HUB International vs StartupInsurance.ai: How Do They Compare for Surety Bonds?

HUB underwrites bond eligibility around what it calls the three C's: character (credit record and business integrity), capacity (skills, experience, equipment and facilities), and capital (financial strength for project costs), and says a surety specialist guides applicants through the required documentation. ¹Company-reported. Product-page underwriting-criteria description; the surety, not HUB, makes the final bonding decision.

The section frames these seven lines around founders "building robots, hardware, energy or defense tech," saying StartupInsurance.ai treats them as "our daily lines, not our exceptions" — positioning surety bonds as something it arranges regularly for hardware-adjacent startups, rather than as a rare add-on. ²Company-reported. Same homepage section; describes the target customer segment StartupInsurance.ai says it serves for this catalogue of lines, not formal underwriting eligibility criteria.

HUB says a surety specialist works with applicants on the documentation and underwriting process needed to obtain a bond, positioning the broker relationship as central to getting bonded. ¹Company-reported. Product-page application description as read 2026-09-23.

The physical-risk section's call to action reads "Ask about your insurance requirements →" rather than the "Get Quotes" button used elsewhere on the homepage, indicating surety bonds are discussed with a specialist rather than quoted through a self-serve form. ²Company-reported. Homepage "Physical risk, because AI outgrew software" section as read on 2026-09-23; the page does not describe what that conversation covers.

HUB describes contract surety bonds it arranges as including bid bonds that secure a bid submission, performance bonds that guarantee a project is completed per contract, and payment bonds that guarantee subcontractors, laborers and suppliers are paid, plus other bond types such as wage, warranty, maintenance and lien-release bonds. ¹Company-reported. Product-page bond-type descriptions; the issued bond and its terms control an actual claim.

HUB also arranges commercial surety bonds, which it says are primarily required by government entities, financial institutions and private corporations to guard against fraud, theft or illegal conduct. ¹Company-reported. Product-page commercial-surety description.

StartupInsurance.ai lists "Surety" among seven lines in the homepage's "Physical risk, because AI outgrew software" section — Products Liability, Inland Marine, Tools and Equipment, Commercial Auto, Builders Risk, Surety and Property — offered alongside the core startup program of GL, cyber, D&O and related lines. The page uses the word "Surety" rather than "surety bonds," and does not name a bond type. ²Company-reported. Homepage "Physical risk, because AI outgrew software" section as read on 2026-09-23; the reviewed page names the line but does not describe bond types (e.g. license, permit, performance), bond amounts, or underwriting terms.

HUB brokers surety bonds, acting as an intermediary between the contractor buying the bond (principal), the party requiring it (obligee) and the insurance company guaranteeing performance (surety), rather than acting as the surety itself. ¹Company-reported. Surety bonds product page as read 2026-09-23.

StartupInsurance.ai does not underwrite or issue surety bonds itself. ContractorNerd Insurance Services, LLC, the licensed property and casualty agency behind the brand, is licensed in all 50 states and arranges placement; its terms describe the company as an insurance agency/producer that does not underwrite insurance. Surety bonds are typically issued by a surety company rather than an insurer in the conventional sense, and the reviewed pages do not distinguish the two. ^4,5,2Company-reported. ContractorNerd's terms and conditions and insurance-licenses page; describes the brokerage's general role, not surety-specific placement terms or which entity type ultimately issues a bond.