What Is Founder Shield Insurance?
Founder Shield is a broker for venture-backed startups: you apply online in under 15 minutes, and an advisor shops its 200+ carrier markets to build a program that changes as your products and locations change. It doesn't insure you itself, so ask which insurer carries each policy. 1,2,3,4,5
Read the Founder Shield profile
Read the Founder Shield Workers’ Compensation Insurance page
Simply Business: Online Small-Business Insurance Marketplace
Simply Business describes a digital marketplace and licensed-producer service for small businesses. The policy and selected insurer determine coverage, fees, servicing and claims responsibilities. 8,9
What Is Workers’ Compensation Insurance?
Workers’ compensation can pay medical care and part of an employee’s lost wages after a work-related injury or illness. If you have staff, check who is covered in each state; owners, contractors and some workers may be treated differently. 11,12,13,14
Key Differences in Workers’ Compensation Insurance
Both arrange coverage, with different carrier disclosures
Founder Shield says it places policies with third-party carriers and selects workers’ compensation markets rated A-minus or better by AM Best for the client’s industry, though it does not name the specific issuer. Simply Business also routes buyers to panel insurers and does not identify a carrier until an offer. Compare the actual insurer on each proposed policy, not the platform’s general description. 3 9
Founder Shield describes advisor-led placement
Founder Shield says buyers request coverage online or through an advisor, after which its team approaches carriers. Simply Business provides an online quote route, with approval from a panel member required to bind. Employers seeking placement help should ask Founder Shield which markets considered their job classes and Simply Business who handles follow-up underwriting. 6 9
The published industry examples overlap selectively
Founder Shield highlights construction, hospitality, professional offices, health care and retail. Simply Business describes workers’ compensation for employees generally and says legal requirements vary by state; it does not give a matching industry list on the reviewed page. Provide payroll by job type and location to confirm appetite and classification with both routes. 6 10
What to Confirm in Workers’ Compensation Insurance Quotes
Review Scores
These averages can combine ratings for different products, locations, and customer groups, including approximate BBB grade conversions. Read each review for the sources, scope, and calculation.
Founder Shield
Review Score
1 rated source
Founder Shield has too little independent customer feedback for a reliable verdict. One positive Trustpilot review does not establish a service track record.[1][4]
Read Founder Shield reviewsSimply Business
Review Score
4 rated sources
Customers disagree about Simply Business. Trustpilot shows 4.3 out of 5 from 1,901 reviews, but BBB customers give it 1.95 from 20 reviews and ConsumerAffairs shows 1.0.[6][10][7]
Read Simply Business reviewsOffering Details
Founder Shield vs Simply Business: Workers’ Compensation Insurance: documented features by provider
| Criteria | Founder Shield Workers' Compensation Insurance | Workers’ compensation insurance through Simply Business |
|---|---|---|
| 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 Workers' Compensation 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. | Confirm in your quote. |
| Issuing Insurer | Founder Shield says it places policies, including Founder Shield Workers' Compensation 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. | Confirm in your quote. |
| Who It’s For | Founder Shield's page says most states require workers' compensation as soon as a company hires its first employee, and highlights construction, restaurants/hospitality, professional offices, healthcare and retail as buyer segments. 6Company-reported. Workers' Compensation Insurance product page. | The page explains that requirements vary by state and that a one-person LLC without employees may not be required to carry the coverage in many states. This is general education, not a jurisdiction-specific legal determination. 10Company-reported. Company-published workers-compensation information for U.S. small businesses; availability and actual policy terms depend on the insurer, state and buyer. |
| Coverage Features | Founder Shield lists medical expenses, a portion of lost wages, rehabilitation costs, death benefits, and an optional employer-liability add-on as what the policy covers. 6Company-reported. Product page; the issued policy and declarations control actual coverage. | The company’s page describes workers’ compensation as potentially covering medical, rehabilitation, wage-replacement and death benefits for employees injured or made ill at work; state law and policy terms affect benefits. 10Company-reported. Company-published workers-compensation information for U.S. small businesses; availability and actual policy terms depend on the insurer, state and buyer. |
| How to Apply | You request Founder Shield Workers' Compensation 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. | The company publishes a workers’ compensation quote route. Its Terms say quote availability may vary by state, insurer and business details and binding requires panel-member approval. 10,9Company-reported. Company-published workers-compensation information for U.S. small businesses; availability and actual policy terms depend on the insurer, state and buyer. |
Full Comparison
More Founder Shield vs Simply Business Comparisons
Other Workers’ Compensation 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.
- Startup Insurance. Founder Shield; What Coverage Does your Startup Need?; Why Startups Choose Founder Shield; Industries We Serve; Essential Policies to Consider section. 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.
- Terms of Service. Founder Shield; Opening agreement; License Status; Representations and Disclaimers Related to Products or Services; Fees and Charges; Void Where Prohibited. Accessed 2026-09-15.
- Workers' Compensation Insurance. Founder Shield; What Is Workers’ Comp Insurance?; Who Needs Workers’ Comp Insurance Coverage?; What Does Workers’ Comp 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.
Simply Business
- Our Small Business Insurance Story. Simply Business; Opening description and audience; digital marketplace, business types and U.S. service. Accessed 2026-09-29.
- Terms of Service. Simply Business; Dated June 30, 2026; §1 lines 22–28; §8 lines 87–113; §10 lines 143–149; §19 line 211. Accessed 2026-09-29.
- Workers’ Compensation Insurance for Small Business. Simply Business; Coverage and benefits lines 45–69; state/buyer qualifications lines 178–189. Accessed 2026-09-29.
Workers’ Compensation Insurance Guide
- Workers’ Compensation Insurance. National Association of Insurance Commissioners; Opening definition; mandatory coverage except Texas opt-in; exclusive remedy; monopolistic state funds; self-insurance note. Accessed 2026-09-16.
- Small Business Insurance. National Association of Insurance Commissioners; Typically covers medical expenses, rehabilitation costs and lost wages; check with your state insurance department; ask these questions / who qualifies as a covered employee (contractors, part-time staff, interns); payroll and type-of-work rating factors. Accessed 2026-09-16.
- DWC employer information. California Department of Industrial Relations, Division of Workers’ Compensation; Opening trade-off and California requirement; basic benefits including medical care, temporary and permanent disability, supplemental job displacement, return-to-work supplement and death benefits; out-of-state employer note. Accessed 2026-09-16.
- Employer resources. Texas Department of Insurance, Division of Workers’ Compensation; In Texas, private employers can choose to carry workers’ compensation insurance coverage, but it is not required in most cases; lost wages and medical benefits; except when gross negligence results in a fatality, coverage limits liability. Accessed 2026-09-16.
