Founder Shield vs Travelers 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.

Travelers underwrites D&O liability insurance as part of its Management & Professional Liability line, sold standalone or alongside other management liability coverages. ¹¹Company-reported. Product page general framing; confirmed against the broader Management and Professional Liability Insurance 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 product page's video disclosures name Travelers Casualty and Surety Company of America and its property casualty affiliates; the specific issuing entity for a given policy can vary. ¹¹Company-reported. Product page video legal footer.

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.

Travelers markets D&O coverage to private companies, public companies, financial institutions and nonprofit organizations with boards of directors, and offers a version specifically for nonprofit organizations. ¹¹Company-reported. Product page "Who is D&O liability insurance right for?" section and nonprofit D&O video segment.

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.

Travelers says D&O insurance protects directors and officers from personal losses if sued by employees, vendors, customers or other parties, covering defense costs, settlements and other costs from wrongful-act allegations such as securities litigation, regulatory actions and breach-of-fiduciary-duty claims. ¹¹Company-reported. Product page introduction and "Travelers knows Directors & Officers Liability Insurance" section; exact terms and exclusions are set by the issued policy.

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 page does not publish D&O limits, retentions or premiums; it references illustrative claim examples (settlements and defense costs from roughly $85,000 to over $1 million) as general risk context, not as policy terms. ¹¹Not found in reviewed sources. Product page video claim scenarios as read on 2026-09-23.

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.

D&O coverage is bought through a Travelers independent agent. ¹¹Company-reported. Product page "Find an insurance agent" call to action.