Cowbell vs Embroker: How Do They Compare for Management Liability Insurance?

Embroker sells EMIS directly to founders and finance leaders on one digital application, while Cowbell's Zurich Select Plus is open only to appointed Zurich E&S wholesalers and not sold to businesses directly.

Embroker's EMIS lets you apply online yourself for D&O, EPL, fiduciary and, for tech companies, E&O and cyber in one bundle. Cowbell's Select Plus includes crime cover instead, but only wholesale brokers can access it, and only for private companies under 250 employees and $50 million in assets. ^3,¹

What Are the Key Differences Between Cowbell and Embroker Management Liability Insurance?

Direct Online Application vs Wholesale-Only Access

Embroker sells EMIS directly to founders and finance leaders through one digital application, and also through its broker network via Embroker Access. Cowbell's Select Plus isn't sold to businesses directly: only wholesale brokers appointed by Zurich can reach it through Cowbell's platform, so your broker has to work through one. Choose Embroker if you want to apply yourself or need tech E&O and cyber in the same bundle; choose Cowbell if crime cover matters more and your broker has wholesale access. ¹ ³

Crime vs Tech E&O and Cyber

Zurich names four Select Plus modules: private management and company liability, employment practices with third-party discrimination, fiduciary, and crime. EMIS bundles D&O, employment practices, fiduciary and, for eligible technology companies, tech E&O and cyber, but doesn't list crime. ² ³

Size Caps and Industries

Cowbell targets private companies with under 250 employees and under $50 million in assets. Embroker says EMIS covers companies from pre-revenue startups to established businesses, including professional services, manufacturing, construction and wholesale trade. ¹ ³

What Should You Confirm in Cowbell and Embroker Management Liability Insurance Quotes?

Ask your broker whether it can reach an appointed Zurich wholesaler; without one, Select Plus isn't available to you. ¹ ³
Ask each for the issuing insurer. Cowbell and Zurich say Select Plus is a standard (admitted) Zurich policy; Embroker names Everspan Indemnity Insurance Company for EMIS. ¹ ³
Decide whether you need crime (Select Plus) or tech E&O and cyber (EMIS), and ask each whether the other can be added. ² ³
Check your headcount and assets against Cowbell's 250-employee and $50 million limits. ¹

Cowbell vs Embroker Management Liability Insurance Compared

Cowbell vs Embroker: Management Liability Insurance: documented features by provider

Criteria	Cowbell / Zurich Select Plus Management Liability	Embroker Management Insurance Suite (EMIS)
Who It’s For	Cowbell says the product targets SME private companies with under 250 employees and under $50M in assets, and lists target industries including specialty chemicals, technology, energy/utilities, construction, manufacturing, hospitality, retail, and integrated freight & logistics. ¹Company-reported. FAQ 'What size accounts are targeted?' and 'Target industries' list.	Embroker says EMIS is open to a broader set of private companies than its two prior management liability products, extending beyond technology into professional services, manufacturing, construction and wholesale trade, and covering companies from pre-revenue startups to established businesses. ³Company-reported. Launch announcement 'What's changing' section; the Tech E&O/Cyber component of the bundle is limited to eligible technology companies.
How to Apply	Access is limited to appointed wholesalers of Zurich Excess & Surplus (E&S): a wholesaler already appointed by Zurich E&S can reach the product through the Cowbell platform via API, and is directed to contact a Cowbell or Zurich representative to set that up. The product is not sold directly to businesses. ¹Company-reported. FAQ 'How can I access the Zurich Select Plus management liability product through Cowbell?'.	Embroker says EMIS uses a single digital application and underwriting flow covering all four bundled coverages, replacing a multi-application process it says previously took days or weeks, and that applicants may get an underwriting response in the same session. ³Company-reported. Launch announcement description of the application flow; no application was submitted during this research, and actual turnaround depends on the specific submission.
Coverage Features	Zurich's own page names the four Select Plus modules as 'Private Management and Company Liability,' 'Employment Practices and Third-Party Discrimination Liability,' 'Fiduciary Liability,' and 'Crime Insurance' -- broader labels than the plain 'D&O' and 'EPL' shorthand Cowbell's FAQ uses -- and says a buyer can combine up to four of these modules into one policy. ²Company-reported. Zurich page 'Protect your small to midsize business with Zurich's Select Plus Management Liability solutions' section. Cowbell describes management liability as a modular umbrella covering four lines within the Select Plus product: private company D&O, employment practices liability, fiduciary liability, and crime, each addressing a different category of management or employee risk. ¹Company-reported. FAQ 'What is the difference between management liability and D&O?'.	Embroker bundles four coverages into one EMIS application: directors and officers liability, employment practices liability, fiduciary liability, and technology errors and omissions/cyber liability for eligible technology companies, and lets buyers select individual coverages or the full bundle. ³Company-reported. Launch announcement coverage list; the issued policy and declarations control, and this is the bundle structure, not standalone-line policy wording. Embroker says EMIS replaces its two previous management liability products for new business; existing policyholders on the legacy products are not required to switch and can keep renewing them, but the legacy products are no longer sold to new customers. ³Company-reported. Launch announcement transition rules as of the announcement date; not a renewal guarantee for any individual policyholder.
Role in This Line	Cowbell is the distribution platform, not the insurer: it gives Zurich-appointed E&S wholesalers API access to Zurich's Select Plus management liability product, a modular suite Zurich already sells to larger companies, sized down for small and midsize private businesses. Zurich's own page confirms Select Plus is 'Zurich Insurance, in collaboration with Cowbell,' offered as a 'proprietary form,' with identical FAQ wording to Cowbell's page. ^1,²Company-reported. Cowbell intro paragraph and FAQ; Zurich intro and 'Delivering speed from quoting to policy issuance' section.	Embroker designed EMIS as its own bundled management liability product, sold either as a bundle or as individual coverages, and distributes it directly to founders and finance leaders as well as through its broker network via Embroker Access. ³Company-reported. August 2026 launch announcement; company description of the product structure.
Issuing Insurer	Both Cowbell and Zurich say the product is offered on Zurich admitted paper and backed by 'the reputable Zurich Claims service.' Neither page names the specific underwriting Zurich subsidiary or policy-issuing entity; Zurich's site footer copyright reads 'Zurich American Insurance Company,' but that is a general site-wide notice, not a stated policy-issuer confirmation for Select Plus specifically. ^1,²Company-reported. Management liability page intro; Zurich page intro and footer.	Embroker names Everspan Indemnity Insurance Company (AM Best: A- Excellent) as the underwriter of EMIS, backed by what Embroker describes as a coalition of A-rated reinsurers it does not name. ³Company-reported. Launch announcement's 'About Embroker' section; this is a company statement, not an independently verified filing or program agreement.