Founder Shield vs 
Lockton D&O Insurance
Founder Shield vets D&O carriers against an AM Best rating floor; Lockton instead leans on a claims team embedded directly in its broking practice.
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
What Is Lockton?
Lockton is a privately held insurance brokerage that arranges commercial risk, employee benefits and retirement programs. US pages describe a technology practice and intermediary placement with insurers, not Lockton as the policy’s insurer. 8,9,10
What Is Directors and Officers Insurance?
Directors and officers liability insurance addresses covered claims alleging wrongful acts in managing an organization. 12
Key Differences in D&O Insurance
Two Different Broker Selling Points
Founder Shield leads with a carrier-quality filter it applies before approaching any insurer, saying it places D&O only with carriers rated A- or better by AM Best. 3 Lockton instead leads with a service commitment for after the policy is placed:
Lockton says its Professional & Executive Risk Claims team integrates experienced insurance and claims counsel within the broking team from the start of the relationship, rather than treating claims advocacy as a separate profit center. 11Company-reported. D&O product page as read 2026-09-23.
One broker is selling you on who it will approach; the other is selling you on what happens once a claim lands.
Who Can Be Covered
Lockton's page lists an unusually broad set of insureds a program it places can extend to, including trustees, committee members, volunteers and even spouses or estates. 11 Founder Shield instead names categories of buyer — public and private companies, venture-backed companies, and businesses owing more than $1 million to creditors — rather than listing who within an organization the policy can cover. 6
What Neither Side Names
Founder Shield says it places business only with A-rated carriers but doesn't name a specific insurer on its D&O page. 3 Lockton's D&O page has the same gap, describing program design and coverage precision without naming who would underwrite the resulting policy. 11
What to Confirm in D&O Insurance Quotes
- Ask Founder Shield which specific carrier it selected and confirm the AM Best rating at binding, since ratings can change. 3
- Ask Lockton which insurers it typically places D&O with, since its page describes the process but not a carrier. 11
- Confirm actual limits with both brokers directly; Founder Shield cites only a general market range of $5-10 million in combined coverage. 6
- Ask each broker how claims advocacy works in practice, since Lockton names a specific integrated team that Founder Shield's pages don't describe for this line. 11
Offering Details
Founder Shield vs Lockton D&O Insurance: documented features by provider
| Criteria | Founder Shield Directors & Officers Insurance | Lockton Directors & Officers (D&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 Directors & Officers 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. | Lockton designs and places D&O programs rather than underwriting them, saying effective coverage requires market intelligence, coverage-design precision and staying ahead of emerging risks like AI-related litigation and event-driven claims. 11Company-reported. D&O product page as read 2026-09-23. |
| Issuing Insurer | Founder Shield says it places policies, including Founder Shield Directors & Officers 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. | The D&O page does not name the insurers Lockton places D&O coverage with. 11Not publicly disclosed. D&O product page checked 2026-09-23. |
| Who It’s For | 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. 6Company-reported. Directors & Officers Insurance product page. | Lockton says D&O coverage it places can extend beyond directors and officers to trustees, employees, independent contractors, staff, committee members, volunteers, the corporate entity, majority-owned subsidiaries, spouses/domestic partners, and estates/heirs. 11Company-reported. D&O product page as read 2026-09-23. Describes who can typically be covered under a program Lockton structures, not a guarantee for any specific client. |
| Coverage Features | 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. 6Company-reported. Product page; the issued policy and declarations control actual coverage. | Lockton explains a traditional D&O program in three parts it says it can structure: Side A (direct coverage to individual directors/officers when the company can't indemnify them), Side B (reimbursing the company for indemnifying its D&Os), and Side C (entity coverage, generally limited to securities claims for public companies but broader for private and nonprofit organizations). 11Company-reported. D&O product page as read 2026-09-23. General educational description of program structure, not a specimen policy form. |
| Limits and Retentions | 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. 6Company-reported. General market description on the product page, not a stated Founder Shield minimum or maximum. | Not described in the reviewed sources. |
| How to Apply | 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. 7,3Company-reported. About-us and carrier-selection pages describe the general placement process, not a line-specific application form. | Not described in the reviewed sources. |
| Claims Support | Not described in the reviewed sources. | Lockton says its Professional & Executive Risk Claims team integrates experienced insurance and claims counsel within the broking team from the start of the relationship, rather than treating claims advocacy as a separate profit center. 11Company-reported. D&O product page as read 2026-09-23. |
Full Comparison
More Founder Shield vs Lockton Comparisons
Other D&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.
- Directors & Officers Insurance. Founder Shield; What Is D&O Insurance; Who Needs D&O Insurance Coverage; What Does D&O 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.
Lockton
- Lockton United States. Lockton; Opening description of independent insurance brokerage for risk, benefits and retirement; Ask an Expert link to contact-us. Accessed 2026-09-16.
- Technology. Lockton; Industry introduction; cyber liability heading; dedicated technology team; listed services including claims advocacy, contract review, directors and officers liability, and international program design; 24/7 service model. Accessed 2026-09-16.
- US Terms of Business. Lockton; Opening entity definition; Surplus Lines; Use of a Particular Insurer; Compensation Disclosure; servicing, claims handling and renewal language in Confidentiality section; Intermediaries. Accessed 2026-09-16.
- D&O Insurance. Lockton; What is D&O insurance?; Side A/B/C coverage components; Who can be covered under a D&O program?; Claims management. Accessed 2026-09-23.
D&O Insurance Guide
- Glossary of Business Insurance Terms. The Hartford; Directors and Officers Liability Insurance; Errors and Omissions Insurance; Employment Practices Liability Insurance. Accessed 2026-09-16.
