufacturers, while Trustpilot shows about 1.4 out of 5 from 49 mostly self-selected reviews.^[1]^[5]

Read CNA reviews

Founder Shield Review Score

7.4/ 10

Review Score

1 rated source

Founder Shield has too little independent customer feedback for a reliable verdict. One positive Trustpilot review does not establish a service track record.^[1]^[4]

Read Founder Shield reviews

CNA vs Founder Shield Employment Practices Liability Compared

CNA vs Founder Shield: Employment Practices Liability Insurance: documented features by provider

Criteria	CNA Epack 3 Employment Practices Liability	Founder Shield Employment Practices Liability Insurance
Role in This Line	Confirm in your quote.	Founder Shield is a retail insurance brokerage, described on its site as “the innovation arm of The Baldwin Group,” and places Founder Shield Employment Practices Liability Insurance with third-party carriers rather than underwriting the policy itself. ¹¹Company-reported. About-us page; applies to Founder Shield's brokerage model generally, restated here for this line. Founder Shield says EPLI is often purchased standalone but is sometimes packaged with Directors & Officers coverage, since employee-related suits frequently name corporate officers personally. ¹⁰Company-reported. EPLI product page.
Issuing Insurer	Confirm in your quote.	Founder Shield says it places policies, including Founder Shield Employment Practices 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. ⁷Company-reported. General carrier-selection FAQ, not specific to this line's placements.
Who It’s For	CNA identifies private, nonprofit and public organizations among the potential EPL customer classes. ⁴Company-reported. Entity: CNA brand; issuing company varies by form/state Product: Epack 3 Employment Practices Liability Jurisdiction: United States Research source scope: U.S. EPL under Epack 3; issuer/state terms vary Claim limitation: Eligibility remains subject to underwriting and policy state. Dated source: brochure ©2022; do not silently present this service or coverage detail as current. Source/date qualification: Copyright ©2022; brochure/service information is dated and should not be silently represented as current.	Founder Shield markets EPLI to startups hiring their first employees, retail and hospitality businesses with high turnover, professional-services firms, technology companies, and non-profits with volunteers. ¹⁰Company-reported. EPLI product page.
Coverage Features	CNA EPL covers allegations including discrimination, harassment, retaliation, failure to hire or promote, wrongful discipline and employment-contract breach. ⁴Company-reported. Entity: CNA brand; issuing company varies by form/state Product: Epack 3 Employment Practices Liability Jurisdiction: United States Research source scope: U.S. EPL under Epack 3; issuer/state terms vary Claim limitation: Company marketing summary only; issued policy forms, underwriting, jurisdictional availability, limits, exclusions and definitions control. Dated source: brochure ©2022; do not silently present this service or coverage detail as current. Source/date qualification: Copyright ©2022; brochure/service information is dated and should not be silently represented as current. CNA says EPL coverage can address third-party discrimination/harassment and acts involving volunteers, interns and independent contractors. ⁴Company-reported. Entity: CNA brand; issuing company varies by form/state Product: Epack 3 Employment Practices Liability Jurisdiction: United States Research source scope: U.S. EPL under Epack 3; issuer/state terms vary Claim limitation: Company marketing summary only; issued policy forms, underwriting, jurisdictional availability, limits, exclusions and definitions control. Dated source: brochure ©2022; do not silently present this service or coverage detail as current. Source/date qualification: Copyright ©2022; brochure/service information is dated and should not be silently represented as current.	Founder Shield lists defense costs, settlements and judgments, and claims of wrongful termination, discrimination, harassment and retaliation as what EPLI responds to. ¹⁰Company-reported. Product page; the issued policy and declarations control actual coverage.
Risk Services	CNA advertises Beyond HR workplace training/resources and an employment-law helpline; it says the helpline does not provide legal advice on specific acts or claims. ⁴Company-reported. Entity: CNA brand; issuing company varies by form/state Product: Epack 3 Employment Practices Liability services Jurisdiction: United States Research source scope: U.S. EPL under Epack 3; issuer/state terms vary Claim limitation: Services are not legal representation or a guarantee of coverage. Dated source: brochure ©2022; do not silently present this service or coverage detail as current. Source/date qualification: Copyright ©2022; brochure/service information is dated and should not be silently represented as current.	Confirm in your quote.
How to Apply	Confirm in your quote.	You request Founder Shield Employment Practices 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. ^11,⁷Company-reported. About-us and carrier-selection pages describe the general placement process, not a line-specific application form.

Related Pages for CNA vs Founder Shield Employment Practices Liability

Employment Practices Liability Pages for CNA and Founder Shield

Other Coverage Lines Compared for CNA vs Founder Shield

Other Employment Practices Liability Insurance Provider Comparisons

Sources for CNA vs Founder Shield

Sources About CNA

Insurance for Small Businesses. CNA; Insurance for Small Businesses, lines 38-50 and 65-67 (CNA Central and agent route); lines 79-106 (product and stated appetite lists); page footer line 132 (CNA registered service mark). Accessed 2026-09-28.
CNA Connect Small Businessowners Policy (BOP) | CNA Insurance. CNA; CNA Connect; coverages, product range, services. Accessed 2026-09-28.
General Disclaimer. CNA; General Disclaimer paragraphs 1 and 5 (HTML lines 24 and 28): CNA describes Continental Casualty Company and its relevant affiliates; references to CNA may include one or more CCC affiliates; each particular policy/product/service is the responsibility only of the specific CNA company that issues or supplies it. Footer line 57 identifies CNA Financial Corporation as trademark registrant. Re-read 2026-09-29. Accessed 2026-09-29.
Employment Practices Liability | CNA. CNA; pp. 1–3: wrongful practices, third-party acts, insured classes, risk services and claims. Accessed 2026-09-28.

Sources About Founder Shield

Founder Shield. Founder Shield; Opening broker description; Specialized Practices; Smart Tech, Smarter People; quote and sign-in links. Accessed 2026-09-15.
Startup Insurance. Founder Shield; What Coverage Does your Startup Need?; Why Startups Choose Founder Shield; Industries We Serve; Essential Policies to Consider section. 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.
Terms of Service. Founder Shield; Opening agreement; License Status; Representations and Disclaimers Related to Products or Services; Fees and Charges; Void Where Prohibited. Accessed 2026-09-15.
Employment Practices Liability Insurance. Founder Shield; What Is EPL Insurance?; Who Needs EPL Insurance Coverage?; What Does EPL 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.

Sources for the Employment Practices Liability Insurance Guide

Employment Practices Liability Insurance. Insurance Information Institute; Opening; What EPLI covers; Steps to limit employment liability risk. Accessed 2026-09-16.
Employment Practices Liability Coverage. Travelers; I.A/II.A p.1; III.A.4–6 p.7; II.F Employment Claim, PDF p.2; I.B p.1; II.U–V p.5; II.L p.3; III.A.9 and A.13, pp.7–8; III.B.2 p.8; IV.A Settlement, PDF pp.8–9. Accessed 2026-09-16.
Liability Coverage Terms and Conditions. Travelers; III.F–H p.6; III.O pp.8–9; III.F p.6; III.B–D, PDF pp.3–5; III.E–F, PDF pp.5–6. Accessed 2026-09-16.