Founder Shield vs TechInsurance D&O Insurance

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.

TechInsurance arranges directors and officers (D&O) insurance, a type of management liability insurance, and says it can be purchased as a standalone policy or as an endorsement to a general liability policy or business owner's policy. ¹⁰Company-reported. D&O product page.

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 reviewed page does not name the issuing insurer for a D&O policy. ¹⁰Not publicly disclosed. D&O product page as read on 2026-09-23.

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.

TechInsurance targets D&O at companies with an active board, naming employers with employees or stockholders, venture-backed startups (where investor term sheets often require the coverage), and nonprofits (where most states require a board of directors) as examples. ¹⁰Company-reported. D&O product page, Who needs D&O insurance coverage? section.

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.

TechInsurance says D&O covers legal costs when directors, board members or officers are sued over employment practices, fund mismanagement, failure to follow corporate bylaws, regulatory non-compliance, or IP infringement or libel tied to their decisions, and structures coverage into Side A (personal protection), Side B (company reimbursement) and Side C (entity coverage, mainly for public-company securities claims). ¹⁰Company-reported. D&O product page; general policy description, not a specific policy form.

TechInsurance says D&O is a claims-made policy, meaning coverage applies only if the policy is active when a claim is made, and that criminal acts by directors or officers, such as fraud or embezzlement, are excluded. ¹⁰Company-reported. D&O product page, How does directors and officers insurance work? and exclusions sections.

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.

TechInsurance says D&O policyholders pay a median of $133 per month, with the exact premium depending on policy limits, deductible, legal jurisdiction, industry risk, headcount, revenue, claims history and IPO potential. ¹⁰Company-reported. D&O product page cost section; a company-reported median from TechInsurance's own book of business, not a published rate table.

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.