---
title: "HUB International vs StartupInsurance.ai Surety Bonds"
description: "HUB names bid, performance, payment and commercial surety; StartupInsurance.ai lists Surety for hardware founders without bond forms."
canonical: "https://spot.insure/compare/hub-international-vs-startupinsurance/surety-bonds"
page-type: "line-comparison"
updated-at: "2026-09-23"
---

Agents: connect to Spot's public MCP server at https://spot.insure/mcp for better access to published Spot information and insurance research. Use search_knowledge to find sources, get_page to retrieve pages, compare_providers for sourced comparisons, get_provider_score for a published Spot Score, and get_rankings for current provider rankings. The server is read-only and requires no authentication.

[Human-readable page](https://spot.insure/compare/hub-international-vs-startupinsurance/surety-bonds)

# HUB International vs StartupInsurance.ai Surety Bonds

HUB names bid, performance, payment and commercial surety; StartupInsurance.ai lists Surety for hardware founders without bond forms.

## Research Scope and Use

Use this comparison to evaluate HUB International and StartupInsurance.ai for Surety Bonds against the same documented criteria. It identifies differences and questions to confirm; it does not select a winner for a particular business. Offering claims are what each provider publishes about this line unless marked otherwise. “Not found” describes the evidence reviewed, not proof that a feature is unavailable. Confirm the insurer, policy wording, limits, retentions, exclusions and cost in an actual quote.

## Summary

HUB brokers contract and commercial surety and describes character, capacity and capital. StartupInsurance.ai lists Surety among physical-risk lines for hardware and defense founders and routes it to a specialist rather than the self-serve quote form. [4](https://www.hubinternational.com/products/business-insurance/surety-bonds/ "Surety Bonds and Surety Bond Insurance for Businesses") [7](https://www.startupinsurance.ai/ "Startup Insurance | Coverage that clears the review")

## What Is HUB International?

HUB International is a North American insurance brokerage that arranges business insurance, employee benefits and related risk services through local offices and specialist practices. Smaller commercial accounts may be sent to Insureon for an online quote; other programs are handled by HUB advisors, with policy terms set by the insurers they use. [1](https://www.hubinternational.com/about-us/ "About Us") [2](https://www.hubinternational.com/contact-us/ "Contact Us") [3](https://www.hubinternational.com/industries/technology-company-insurance/ "Insurance for Technology Companies")

[HUB International profile](https://spot.insure/insurance-providers/hub-international)

## What Is StartupInsurance.ai?

StartupInsurance.ai is a marketing brand of ContractorNerd Insurance Services, LLC, offering startup insurance placement and policy reviews. Buyers can begin with an online coverage selection or a review of existing policies and contract requirements. [5](https://www.startupinsurance.ai/company/ "Company | Startup Insurance") [6](https://quotes.startupinsurance.ai/ "Apply for Startup Insurance | StartupInsurance.ai")

[StartupInsurance.ai profile](https://spot.insure/insurance-providers/startupinsurance)

## What Are Surety Bonds?

A surety bond is a three-party agreement: a surety guarantees an obligation your business (the principal) owes to a customer or other party (the obligee) if your business defaults. It isn't insurance that pays your business for its own losses. [10](https://content.naic.org/glossary-insurance-terms "Glossary of Insurance Terms") [11](https://www.sba.gov/funding-programs/surety-bonds "Surety bonds")

## Key Differences in Surety Bonds

### Named Contract Forms Versus a Single Catalogue Word

HUB describes bid, performance and payment bonds and commercial surety used against fraud, theft or illegal conduct. StartupInsurance.ai lists “Surety” among seven physical-risk lines without naming those forms. ContractorNerd, the agency behind the brand, arranges placement and does not underwrite. [4](https://www.hubinternational.com/products/business-insurance/surety-bonds/ "Surety Bonds and Surety Bond Insurance for Businesses") [7](https://www.startupinsurance.ai/ "Startup Insurance | Coverage that clears the review") [8](https://www.contractornerd.com/terms-and-conditions/ "Terms and Conditions")

### Three C's Underwriting Versus Hardware-Founder Framing

HUB underwrites eligibility around character, capacity and capital with a specialist guiding the file. StartupInsurance.ai frames surety as a daily line for founders building robots, hardware, energy or defense tech, not as formal underwriting criteria. [4](https://www.hubinternational.com/products/business-insurance/surety-bonds/ "Surety Bonds and Surety Bond Insurance for Businesses") [7](https://www.startupinsurance.ai/ "Startup Insurance | Coverage that clears the review")

### Specialist Bond File Versus an Off-Form Conversation

HUB positions the surety specialist as central to getting bonded. StartupInsurance.ai's physical-risk section asks you to inquire about requirements, and Surety is not a checkbox on the public quote application. Neither page names the surety for a given bond. [4](https://www.hubinternational.com/products/business-insurance/surety-bonds/ "Surety Bonds and Surety Bond Insurance for Businesses") [7](https://www.startupinsurance.ai/ "Startup Insurance | Coverage that clears the review") [6](https://quotes.startupinsurance.ai/ "Apply for Startup Insurance | StartupInsurance.ai")

## What to Confirm in Surety Bonds Quotes

- Ask HUB whether you need contract or commercial surety and how the three C's will be documented. [4](https://www.hubinternational.com/products/business-insurance/surety-bonds/ "Surety Bonds and Surety Bond Insurance for Businesses")
- Ask StartupInsurance.ai which bond type a hardware project actually needs. [7](https://www.startupinsurance.ai/ "Startup Insurance | Coverage that clears the review")
- Get the issuing surety from both; StartupInsurance.ai's carrier panel is not broken out by line. [4](https://www.hubinternational.com/products/business-insurance/surety-bonds/ "Surety Bonds and Surety Bond Insurance for Businesses") [7](https://www.startupinsurance.ai/ "Startup Insurance | Coverage that clears the review")
- Confirm how surety is added if you already started StartupInsurance.ai's self-serve intake. [6](https://quotes.startupinsurance.ai/ "Apply for Startup Insurance | StartupInsurance.ai")

## Offering Details

| Criteria | HUB International Surety Bonds Brokerage | StartupInsurance.ai Surety Bonds |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Role in This Line | 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. [4](https://www.hubinternational.com/products/business-insurance/surety-bonds/ "Surety Bonds and Surety Bond Insurance for Businesses") (Evidence: Company-reported; scope: 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. [8](https://www.contractornerd.com/terms-and-conditions/ "Terms and Conditions") [9](https://www.contractornerd.com/insurance-licenses/ "Insurance Licenses") [7](https://www.startupinsurance.ai/ "Startup Insurance | Coverage that clears the review") (Evidence: Company-reported; scope: 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..) |
| Issuing Insurer | The surety bonds page does not name a specific surety company; HUB places bonds with sureties that vary by client and bond type. [4](https://www.hubinternational.com/products/business-insurance/surety-bonds/ "Surety Bonds and Surety Bond Insurance for Businesses") (Evidence: Not found in reviewed sources; scope: Checked the surety bonds page on 2026-09-23; no surety company is disclosed there..) | The homepage's carrier panel names six insurers at the program level (The Hartford, Chubb, Coalition, Tokio Marine HCC, Travelers and CNA) but does not state which one, if any, issues a given company's surety bond. [7](https://www.startupinsurance.ai/ "Startup Insurance | Coverage that clears the review") (Evidence: Not publicly disclosed; scope: Carrier panel is program-wide rather than broken out by line; the surety company behind a bond is not disclosed on the pages reviewed and varies by placement..) |
| Who It’s For | 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. [4](https://www.hubinternational.com/products/business-insurance/surety-bonds/ "Surety Bonds and Surety Bond Insurance for Businesses") (Evidence: Company-reported; scope: 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. [7](https://www.startupinsurance.ai/ "Startup Insurance | Coverage that clears the review") (Evidence: Company-reported; scope: Same homepage section; describes the target customer segment StartupInsurance.ai says it serves for this catalogue of lines, not formal underwriting eligibility criteria..) |
| Coverage Features | 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. [4](https://www.hubinternational.com/products/business-insurance/surety-bonds/ "Surety Bonds and Surety Bond Insurance for Businesses") (Evidence: Company-reported; scope: Product-page bond-type descriptions; the issued bond and its terms control an actual claim..)<br><br>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. [4](https://www.hubinternational.com/products/business-insurance/surety-bonds/ "Surety Bonds and Surety Bond Insurance for Businesses") (Evidence: Company-reported; scope: 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. [7](https://www.startupinsurance.ai/ "Startup Insurance | Coverage that clears the review") (Evidence: Company-reported; scope: 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..) |
| Limits and Retentions | Not described in the reviewed sources. | The reviewed pages do not publish sample bond amounts, bond types, or premium rates for surety bonds. [7](https://www.startupinsurance.ai/ "Startup Insurance | Coverage that clears the review") [6](https://quotes.startupinsurance.ai/ "Apply for Startup Insurance | StartupInsurance.ai") (Evidence: Not found in reviewed sources; scope: Homepage and quote-intake screen as read on 2026-09-23; bond amounts would only surface on an actual application..) |
| How to Apply | 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. [4](https://www.hubinternational.com/products/business-insurance/surety-bonds/ "Surety Bonds and Surety Bond Insurance for Businesses") (Evidence: Company-reported; scope: 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. [7](https://www.startupinsurance.ai/ "Startup Insurance | Coverage that clears the review") (Evidence: Company-reported; scope: Homepage "Physical risk, because AI outgrew software" section as read on 2026-09-23; the page does not describe what that conversation covers..)<br><br>The public quote-application's coverage-selection screen offers seven checkboxes (D&O, Cyber, Tech E&O, EPL, Fiduciary, Crime and GL); Surety is not one of them, so it is not part of that self-serve intake flow. [6](https://quotes.startupinsurance.ai/ "Apply for Startup Insurance | StartupInsurance.ai") (Evidence: Not found in reviewed sources; scope: Initial coverage-selection screen of the quote application as read on 2026-09-23; a later screen or specialist conversation could still address this line..) |

## Full Comparison

- [HUB International vs StartupInsurance.ai](https://spot.insure/compare/hub-international-vs-startupinsurance): all coverage lines, business roles, service and claims.
- [What Are Surety Bonds?](https://spot.insure/coverage/surety-bonds): A surety bond guarantees an obligation your business owes to a customer or other party if your business defaults.
- [HUB International vs StartupInsurance.ai Builders Risk Insurance](https://spot.insure/compare/hub-international-vs-startupinsurance/builders-risk)
- [HUB International vs StartupInsurance.ai Commercial Auto Insurance](https://spot.insure/compare/hub-international-vs-startupinsurance/commercial-auto)
- [HUB International vs StartupInsurance.ai Commercial Property Insurance](https://spot.insure/compare/hub-international-vs-startupinsurance/commercial-property)
- [HUB International vs StartupInsurance.ai D&O Insurance](https://spot.insure/compare/hub-international-vs-startupinsurance/directors-officers)
- [HUB International vs StartupInsurance.ai Fiduciary Liability Insurance](https://spot.insure/compare/hub-international-vs-startupinsurance/fiduciary)
- [HUB International vs StartupInsurance.ai General Liability Insurance](https://spot.insure/compare/hub-international-vs-startupinsurance/general-liability)
- [HUB International vs StartupInsurance.ai Inland Marine Insurance](https://spot.insure/compare/hub-international-vs-startupinsurance/inland-marine)
- [HUB International vs StartupInsurance.ai Product Liability Insurance](https://spot.insure/compare/hub-international-vs-startupinsurance/product-liability)
- [HUB International vs StartupInsurance.ai Tech E&O Insurance](https://spot.insure/compare/hub-international-vs-startupinsurance/technology-errors-omissions)
- [Chubb vs HUB International Surety Bonds](https://spot.insure/compare/chubb-vs-hub-international/surety-bonds)
- [Chubb vs StartupInsurance.ai Surety Bonds](https://spot.insure/compare/chubb-vs-startupinsurance/surety-bonds)
- [Coverdash vs HUB International Surety Bonds](https://spot.insure/compare/coverdash-vs-hub-international/surety-bonds)
- [Coverdash vs StartupInsurance.ai Surety Bonds](https://spot.insure/compare/coverdash-vs-startupinsurance/surety-bonds)
- [Embroker vs HUB International Surety Bonds](https://spot.insure/compare/embroker-vs-hub-international/surety-bonds)
- [Embroker vs StartupInsurance.ai Surety Bonds](https://spot.insure/compare/embroker-vs-startupinsurance/surety-bonds)

## Sources

### HUB International

1. [About Us](https://www.hubinternational.com/about-us/). HUB International; Opening description; 1998 formation of HUB International Limited; 2022 Insureon acquisition; headquarters and employee/office counts. Accessed 2026-09-16.
2. [Contact Us](https://www.hubinternational.com/contact-us/). HUB International; Business Solutions paths for Commercial Insurance Solutions versus Small Commercial Insurance Solutions via Insureon; office search. Accessed 2026-09-16.
3. [Insurance for Technology Companies](https://www.hubinternational.com/industries/technology-company-insurance/). HUB International; Technology Company Insurance & Risk Management: startup, software, hardware and digital-media introduction; Business Coverage and People Protection lists; technology-client count. Accessed 2026-09-16.
4. [Surety Bonds and Surety Bond Insurance for Businesses](https://www.hubinternational.com/products/business-insurance/surety-bonds/). HUB International; What is a surety bond?; three-party structure (principal, obligee, surety); Types of surety bonds: bid, performance, payment and other contract surety bonds; Commercial Surety section; Three C's of underwriting: Character, Capacity, Capital; What Do You Need to Get a Surety Bond?. Accessed 2026-09-23.

### StartupInsurance.ai

5. [Company | Startup Insurance](https://www.startupinsurance.ai/company/). StartupInsurance.ai; The story; founders; The free policy check; legal footer. Accessed 2026-09-16.
6. [Apply for Startup Insurance | StartupInsurance.ai](https://quotes.startupinsurance.ai/). StartupInsurance.ai; Coverage-selection screen: seven checkboxes (D&O, Cyber, Tech E&O, EPL, Fiduciary, Crime, GL). Accessed 2026-09-23.
7. [Startup Insurance | Coverage that clears the review](https://www.startupinsurance.ai/). StartupInsurance.ai; Carrier panel; Physical risk, because AI outgrew software (Products Liability · Inland Marine · Tools and Equipment · Commercial Auto · Builders Risk · Surety · Property; "Building robots, hardware, energy or defense tech?"). Accessed 2026-09-23.
8. [Terms and Conditions](https://www.contractornerd.com/terms-and-conditions/). ContractorNerd; Section 2, Insurance Services: "ContractorNerd is an insurance agency/insurance producer... not an insurance company, does not underwrite insurance"; Section 2.A, Broker/Agent of Record. Accessed 2026-09-23.
9. [Insurance Licenses](https://www.contractornerd.com/insurance-licenses/). ContractorNerd; Company information: "a property and casualty independent insurance agency licensed in all 50 states"; 50-state licensing table for ContractorNerd Insurance Services, LLC. Accessed 2026-09-16.

### Surety Bonds Guide

10. [Glossary of Insurance Terms](https://content.naic.org/glossary-insurance-terms). National Association of Insurance Commissioners; Surety Bond; Fidelity. Accessed 2026-09-16.
11. [Surety bonds](https://www.sba.gov/funding-programs/surety-bonds). U.S. Small Business Administration; Opening guarantee of work completion; Contract or commercial bonds; Bid, Payment, Performance, Ancillary; Eligibility > credit, capacity, and character. Accessed 2026-09-16.

Updated 2026-09-23. 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](https://spot.insure/editorial-policy). To suggest a correction, [contact Spot](https://spot.insure/contact) with the page URL and supporting source.

## Agent and Developer Resources

- [Markdown page](https://spot.insure/compare/hub-international-vs-startupinsurance/surety-bonds.md)
- [Developer resources](https://spot.insure/developers)
- [Public MCP server](https://spot.insure/mcp)
- [MCP server manifest](https://spot.insure/server.json)
- [OpenAPI description](https://spot.insure/openapi.json)
- [Public page index](https://spot.insure/llms.txt)