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
THREE small business insurance: coverage, issuer and buying routes
THREE markets a packaged commercial insurance product through a direct quote route and partner agents. Berkshire Hathaway Direct Insurance Company is named as issuer on THREE’s sample policy. 8,9
What Is Directors and Officers Insurance?
D&O insurance can help pay covered defense costs and losses from claims against company leaders over management decisions. If your organization has a board or executives, check whether the company itself is insured and whether legal bills reduce the limit. 11,12,13
Key Differences in D&O Insurance
Founder Shield Describes a General Carrier Standard
Founder Shield's carrier-selection FAQ says it places policies with insurers rated A- or better by AM Best and matches carrier appetite to industry. The offering record scopes this as a general selection practice, not a named issuer or a guarantee for a particular D&O placement; its D&O claim says the actual carrier depends on placement. THREE lists D&O as a marketed BOP category; its sample declarations identify an issuer only for that sample, so confirm the insurer and terms on the actual placement. Ask Founder Shield which insurer it proposes and confirm the issuer on THREE's own declarations. 3 10 9
Founder Shield Identifies D&O Audiences; THREE's Listing Is Package-Level
Founder Shield's D&O page names public and private businesses, venture-backed companies, and businesses with more than $1 million in creditor debt among the audiences for this coverage. THREE markets D&O within its combined small-business policy, but the listing alone does not establish whether it will appear in a specific applicant's quote. A founder weighing the options should ask Founder Shield how its proposal fits the company's funding or debt profile and ask THREE whether the D&O category is offered for that business. 6 10
What to Confirm in D&O Insurance Quotes
Founder Shield and THREE by Berkshire Hathaway Review Scores for 2026
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
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 reviewsTHREE by Berkshire Hathaway Review Score
Review Score
2 rated sources
The inspected sources report separate measures: NerdWallet’s 4.0/5 editorial rating is excluded from the source-rating average; Trustpilot displayed 2.5/5 from five user posts and BBB displayed 4.8/5 from 265 reviews. Trustpilot and BBB include different purchase, service and agent/intermediary interactions, not a verified common policyholder cohort. BBB separately lists complaints. Any source-rating average weights eligible platforms equally and is not a pooled, representative customer-experience estimate or a claims-quality measure.[4][3][1][2]
Read THREE by Berkshire Hathaway reviewsFounder Shield vs THREE by Berkshire Hathaway D&O Insurance Compared
Founder Shield vs THREE by Berkshire Hathaway: D&O Insurance: documented features by provider
| Criteria | Founder Shield Directors & Officers Insurance | THREE Business Owners Policy |
|---|---|---|
| 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. | THREE presents Directors and Officers as a component of its combined Business Owners Policy rather than identifying it as a separate standalone policy on the reviewed product page. 10Company-reported. Company-described U.S. package structure. The page does not establish underwriting terms or that every listed category will be included for every applicant. |
| 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 linked sample policy's declarations identify Berkshire Hathaway Direct Insurance Company as issuer. 9Company-reported. This is the issuer named on the public sample only; the sample does not establish the issuing entity for every state-specific quote or buyer's issued policy. |
| 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. | The reviewed product page does not state separate eligibility rules for Directors and Officers; the general quote and advisor route is not proof that a particular business qualifies for it. 10,8Not publicly disclosed. Eligibility and state availability remain unestablished for an individual risk until THREE returns its quote and applicable forms. |
| 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. | THREE's Business Owners Policy page lists Directors & Officers among its marketed coverage categories in the combined policy. This describes the product page, not whether the category appears in a particular quote or responds to a loss. 10,9Company-reported. Official THREE package marketing for Directors and Officers. The sample policy is state-selectable and does not establish that this item is included in every quote or issued policy. |
| 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. | The reviewed public product page does not state a separate limit or deductible for Directors and Officers; THREE says the quote-specific insurance summary lists limits and deductibles. 10,9Not publicly disclosed. No number is inferred from the sample policy. The quote and issued declarations control the buyer-specific limit and deductible. |
| 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. | THREE directs small-business prospects to an online quote and says licensed Small Business Advisors can help with the process. 8Company-reported. This is the route for the overall THREE product. It does not show whether Directors and Officers will be offered for a particular business or whether a customer can bind that line without an issued policy. |
Related Pages for Founder Shield vs THREE by Berkshire Hathaway D&O
D&O Insurance Pages for Founder Shield and THREE by Berkshire Hathaway
Other Coverage Lines Compared for Founder Shield vs THREE by Berkshire Hathaway
Other D&O Insurance Provider Comparisons
Sources for Founder Shield vs THREE by Berkshire Hathaway
Sources About 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.
- 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.
Sources About THREE by Berkshire Hathaway
- Jargon-free small business insurance - THREE by Berkshire Hathaway. Berkshire Hathaway Direct Insurance Company, dba THREE; Lines 23, 39, 70–81 and 406–410: business location quote entry, single-policy description, issuer, business focus, online quote and licensed Small Business Advisor route. Quote entry inspected without submitting a form. Accessed 2026-09-30.
- The Policy: 3 Jargon-free pages - THREE by Berkshire Hathaway. Berkshire Hathaway Direct Insurance Company, dba THREE; State-selectable sample policy: Summary (Declarations) identifies Berkshire Hathaway Direct Insurance Company as issuer and says the insurance summary lists limits and deductibles; sample policy text and state selection do not establish terms for a particular quote or issued policy. Accessed 2026-09-30.
- Business Owners Policy - THREE by Berkshire Hathaway. Berkshire Hathaway Direct Insurance Company, dba THREE; Product page: “No need for multiple policies” and one comprehensive policy; Business Liability, Property and Business Auto categories and the listed line names. Product page footer identifies Berkshire Hathaway Direct Insurance Company, dba THREE. Accessed 2026-09-30.
Sources for the 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.
- The Chubb Primary Directors & Officers and Entity Securities Liability Insurance. Chubb Group of Insurance Companies; hosted by eperils; I.A–C p.1; I.C p.1; I and III.A–B pp.1–2; VI Reporting pp.3–4. Accessed 2026-09-16.
- Private Company Directors and Officers Liability Coverage. Travelers Casualty and Surety Company of America; I.A–C p.1; I.C p.1; Header p.1 and VI.A pp.6–7. Accessed 2026-09-16.
