Founder Shield vs TechInsurance: How Do They Compare for D&O Insurance?

Founder Shield places D&O for public and private companies, while TechInsurance arranges coverage and explains how it can help with legal costs tied to management decisions.

TechInsurance publishes a median D&O premium of $133 a month and can add D&O to your general liability or business owner's policy. Founder Shield shops standalone D&O only among carriers rated A- or better by AM Best, and publishes no price. ^4,³

What Are the Key Differences Between Founder Shield and TechInsurance D&O Insurance?

Price Benchmark and Add-On Option vs Rated-Carrier Shopping

TechInsurance gives you a number to plan around:

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. ⁴Company-reported. D&O product page cost section; a company-reported median from TechInsurance's own book of business, not a published rate table.

It sells D&O standalone or as an endorsement to a general liability or business owner's policy, so a small company may not need a separate policy. ⁴ Founder Shield sets a financial-strength floor for insurers instead of a price, and structures D&O as a standalone Side A, B and C policy. ³ ¹ Choose TechInsurance if you're a small tech business that wants a predictable price or D&O on the policy you already have; choose Founder Shield if you're venture-backed or public and want a broker to compare highly rated carriers for a larger standalone limit. ⁴ ¹

What Each States About Triggers and Exclusions

TechInsurance says its D&O is claims-made, meaning the policy must be active when the claim is made, and excludes criminal acts such as fraud or embezzlement. ⁴ Founder Shield's page explains Sides A, B and C but doesn't state the trigger or exclusions in the same terms, so ask. ¹

What Should You Confirm in Founder Shield and TechInsurance D&O Insurance Quotes?

Ask Founder Shield which carrier it selected and its current AM Best rating. ³
Ask TechInsurance whether the $133 median reflects companies of your size, industry and claims history. ⁴
Get limits in writing from both; neither publishes one for your company. ¹ ⁴
If you add D&O as an endorsement, ask TechInsurance whether it shares limits with your existing policy. ⁴

Founder Shield vs TechInsurance D&O Insurance Compared

Founder Shield vs TechInsurance: D&O Insurance: documented features by provider

Criteria	Founder Shield Directors & Officers Insurance	TechInsurance Directors and Officers Insurance (D&O)
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. ¹Company-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. ⁴Company-reported. D&O product page cost section; a company-reported median from TechInsurance's own book of business, not a published rate table.
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. ¹Company-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. ⁴Company-reported. D&O product page, Who needs D&O insurance coverage? section.
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. ¹Company-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). ⁴Company-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. ⁴Company-reported. D&O product page, How does directors and officers insurance work? and exclusions sections.
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. ²Company-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. ⁴Company-reported. D&O product page.