---
title: "Embroker vs Gallagher D&O Insurance"
description: "Embroker sells D&O online with startup limit bands; Gallagher’s D&O practice is built around SPACs, IPOs and in-house claims-advocacy attorneys."
canonical: "https://spot.insure/compare/embroker-vs-gallagher/directors-officers"
page-type: "line-comparison"
updated-at: "2026-09-23"
---

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[Human-readable page](https://spot.insure/compare/embroker-vs-gallagher/directors-officers)

# Embroker vs Gallagher D&O Insurance

Embroker sells D&O online with startup limit bands; Gallagher’s D&O practice is built around SPACs, IPOs and in-house claims-advocacy attorneys.

## Research Scope and Use

Use this comparison to evaluate Embroker and Gallagher 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

Embroker quotes D&O on a digital platform and publishes illustrative D&O/EPLI/fiduciary limits by funding stage. Gallagher’s Executive and Financial Risk practice places D&O for SPACs and companies going public, with a dedicated claims-advocacy team of in-house attorneys and Side-A-only benchmarking. [4](https://www.embroker.com/coverage/directors-officers-insurance/ "Directors & Officers Insurance Coverage: D&O Explained") [7](https://www.ajg.com/insurance/executive-and-financial-risk-insurance/ "Executive and Financial Risk Insurance")

## What Is Embroker?

Embroker is a business insurance broker and online platform serving startups, technology companies and professional-services firms, with proprietary programs and broker-assisted placements. [1](https://www.embroker.com/ "Embroker") [2](https://www.embroker.com/terms/ "Terms And Conditions") [3](https://access.embroker.com/ "Embroker Access")

[Embroker profile](https://spot.insure/insurance-providers/embroker)

## What Is Gallagher?

Gallagher is a business-insurance broker and risk-management consultancy. Its technology practice serves startups through global enterprises, alongside a separate small-business offering for IT professionals and an executive-risk practice covering D&O and transaction-related coverages. Woodruff Sawyer is now part of Gallagher. [5](https://www.ajg.com/industries/technology-insurance/ "Technology Insurance") [6](https://www.gallaghersmallbusiness.com/technology-services/ "Insurance for Technology & IT Businesses") [7](https://www.ajg.com/insurance/executive-and-financial-risk-insurance/ "Executive and Financial Risk Insurance") [8](https://www.gallaghersmallbusiness.com/legal-information/ "Legal Information") [9](https://www.ajg.com/merger-partners/woodruff-sawyer-is-now-gallagher/ "Woodruff Sawyer Is Now Gallagher")

[Gallagher profile](https://spot.insure/insurance-providers/gallagher)

## What Is Directors and Officers Insurance?

Directors and officers liability insurance addresses covered claims alleging wrongful acts in managing an organization. [10](https://www.thehartford.com/business-insurance/glossary-of-business-insurance-terms "Glossary of Business Insurance Terms")

## Key Differences in D&O Insurance

### How You Buy It

Embroker offers an online quote for D&O on its digital platform and can sell it standalone, with cyber and workers’ compensation, or inside a management liability program. Gallagher does not underwrite. Its Executive and Financial Risk practice places D&O for SPACs around IPO and de-SPAC and for companies going public by IPO or direct listing. [4](https://www.embroker.com/coverage/directors-officers-insurance/ "Directors & Officers Insurance Coverage: D&O Explained") [7](https://www.ajg.com/insurance/executive-and-financial-risk-insurance/ "Executive and Financial Risk Insurance")

A founder who can finish a platform application is on Embroker’s described path. A company whose next event is a listing is on Gallagher’s described path. [4](https://www.embroker.com/coverage/directors-officers-insurance/ "Directors & Officers Insurance Coverage: D&O Explained") [7](https://www.ajg.com/insurance/executive-and-financial-risk-insurance/ "Executive and Financial Risk Insurance")

### Limit Disclosure

Embroker publishes illustrative D&O/EPLI/fiduciary limit and retention ranges by funding stage, up to $8–10 million in limits and a $25–75k retention for $100–250 million raises. Gallagher’s executive-and-financial-risk page does not publish D&O limits, retentions or premium ranges. [4](https://www.embroker.com/coverage/directors-officers-insurance/ "Directors & Officers Insurance Coverage: D&O Explained") [7](https://www.ajg.com/insurance/executive-and-financial-risk-insurance/ "Executive and Financial Risk Insurance")

You can check an Embroker quote against those bands. You cannot check a Gallagher quote against a public number until the placement returns. [4](https://www.embroker.com/coverage/directors-officers-insurance/ "Directors & Officers Insurance Coverage: D&O Explained") [7](https://www.ajg.com/insurance/executive-and-financial-risk-insurance/ "Executive and Financial Risk Insurance")

### Claims Support

Gallagher describes a dedicated claims-advocacy team with in-house attorneys on these lines and quantitative benchmarking of Side-A-only D&O use. Embroker’s reviewed D&O page does not describe an in-house claims-attorney team for this line. [7](https://www.ajg.com/insurance/executive-and-financial-risk-insurance/ "Executive and Financial Risk Insurance") [4](https://www.embroker.com/coverage/directors-officers-insurance/ "Directors & Officers Insurance Coverage: D&O Explained")

## What to Confirm in D&O Insurance Quotes

- Ask Gallagher which carrier it would approach and how Side-A-only benchmarking would apply. [7](https://www.ajg.com/insurance/executive-and-financial-risk-insurance/ "Executive and Financial Risk Insurance")
- Ask Embroker whether the quote uses the published startup-package bands and whether limits are shared with EPLI. [4](https://www.embroker.com/coverage/directors-officers-insurance/ "Directors & Officers Insurance Coverage: D&O Explained")
- If you are listing, ask Gallagher how pre- and post-IPO D&O would sit with related lines. [7](https://www.ajg.com/insurance/executive-and-financial-risk-insurance/ "Executive and Financial Risk Insurance")
- Check Embroker’s listed exclusions against the specimen form. [4](https://www.embroker.com/coverage/directors-officers-insurance/ "Directors & Officers Insurance Coverage: D&O Explained")

## Offering Details

| Criteria | Embroker Directors and Officers Insurance | Gallagher Directors and Officers (D&O) Liability Insurance |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 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. [4](https://www.embroker.com/coverage/directors-officers-insurance/ "Directors & Officers Insurance Coverage: D&O Explained") (Evidence: Company-reported; scope: Product-page description; not a statement about the issuing insurer..) | Gallagher's Executive and Financial Risk practice places D&O liability insurance and advises on program design; it does not underwrite the policy, which is issued by a carrier selected during placement. [7](https://www.ajg.com/insurance/executive-and-financial-risk-insurance/ "Executive and Financial Risk Insurance") (Evidence: Company-reported; scope: Group-level executive-and-financial-risk practice page..) |
| Issuing Insurer | Not described in the reviewed sources. | The executive-and-financial-risk page does not name the insurer that would issue a given client's D&O policy; it says Gallagher weighs carrier qualifications and performance data alongside a client's own insurer history and preferences when deciding which carriers to approach. [7](https://www.ajg.com/insurance/executive-and-financial-risk-insurance/ "Executive and Financial Risk Insurance") (Evidence: Company-reported; scope: Group-level executive-and-financial-risk practice page..) |
| 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. [4](https://www.embroker.com/coverage/directors-officers-insurance/ "Directors & Officers Insurance Coverage: D&O Explained") (Evidence: Company-reported; scope: Product-page eligibility and 'Why Do Startups Need D&O Insurance?' sections; not a guarantee of coverage for a particular company..) | Gallagher specifically markets D&O placement and advisory support to special-purpose acquisition companies (SPACs) around their IPO and de-SPAC process, and to companies going public through an IPO or direct listing. [7](https://www.ajg.com/insurance/executive-and-financial-risk-insurance/ "Executive and Financial Risk Insurance") (Evidence: Company-reported; scope: Group-level executive-and-financial-risk practice page, SPAC and IPO subsections..) |
| 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. [4](https://www.embroker.com/coverage/directors-officers-insurance/ "Directors & Officers Insurance Coverage: D&O Explained") (Evidence: Company-reported; scope: Product-page What's covered section; the issued policy and declarations control..)<br><br>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. [4](https://www.embroker.com/coverage/directors-officers-insurance/ "Directors & Officers Insurance Coverage: D&O Explained") (Evidence: Company-reported; scope: Product-page What's not included section..)<br><br>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. [4](https://www.embroker.com/coverage/directors-officers-insurance/ "Directors & Officers Insurance Coverage: D&O Explained") (Evidence: Company-reported; scope: 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..) | Gallagher says its D&O team constructs policies addressing lawsuits from shareholders, employees, competitors, suppliers and government bodies, and can evaluate an existing D&O program against the market. [7](https://www.ajg.com/insurance/executive-and-financial-risk-insurance/ "Executive and Financial Risk Insurance") (Evidence: Company-reported; scope: Group-level executive-and-financial-risk practice page; a service description, not a specific policy's insuring agreement..) |
| 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. [4](https://www.embroker.com/coverage/directors-officers-insurance/ "Directors & Officers Insurance Coverage: D&O Explained") (Evidence: Company-reported; scope: Product-page cost table for the Embroker Startup Package; actual limits, retentions and premiums depend on underwriting..) | The executive-and-financial-risk page does not publish D&O limits, retentions or premium ranges. [7](https://www.ajg.com/insurance/executive-and-financial-risk-insurance/ "Executive and Financial Risk Insurance") (Evidence: Not publicly disclosed; scope: Checked the group-level executive-and-financial-risk practice page..) |
| Risk Services | Not described in the reviewed sources. | For SPACs and IPOs, Gallagher describes bundling D&O coverage before and after the IPO with related lines such as representations and warranties, E&O, cyber, tax and contingent liability coverage, plus risk-management and claims support at each stage. [7](https://www.ajg.com/insurance/executive-and-financial-risk-insurance/ "Executive and Financial Risk Insurance") (Evidence: Company-reported; scope: Group-level executive-and-financial-risk practice page, SPAC subsection..) |
| 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. [4](https://www.embroker.com/coverage/directors-officers-insurance/ "Directors & Officers Insurance Coverage: D&O Explained") (Evidence: Company-reported; scope: Product-page 'Quick quotes' feature and cost-factor list; no quote was requested during this research..) | Not described in the reviewed sources. |
| Claims Support | Not described in the reviewed sources. | Gallagher says its Executive and Financial Risk practice has a dedicated claims-advocacy team with in-house attorneys specializing in these lines, and that it uses quantitative benchmarking, including measuring the judicious use of Side-A-only D&O coverage, to guide more precise coverage structures. [7](https://www.ajg.com/insurance/executive-and-financial-risk-insurance/ "Executive and Financial Risk Insurance") (Evidence: Company-reported; scope: Group-level executive-and-financial-risk practice summary; describes a support service, not a guarantee of claim payment..) |

## Full Comparison

- [Embroker vs Gallagher](https://spot.insure/compare/embroker-vs-gallagher): 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.
- [Embroker vs Gallagher Business Owner’s Policy](https://spot.insure/compare/embroker-vs-gallagher/business-owners-policy)
- [Embroker vs Gallagher Commercial Auto Insurance](https://spot.insure/compare/embroker-vs-gallagher/commercial-auto)
- [Embroker vs Gallagher Commercial Property Insurance](https://spot.insure/compare/embroker-vs-gallagher/commercial-property)
- [Embroker vs Gallagher Crime Insurance](https://spot.insure/compare/embroker-vs-gallagher/crime)
- [Embroker vs Gallagher Cyber Insurance](https://spot.insure/compare/embroker-vs-gallagher/cyber)
- [Embroker vs Gallagher Employment Practices Liability Insurance](https://spot.insure/compare/embroker-vs-gallagher/employment-practices)
- [Embroker vs Gallagher Fiduciary Liability Insurance](https://spot.insure/compare/embroker-vs-gallagher/fiduciary)
- [Embroker vs Gallagher General Liability Insurance](https://spot.insure/compare/embroker-vs-gallagher/general-liability)
- [Embroker vs Gallagher Professional Liability (E&O) Insurance](https://spot.insure/compare/embroker-vs-gallagher/professional-errors-omissions)
- [Embroker vs Gallagher Surety Bonds](https://spot.insure/compare/embroker-vs-gallagher/surety-bonds)
- [Embroker vs Gallagher Tech E&O Insurance](https://spot.insure/compare/embroker-vs-gallagher/technology-errors-omissions)
- [Embroker vs Gallagher Workers’ Compensation Insurance](https://spot.insure/compare/embroker-vs-gallagher/workers-compensation)
- [Alliance Risk vs Embroker D&O Insurance](https://spot.insure/compare/alliance-risk-vs-embroker/directors-officers)
- [Alliance Risk vs Gallagher D&O Insurance](https://spot.insure/compare/alliance-risk-vs-gallagher/directors-officers)
- [Amelia Risk vs Embroker D&O Insurance](https://spot.insure/compare/amelia-risk-vs-embroker/directors-officers)
- [Amelia Risk vs Gallagher D&O Insurance](https://spot.insure/compare/amelia-risk-vs-gallagher/directors-officers)
- [Beazley vs Embroker D&O Insurance](https://spot.insure/compare/beazley-vs-embroker/directors-officers)
- [Beazley vs Gallagher D&O Insurance](https://spot.insure/compare/beazley-vs-gallagher/directors-officers)

## Sources

### Embroker

1. [Embroker](https://www.embroker.com/). Embroker; Industry navigation; quote and sign-in links; coverage options; footer availability qualification. Accessed 2026-09-15.
2. [Terms And Conditions](https://www.embroker.com/terms/). Embroker; Introduction; §§2A–B Insurance services, 13 Applications and quotes, 15 Insurance companies and underwriting guidelines, 16 Certificates, 21 Surplus lines products, 22 Payments. Accessed 2026-09-15.
3. [Embroker Access](https://access.embroker.com/). Embroker; EMIS announcement; appointed-broker quoting, binding and issuance; product links; footer identifies Embroker Insurance Services, LLC. Accessed 2026-09-15.
4. [Directors & Officers Insurance Coverage: D&O Explained](https://www.embroker.com/coverage/directors-officers-insurance/). Embroker; Why it's essential; Who needs this coverage; What is Directors and Officers (D&O) insurance?; What's covered; What's not included; What are Side A, B, and C insuring agreements?; What does Directors and Officers insurance cost?. Accessed 2026-09-23.

### Gallagher

5. [Technology Insurance](https://www.ajg.com/industries/technology-insurance/). Gallagher; Introduction; Solutions and coverages for the technology industry: Technology errors and omissions including cyber, Intellectual property insurance, Product liability, Employee benefits; Data-driven insights; global network. Accessed 2026-09-16.
6. [Insurance for Technology & IT Businesses](https://www.gallaghersmallbusiness.com/technology-services/). Gallagher Small Business; Protection for IT Professionals & Their Technology-Based Businesses; recommended coverage menu, including Surety Bond Programs; Connect With An Advisor. Accessed 2026-09-16.
7. [Executive and Financial Risk Insurance](https://www.ajg.com/insurance/executive-and-financial-risk-insurance/). Gallagher; Directors and Officers (D&O) Liability insurance section; Special-Purpose Acquisition Companies (SPACs) section; IPO and direct listings section; Executive and Financial Risk Practice Summary. Accessed 2026-09-23.
8. [Legal Information](https://www.gallaghersmallbusiness.com/legal-information/). Gallagher Small Business; Producer identification immediately above Quick Links. Accessed 2026-09-16.
9. [Woodruff Sawyer Is Now Gallagher](https://www.ajg.com/merger-partners/woodruff-sawyer-is-now-gallagher/). Gallagher; Opening; Executive and Financial Risk consulting; Continued access to client portals; contact form. Accessed 2026-09-16.

### D&O Insurance Guide

10. [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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