Embroker vs Founder Shield: How Do They Compare for D&O Insurance?

Embroker sells standalone D&O and offers an online quote, while Founder Shield is a brokerage placing coverage for public and private companies with a three-part policy structure.

Embroker quotes D&O online and publishes sample limits by how much you've raised, from about $1–2 million up to $8–10 million. Founder Shield takes your request through its site or an advisor, then shops insurers rated A- or better by AM Best. ^1,^4,³

What Are the Key Differences Between Embroker and Founder Shield D&O Insurance?

Online Quote Sized to Your Round vs an Advisor Who Shops Insurers

Embroker prices D&O from your revenue, industry risk and claims history, and its sample retentions run from $10,000–25,000 if you've raised up to $10 million to $25,000–75,000 at $100–250 million raised. ¹ Founder Shield's placement team approaches insurers for you and says a typical market base layer is $5–10 million of combined Side A, B and C cover. ³ ⁴ ² Choose Embroker if you want a quote online and a limit benchmarked to your funding stage; choose Founder Shield if you want an advisor to compare insurers and you care about the insurer's financial rating. ¹ ⁴

Named Exclusions vs a Rating Floor

Embroker tells you what isn't covered: suits between people inside your own company, criminal or fraudulent acts, claims you knew about before buying, and antitrust. ¹ Founder Shield lists no exclusions and doesn't name the insurer in advance; what it guarantees is an AM Best rating of A- or better. ⁴

What Should You Confirm in Embroker and Founder Shield D&O Insurance Quotes?

Ask Embroker whether D&O shares one limit with employment practices and fiduciary cover. ¹
Check that Embroker's listed exclusions match the specimen policy. ¹
Ask Founder Shield which insurer it chose, its AM Best rating at bind, and the actual placed limit. ⁴ ²

Embroker vs Founder Shield D&O Insurance Compared

Embroker vs Founder Shield: D&O Insurance: documented features by provider

Criteria	Embroker Directors and Officers Insurance	Founder Shield Directors & Officers Insurance
Limits and Retentions	For its startup package, Embroker publishes illustrative D&O/EPLI/fiduciary limit and retention ranges by funding stage, from roughly $1-2 million in limits with a $10-25k retention for companies raising up to $10 million, up to $8-10 million in limits with a $25-75k retention for companies raising $100-250 million. ¹Company-reported. Product-page cost table for the Embroker Startup Package; actual limits, retentions and premiums depend on underwriting.	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. ²Company-reported. General market description on the product page, not a stated Founder Shield minimum or maximum.
Who It’s For	Embroker markets D&O to any private or public company with a board of directors, startups that have received or are about to receive venture capital funding, and nonprofit corporations, saying VC and private equity investors commonly require it before funding. ¹Company-reported. Product-page eligibility and 'Why Do Startups Need D&O Insurance?' sections; not a guarantee of coverage for a particular company.	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. ²Company-reported. Directors & Officers Insurance product page.
How to Apply	Embroker offers an online quote for D&O coverage through its digital platform, describing underwriting factors including revenue, industry risk and claims history. ¹Company-reported. Product-page 'Quick quotes' feature and cost-factor list; no quote was requested during this research.	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. ^3,⁴Company-reported. About-us and carrier-selection pages describe the general placement process, not a line-specific application form.
Coverage Features	Embroker lists coverage for misuse of company funds, misrepresentation of company assets, breach of fiduciary duty, failure to comply with workplace laws and lack of corporate governance. ¹Company-reported. Product-page What's covered section; the issued policy and declarations control. Embroker says the policy excludes lawsuits between members of the same company, criminal or deliberately fraudulent activity, prior-knowledge claims, and claims against directors actively engaged in antitrust violations. ¹Company-reported. Product-page What's not included section. Embroker structures its D&O policy with three insuring agreements: Side A covers individual directors and officers when the company cannot indemnify them, Side B reimburses the company for indemnifying its leaders, and Side C covers the company itself when it is sued for financial mismanagement. ¹Company-reported. Product-page 'What are Side A, B, and C insuring agreements?' section; specific policy structure, not a claim about every insurer's D&O form.	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. ²Company-reported. Product page; the issued policy and declarations control actual coverage.
Role in This Line	Embroker sells D&O as a standalone policy and offers to package it with cyber and workers' compensation; it also says EPLI, D&O and related coverages are sometimes bundled into a management liability program. ¹Company-reported. Product-page description; not a statement about the issuing insurer.	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. ³Company-reported. About-us page; applies to Founder Shield's brokerage model generally, restated here for this line.