Founder Shield vs THREE by Berkshire Hathaway: How Do They Compare for Employment Practices Liability Insurance?

Founder Shield targets EPLI to startups, high-turnover businesses, and nonprofits, and places policies with third-party carriers; THREE lists EPLI as a BOP component. 6,7,10

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 Employment Practices Liability Insurance page

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

Read the THREE by Berkshire Hathaway profile

Read the THREE by Berkshire Hathaway Employment Practices Liability Insurance page

What Is Employment Practices Liability Insurance?

EPLI can help pay covered defense costs and losses when applicants or workers allege discrimination, harassment, wrongful termination or other workplace wrongdoing. If you employ people, check the claim definition, defense costs and prior acts. 11,12,13

Read the full coverage guide

Key Differences in Employment Practices Liability Insurance

Named Buyer Groups and Placement

Founder Shield markets EPLI to startups hiring their first employees, high-turnover retail and hospitality firms, professional-services businesses, technology companies, and nonprofits with volunteers. It acts as a retail brokerage placing policies with third-party carriers. THREE lists EPLI inside a combined Business Owners Policy aimed at small businesses and offers an online quote with licensed advisor help. A startup or nonprofit can ask Founder Shield to approach carriers for EPLI; a THREE buyer should confirm the organization and workforce qualify for the BOP route. 6 7 10

Covered Allegations and Policy Form

Founder Shield lists defense costs, settlements, and judgments for wrongful termination, discrimination, harassment, and retaliation. THREE’s reviewed record names EPLI among BOP categories but does not give a comparable list of covered allegations. Employers with volunteer workers, contractors, or specific hiring and termination concerns should compare insured-person definitions, covered acts, and the exact policy issuer on the proposal. 6 10

What to Confirm in Employment Practices Liability Insurance Quotes

  • Ask Founder Shield which carrier is issuing the policy and how its form treats volunteers and contractors. 3 6
  • Ask THREE for the EPLI limit, covered acts, and insured-person definitions in the quoted BOP. 10

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

7.4/ 10

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 reviews

THREE by Berkshire Hathaway Review Score

7.3/ 10

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 reviews

Founder Shield vs THREE by Berkshire Hathaway Employment Practices Liability Compared

Founder Shield vs THREE by Berkshire Hathaway: Employment Practices Liability Insurance: documented features by provider

CriteriaFounder Shield Employment Practices Liability InsuranceTHREE 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 Employment Practices Liability 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.

Founder Shield says EPLI is often purchased standalone but is sometimes packaged with Directors & Officers coverage, since employee-related suits frequently name corporate officers personally. 6Company-reported. EPLI product page.

THREE presents Employment Practices Liability 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 Employment Practices Liability 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 markets EPLI to startups hiring their first employees, retail and hospitality businesses with high turnover, professional-services firms, technology companies, and non-profits with volunteers. 6Company-reported. EPLI product page.

The reviewed product page does not state separate eligibility rules for Employment Practices Liability; 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 lists defense costs, settlements and judgments, and claims of wrongful termination, discrimination, harassment and retaliation as what EPLI responds to. 6Company-reported. Product page; the issued policy and declarations control actual coverage.

THREE's Business Owners Policy page lists Employment Practices Liability 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 Employment Practices Liability. The sample policy is state-selectable and does not establish that this item is included in every quote or issued policy.

Limits and Retentions

Confirm in your quote.

The reviewed public product page does not state a separate limit or deductible for Employment Practices Liability; 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 Employment Practices Liability 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 Employment Practices Liability 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

Employment Practices Liability Pages for Founder Shield and THREE by Berkshire Hathaway

Other Coverage Lines Compared for Founder Shield vs THREE by Berkshire Hathaway

Other Employment Practices Liability Insurance Provider Comparisons

Sources for Founder Shield vs THREE by Berkshire Hathaway

Sources About Founder Shield

  1. Founder Shield. Founder Shield; Opening broker description; Specialized Practices; Smart Tech, Smarter People; quote and sign-in links. Accessed 2026-09-15.
  2. 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.
  3. 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.
  4. 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.
  5. 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.
  6. Employment Practices Liability Insurance. Founder Shield; What Is EPL Insurance?; Who Needs EPL Insurance Coverage?; What Does EPL Insurance Cover? Accessed 2026-09-23.
  7. 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

  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. 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 Employment Practices Liability Insurance Guide

  1. Employment Practices Liability Insurance. Insurance Information Institute; Opening; What EPLI covers; Steps to limit employment liability risk. Accessed 2026-09-16.
  2. Employment Practices Liability Coverage. Travelers; I.A/II.A p.1; III.A.4–6 p.7; II.F Employment Claim, PDF p.2; I.B p.1; II.U–V p.5; II.L p.3; III.A.9 and A.13, pp.7–8; III.B.2 p.8; IV.A Settlement, PDF pp.8–9. Accessed 2026-09-16.
  3. Liability Coverage Terms and Conditions. Travelers; III.F–H p.6; III.O pp.8–9; III.F p.6; III.B–D, PDF pp.3–5; III.E–F, PDF pp.5–6. Accessed 2026-09-16.

Updated . Spot, a product of Tools for Enlightenment, publishes this research and works in the commercial insurance market. The comparison applies the same criteria to both providers. Editorial policy. To suggest a correction, contact Spot with the page URL and supporting source.

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