Founder Shield vs HUB International Professional Liability (E&O) Insurance

HUB International details claims-made structure with prior-acts and tail options; Founder Shield instead names disciplinary-defense and lost-earnings coverage.

What Is Founder Shield Insurance?

Founder Shield is a commercial insurance broker for venture-backed and growing businesses. Buyers can request coverage through its online portal and work with advisors on insurer selection, policy changes and claims reporting. ^1,^2,^3,^4,⁵

Read the Founder Shield profile

What Is HUB International?

HUB International is a North American insurance brokerage that arranges business insurance, employee benefits and related risk services through local offices and specialist practices. Smaller commercial accounts may be sent to Insureon for an online quote; other programs are handled by HUB advisors, with policy terms set by the insurers they use. ^8,^9,¹⁰

Read the HUB International profile

What Is Professional Errors and Omissions (E&O) Insurance?

Professional errors and omissions (E&O) insurance, also called professional liability insurance, addresses claims that professional services or advice caused a client financial loss. What's covered depends on the services actually scheduled in the policy, not the product label alone. ^13,^14,^15,¹⁶

Read the full coverage guide

Key Differences in Professional Liability (E&O) Insurance

What Each Page Names as Covered

Founder Shield names specific elements of what its E&O product responds to. ⁶ HUB's pages instead detail structural terms Founder Shield's page doesn't address:

HUB says E&O policies are typically claims-made with per-claim and aggregate limits, can be structured with prior-acts coverage back to a retroactive date, and can offer tail coverage for an extended reporting period; coverage can extend to independent contractors and temporary staff performing work for the business. ¹²Company-reported. E&O product-page structure description; specific limits and retroactive dates are set on the quote and declarations.

Who Each Targets

Founder Shield targets the startup and venture ecosystem specifically, naming venture capital firms, consultants, media and advertising agencies, SaaS marketplaces and software developers. ⁶ HUB instead names accounting, law, medical, financial-advisory, real estate, architecture and engineering, consulting and contracting businesses, and separately counts technology among nine industries its E&O practice serves. ¹¹

Handling a Claim

HUB's E&O page tells policyholders to notify their broker and carrier as soon as possible after an incident and submit documentation including a narrative of the events leading up to the claim. ¹² Founder Shield's reviewed pages describe no comparable claims-notification process; they describe the placement process instead, with Founder Shield's team approaching carriers on the client's behalf. ⁷

What to Confirm in Professional Liability (E&O) Insurance Quotes

Ask both companies to name the issuing insurer; HUB's pages don't name one, and Founder Shield's depends on which AM Best-rated carrier it places you with. ¹¹ ³
Ask HUB whether tail coverage is priced separately or bundled into the base premium it would quote you. ¹²
Get the limit and retention on your quote from each; neither publishes figures publicly. ¹² ⁶
If your work involves contractors or temporary staff, confirm whether HUB's placed policy extends to their work, a point Founder Shield's page doesn't address. ¹²

Offering Details

Founder Shield vs HUB International Professional Liability (E&O) Insurance: documented features by provider

Criteria	Founder Shield Errors & Omissions Insurance	HUB International Professional Liability (E&O) Insurance Brokerage
Role in This Line	Founder Shield is a retail insurance brokerage, described on its site as “the innovation arm of The Baldwin Group,” and places Founder Shield Errors & Omissions Insurance with third-party carriers rather than underwriting the policy itself. ⁷Company-reported. About-us page; applies to Founder Shield's brokerage model generally, restated here for this line. Founder Shield says E&O (professional liability) is often packaged with technology E&O and cyber coverage since the two types of claims tend to intertwine. ⁶Company-reported. Errors & Omissions Insurance product page.	HUB brokers professional liability, which it also calls errors and omissions (E&O) insurance, rather than underwriting the coverage itself. ^11,¹²Company-reported. Professional liability and E&O product pages as read 2026-09-23; neither names an issuing insurer.
Issuing Insurer	Founder Shield says it places policies, including Founder Shield Errors & Omissions 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. ³Company-reported. General carrier-selection FAQ, not specific to this line's placements.	Neither the professional liability nor the E&O product page names an issuing insurer; HUB places this coverage with insurers that vary by client and placement. ^11,¹²Not found in reviewed sources. Checked both pages on 2026-09-23; no carrier is disclosed on either.
Who It’s For	Founder Shield markets E&O to venture capital firms, consultants, media and advertising agencies, SaaS marketplaces, and software developers who perform services for other parties. ⁶Company-reported. Errors & Omissions Insurance product page.	HUB names accounting, law, medical, financial-advisory, real estate, architecture and engineering, consulting, and contracting businesses as typical E&O buyers, and separately lists technology among nine industries its E&O practice serves. ^11,¹²Company-reported. Combined professional-liability and E&O industry lists; not a published underwriting appetite by state.
Coverage Features	Founder Shield lists defense costs, defense against disciplinary or regulatory proceedings, lost-earnings coverage, and claims from errors by employees or contractors as what E&O responds to. ⁶Company-reported. Product page; the issued policy and declarations control actual coverage.	HUB says professional liability/E&O policies it arranges can cover defense costs, judgments, settlements and fines from allegations of misrepresentation, breach of professional services, wrongful business practices, misleading advice and conflict of interest, plus libel, slander or lost-profit claims; intentional acts and employment claims are typically excluded. ¹¹Company-reported. Product-page coverage description; the issued policy and its exclusions control an actual claim. HUB says E&O policies are typically claims-made with per-claim and aggregate limits, can be structured with prior-acts coverage back to a retroactive date, and can offer tail coverage for an extended reporting period; coverage can extend to independent contractors and temporary staff performing work for the business. ¹²Company-reported. E&O product-page structure description; specific limits and retroactive dates are set on the quote and declarations.
How to Apply	You request Founder Shield Errors & Omissions 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. ^7,³Company-reported. About-us and carrier-selection pages describe the general placement process, not a line-specific application form.	HUB directs prospects to connect with a broker; the pages describe professional liability/E&O policies as customized to business size, industry, location, risk base and desired limits, without an online quote flow. ^11,¹²Company-reported. Product-page call to action and customization description as read 2026-09-23.
Claims Support	Not described in the reviewed sources.	HUB's E&O page tells policyholders to notify their broker and carrier as soon as possible after an incident and submit documentation including a narrative of the events leading up to the claim. ¹²Company-reported. E&O product-page claims-notification guidance; a general process description, not an outcome measurement.

Full Comparison

More Founder Shield vs HUB International Comparisons

Other Professional Liability (E&O) Insurance Comparisons

Sources

Founder Shield

Founder Shield. Founder Shield; Opening broker description; Specialized Practices; Smart Tech, Smarter People; quote and sign-in links. Accessed 2026-09-15.
Quote Portal. Founder Shield; Public landing screen, Create Account and Sign In links. 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.
Claims. Founder Shield; Our Approach; How We Support Claims Management, steps 1–5; Make a claim link. Accessed 2026-09-15.
Errors & Omissions Insurance. Founder Shield; What Is Errors & Omissions Insurance?; Who Needs Errors & Omissions Insurance Coverage?; What Does Errors and Omissions 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.

HUB International

About Us. HUB International; Opening description; 1998 formation of HUB International Limited; 2022 Insureon acquisition; headquarters and employee/office counts. Accessed 2026-09-16.
Contact Us. HUB International; Business Solutions paths for Commercial Insurance Solutions versus Small Commercial Insurance Solutions via Insureon; office search. Accessed 2026-09-16.
Insurance for Technology Companies. HUB International; Technology Company Insurance & Risk Management: startup, software, hardware and digital-media introduction; Business Coverage and People Protection lists; technology-client count. Accessed 2026-09-16.
Professional Liability Insurance Brokers. HUB International; What is professional liability?; Who Needs Professional Liability Insurance Coverage?; How Can You Limit Your Exposure to Professional Liability?; exclusions; Connect With a Broker. Accessed 2026-09-23.
Errors and Omissions (E&O) Insurance Coverage. HUB International; Industries served list including accounting, architecture, creative, dental, engineering, financial, medical, media and technology; prior-acts coverage; claims-made structure with per-claim and aggregate limits and tail coverage; claims-notification steps. Accessed 2026-09-23.

Professional Liability (E&O) Insurance Guide

FAQ: Professional liability insurance. Texas Department of Insurance; What’s professional liability coverage?; What types of damages…; What’s general liability insurance?; Do I need professional liability… if I have general liability…?; Is professional liability insurance required?; Can a client require…?; What’s the difference between occurrence policies and claims-made policies. Accessed 2026-09-16.
Professional liability insurance. Insurance Information Institute; Opening paragraphs (professional services/advice and E&O name); Claims not covered by general liability; What types of businesses need professional liability insurance?; What’s covered… and what’s not (claims-made versus occurrence, defense and judgments, non-financial/intentional limits, BOP/in-home exclusion). Accessed 2026-09-16.
Get business insurance. U.S. Small Business Administration; Six common types of business insurance table. Accessed 2026-09-16.
Professional Liability – US Direct Errors and Omissions Insurance. Hiscox Inc. specimen; About this Policy / Coverage for Claims Made Against You; I.A Insuring Agreement; I.B Defense; I.C Settlement; II.A Notice of Claims; II.C Optional Extended Reporting Period; III.A, III.K, III.M, III.R, III.S Exclusions; IV.A–B Limits and Deductible; VI.O Professional Services; VI.U Wrongful Act. Accessed 2026-09-16.