Coalition vs Founder Shield

Coalition combines commercial insurance offerings with cyber risk-management services. In the United States, Coalition Insurance Solutions, Inc. (CIS) is the disclosed insurance producer and surplus lines broker; the issuing insurer is responsible for policy obligations. ^2,7

Coalition lists CIS’s California producer and surplus lines license as 0L76155. This is a company disclosure; current license status has not been independently checked with the California regulator. ²

Coalition’s legal page identifies Coalition Incident Response, Inc., doing business as Coalition Security, or independent third parties as security-service providers. Coalition Security does not provide insurance. ²

Founder Shield is a commercial insurance broker: it helps businesses choose coverage and arrange policies with insurers. Its terms say it does not insure the risk or decide whether a claim is covered. ^19,20

Founder Shield operates within The Baldwin Group, which lists it among its acquired firms. Founder Shield describes itself as the group’s innovation arm. ^21,22

The terms name The Baldwin Group Specialty Solutions, LLC as the contracting company, but the License Status section identifies Foundershield LLC as the producer. The reviewed records do not resolve which entity would appear on a new engagement; ask for its legal name and applicable license. ^20,23,42

New York’s Department of Financial Services reported a $36,600 fine against Foundershield LLC for late filing of excess-line documents for recording and stamping during January 2019–March 2023. The consent order was approved on June 26, 2025. The notice concerns filing compliance, not a finding about claims payments. ⁴²

Coalition identifies Coalition Insurance Company (NAIC 29530) for admitted cyber and describes CIS as acting for unaffiliated insurers on non-admitted placements. The reviewed sources do not assign a single insurer to every California Tech E&O quote; confirm the named carrier on the quote and policy. ^3,2

Founder Shield advertises access to more than 200 carriers. Its placement FAQ says it selects markets first by their willingness to insure the industry and risk, then considers growth capacity, service and claims handling. The network size does not establish how many insurers will quote your account. ^24,28

The placement FAQ says Founder Shield works exclusively with AM Best A-rated carriers. This is the broker’s stated selection standard; the reviewed sources do not independently establish the current rating of every insurer it uses. ²⁸

Founder Shield identifies itself as the distributor of the AI product and names Testudo as its underwriter. Testudo describes Lloyd’s-backed capacity and says its US entity places insurance without bearing the risk. The insurer or syndicates responsible for a particular quote still need to be identified. ^32,34,35

Coalition states that Executive Risks is available to private and nonprofit U.S. organizations in all states and Washington, D.C., with up to $500 million in assets, 1,000 employees and $500 million in plan assets, subject to limitations. ⁵

Coalition’s help center states that admitted and surplus cyber policies are offered in all 50 states and D.C., including California. Its product comparison lists Tech E&O and MPL under surplus coverage. This documents a California cyber placement route, but does not establish approval or the exact Tech E&O form for a particular applicant. ^10,11

Founder Shield’s terms limit services to permitted US jurisdictions and say some offerings are available in only some states. Testudo describes its AI product as excess-and-surplus-lines coverage that is not available in every state. No complete product-by-state availability schedule was established. ^20,34

The reviewed sources did not establish a current state-by-state license list for the producer. Confirm the named entity’s license for your placement with the state regulator; the 2025 disciplinary record does not establish current status. ^43,42,44

Coalition describes in-house cyber claims triage and assistance attempting to recover stolen funds. Its Tech E&O page says the same claims team manages cyber and Tech E&O claims. These service descriptions do not establish response quality or payment of a particular loss. ^9,1

Founder Shield describes claims advocacy that includes reporting guidance, help with disputes and policy review when defense counsel is needed. Its claims page says you can report through the portal at any time or directly to the insurer using the notice details in the policy. ³⁹

Founder Shield says its app offers claim updates, progress tracking and requests for information from the insurer. The insurer’s coverage decision remains separate from the broker’s assistance. ^39,20