Lockton vs 
StartupInsurance.ai D&O Insurance
Lockton names a dedicated D&O claims team for brokered placements; StartupInsurance.ai instead flags a carrier-wide AI exclusion trend.
What Is Lockton?
Lockton is a privately held insurance brokerage that arranges commercial risk, employee benefits and retirement programs. US pages describe a technology practice and intermediary placement with insurers, not Lockton as the policy’s insurer. 1,2,3
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. 5,6
What Is Directors and Officers Insurance?
Directors and officers liability insurance addresses covered claims alleging wrongful acts in managing an organization. 9
Key Differences in D&O Insurance
Full-Service Broking Versus a Wording Check
Lockton frames its value around program design, market intelligence and integrated claims advocacy. 4 StartupInsurance.ai instead narrows to one specific service:
StartupInsurance.ai says one major carrier added a blanket AI exclusion to D&O (along with E&O and fiduciary forms), typically arriving at renewal inside an endorsement, and that it reviews policies for this exclusion as part of its free check. 7Company-reported. Homepage "wording that still says yes" section; names the exclusion trend industrywide but not the carrier, and does not state whether any StartupInsurance.ai-placed D&O policy carries this specific endorsement.
How You Start a Placement
StartupInsurance.ai puts D&O directly in its online quote flow as the first coverage box. 6 Lockton's page doesn't describe a comparable self-serve intake; it emphasizes designing and placing programs through a broking relationship rather than a digital form. 4
Who Arranges the Policy
StartupInsurance.ai's placements go through a separately named licensed agency, ContractorNerd Insurance Services, acting as agent or broker of record. 8 Lockton instead describes itself designing and placing D&O programs directly, without routing through a separately branded agency in the same way. 4
What to Confirm in D&O Insurance Quotes
- Ask Lockton which insurers it typically places D&O with; the reviewed page doesn't name one. 4
- Ask StartupInsurance.ai whether the carrier on your quote carries the AI exclusion it describes and whether it applies to D&O specifically. 7
- Confirm how claims are handled at each firm, since Lockton names a specific integrated team that StartupInsurance.ai's pages don't mirror. 4
- Ask which insurer would issue the policy in each case; StartupInsurance.ai's carrier panel is program-wide rather than broken out by line. 7
Offering Details
Lockton vs StartupInsurance.ai D&O Insurance: documented features by provider
| Criteria | Lockton Directors & Officers (D&O) Insurance Brokerage | StartupInsurance.ai Directors & Officers (D&O) Insurance |
|---|---|---|
| Role in This Line | Lockton designs and places D&O programs rather than underwriting them, saying effective coverage requires market intelligence, coverage-design precision and staying ahead of emerging risks like AI-related litigation and event-driven claims. 4Company-reported. D&O product page as read 2026-09-23. | StartupInsurance.ai lists directors and officers coverage among the lines its startup program places, and its homepage cites an investor's term-sheet request for D&O as a typical reason a founder comes to it. ContractorNerd Insurance Services, LLC arranges the placement as agent/broker of record rather than underwriting it. 7,8Company-reported. Homepage coverage list and "the problem" narrative, plus ContractorNerd's terms and conditions on its producer role; does not describe a specific D&O policy's terms. |
| Issuing Insurer | The D&O page does not name the insurers Lockton places D&O coverage with. 4Not publicly disclosed. D&O product page checked 2026-09-23. | The homepage's carrier panel names insurers with D&O capacity, such as Chubb (shown as A++ Admitted) and Coalition (shown as A- Surplus), but does not state that either one specifically underwrites D&O placements; the issuing insurer varies by placement. 7Not publicly disclosed. Homepage carrier panel and ratings card; the panel is program-wide, not broken out by coverage line. |
| Who It’s For | Lockton says D&O coverage it places can extend beyond directors and officers to trustees, employees, independent contractors, staff, committee members, volunteers, the corporate entity, majority-owned subsidiaries, spouses/domestic partners, and estates/heirs. 4Company-reported. D&O product page as read 2026-09-23. Describes who can typically be covered under a program Lockton structures, not a guarantee for any specific client. | StartupInsurance.ai frames D&O as coverage founders typically need once an investor's term sheet requires it, positioning the line for venture-backed startups with a board rather than pre-revenue companies with no outside investors. 7Company-reported. Homepage narrative example; not a stated underwriting eligibility rule (e.g., minimum funding stage or headcount). |
| Coverage Features | Lockton explains a traditional D&O program in three parts it says it can structure: Side A (direct coverage to individual directors/officers when the company can't indemnify them), Side B (reimbursing the company for indemnifying its D&Os), and Side C (entity coverage, generally limited to securities claims for public companies but broader for private and nonprofit organizations). 4Company-reported. D&O product page as read 2026-09-23. General educational description of program structure, not a specimen policy form. | StartupInsurance.ai says one major carrier added a blanket AI exclusion to D&O (along with E&O and fiduciary forms), typically arriving at renewal inside an endorsement, and that it reviews policies for this exclusion as part of its free check. 7Company-reported. Homepage "wording that still says yes" section; names the exclusion trend industrywide but not the carrier, and does not state whether any StartupInsurance.ai-placed D&O policy carries this specific endorsement. |
| Risk Services | Not described in the reviewed sources. | StartupInsurance.ai's free policy check reviews an existing program for AI exclusions and contract gaps within 48 hours, and the homepage specifically calls out D&O as one of the forms affected by the AI-exclusion trend it checks for. 7Company-reported. Homepage service description; a marketing offer describing what the review covers, not a report on any specific customer's D&O policy. |
| How to Apply | Not described in the reviewed sources. | Directors & Officers (D&O) is the first coverage box on StartupInsurance.ai's online quote-intake screen, described there as coverage that "protects your board and executives from lawsuits." 6Company-reported. Initial coverage-selection screen of the quote application; does not show the underwriting questions that follow for this line. |
| Claims Support | Lockton says its Professional & Executive Risk Claims team integrates experienced insurance and claims counsel within the broking team from the start of the relationship, rather than treating claims advocacy as a separate profit center. 4Company-reported. D&O product page as read 2026-09-23. | Not described in the reviewed sources. |
Full Comparison
More Lockton vs StartupInsurance.ai Comparisons
Other D&O Insurance Comparisons
Sources
Lockton
- Lockton United States. Lockton; Opening description of independent insurance brokerage for risk, benefits and retirement; Ask an Expert link to contact-us. Accessed 2026-09-16.
- Technology. Lockton; Industry introduction; cyber liability heading; dedicated technology team; listed services including claims advocacy, contract review, directors and officers liability, and international program design; 24/7 service model. Accessed 2026-09-16.
- US Terms of Business. Lockton; Opening entity definition; Surplus Lines; Use of a Particular Insurer; Compensation Disclosure; servicing, claims handling and renewal language in Confidentiality section; Intermediaries. Accessed 2026-09-16.
- D&O Insurance. Lockton; What is D&O insurance?; Side A/B/C coverage components; Who can be covered under a D&O program?; Claims management. Accessed 2026-09-23.
StartupInsurance.ai
- Company | Startup Insurance. StartupInsurance.ai; The story; founders; The free policy check; legal footer. Accessed 2026-09-16.
- Apply for Startup Insurance | StartupInsurance.ai. StartupInsurance.ai; Coverage-selection screen: Directors & Officers (D&O) — “Protects your board and executives from lawsuits”. Accessed 2026-09-23.
- Startup Insurance | Coverage that clears the review. StartupInsurance.ai; The problem (“An investor's term sheet asked for D&O”); Wording that still says yes (“One major carrier added a blanket AI exclusion to D&O, E&O and fiduciary”); Coverage: What we place; The free policy check. Accessed 2026-09-23.
- 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.
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.
