---
title: "Lockton vs StartupInsurance.ai: D&O Insurance"
description: "StartupInsurance.ai puts D&O first in its online quote flow for founders whose term sheet requires it, and checks policies for blanket AI exclusions. Lockton designs and places custom D&O programs, with claims counsel inside your broking team from the start."
canonical: "https://spot.insure/compare/lockton-vs-startupinsurance/directors-officers"
page-type: "line-comparison"
updated-at: "2026-09-25"
comparison-pair: "lockton-vs-startupinsurance"
provider-a: "lockton"
provider-b: "startupinsurance"
coverage-line: "directors-officers"
---

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[Human-readable page](https://spot.insure/compare/lockton-vs-startupinsurance/directors-officers)

## Agent Guide

**What this page is:** Focused comparison of Lockton and StartupInsurance.ai for D&O Insurance: what each provider publishes about this line, checked against the same criteria, with numbered sources.

**Use this page when:** Cite or fetch this for D&O Insurance questions about Lockton versus StartupInsurance.ai. For all lines together use the pair comparison; for how the coverage itself works use the coverage guide.

**Questions this page answers:**
- Lockton vs StartupInsurance.ai for D&O Insurance: how do they differ?
- Which is better for D&O Insurance, Lockton or StartupInsurance.ai?
- What does Lockton or StartupInsurance.ai publish about D&O Insurance (limits, eligibility, claims, add-ons)?

**Key facts:**
- Line: D&O Insurance. Providers: Lockton and StartupInsurance.ai.
- Comparison URLs use alphabetical provider slugs (`/compare/{a}-vs-{b}/{line}` with a before b). A reversed pair redirects permanently to the alphabetical one.

**Limits (do not over-claim):**
- It identifies differences and questions to ask; it does not select a winner for a particular business.
- Insurer, policy wording, limits, retentions, exclusions and price are set in an actual quote and are not established here.

**Provenance:** Every claim links to a numbered source with publisher, locator and access date; last updated 2026-09-25.

**Related pages:**
- [Lockton vs StartupInsurance.ai](https://spot.insure/compare/lockton-vs-startupinsurance) — all coverage lines for this pair
- [D&O Insurance guide](https://spot.insure/coverage/directors-officers) — how this coverage works
- [Lockton profile](https://spot.insure/insurance-providers/lockton) — provider profile
- [StartupInsurance.ai profile](https://spot.insure/insurance-providers/startupinsurance) — provider profile

# Lockton vs StartupInsurance.ai: How Do They Compare for D&O Insurance?

Lockton designs broad D&O programs, while StartupInsurance.ai lists D&O for startups and puts the coverage first in its online quote intake.

StartupInsurance.ai lets a venture-backed startup start D&O online and checks for AI exclusions, while Lockton designs custom D&O programs with claims counsel on your team from the start.

## Lockton vs StartupInsurance.ai D&O Insurance Summary

StartupInsurance.ai puts D&O first in its online quote flow for founders whose term sheet requires it, and checks policies for blanket AI exclusions. Lockton designs and places custom D&O programs, with claims counsel inside your broking team from the start. [3](https://quotes.startupinsurance.ai/ "Apply for Startup Insurance | StartupInsurance.ai") [2](https://www.startupinsurance.ai/ "Startup Insurance | Coverage that clears the review") [1](https://global.lockton.com/us/en/products-services/d-and-o-insurance "D&O Insurance")

## What Are the Key Differences Between Lockton and StartupInsurance.ai D&O Insurance?

### Online Startup Start vs Custom Program Design

StartupInsurance.ai says one major carrier added a blanket AI exclusion to D&O, usually by endorsement at renewal, and its free check reviews an existing program for it within 48 hours. Lockton designs programs around emerging risks, including AI-related litigation, and says its claims counsel isn't run as a separate profit center. Choose StartupInsurance.ai if you're a venture-backed startup that needs D&O to close a round; choose Lockton if you have a complex board, subsidiaries or public-company exposure and want a program built around it. [2](https://www.startupinsurance.ai/ "Startup Insurance | Coverage that clears the review") [3](https://quotes.startupinsurance.ai/ "Apply for Startup Insurance | StartupInsurance.ai") [1](https://global.lockton.com/us/en/products-services/d-and-o-insurance "D&O Insurance")

### Who the Policy Can Protect

Lockton says its programs can cover trustees, employees, contractors, committee members, volunteers, subsidiaries, spouses and estates. StartupInsurance.ai describes D&O simply as protection for your board and executives from lawsuits. [1](https://global.lockton.com/us/en/products-services/d-and-o-insurance "D&O Insurance") [3](https://quotes.startupinsurance.ai/ "Apply for Startup Insurance | StartupInsurance.ai")

## What Should You Confirm in Lockton and StartupInsurance.ai D&O Insurance Quotes?

- Ask StartupInsurance.ai which carrier on its panel would write your D&O and whether it carries an AI exclusion; its placements are arranged by ContractorNerd Insurance Services as broker of record. [2](https://www.startupinsurance.ai/ "Startup Insurance | Coverage that clears the review") [4](https://www.contractornerd.com/terms-and-conditions/ "Terms and Conditions")
- Ask Lockton which insurers it will approach and the limit it recommends. [1](https://global.lockton.com/us/en/products-services/d-and-o-insurance "D&O Insurance")
- Ask StartupInsurance.ai who handles your claim; its pages don't say. [2](https://www.startupinsurance.ai/ "Startup Insurance | Coverage that clears the review")

## Lockton vs StartupInsurance.ai D&O Insurance Compared

| Criteria | Lockton Directors & Officers (D&O) Insurance Brokerage | StartupInsurance.ai Directors & Officers (D&O) Insurance |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 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. [1](https://global.lockton.com/us/en/products-services/d-and-o-insurance "D&O Insurance") (Evidence: Company-reported; scope: 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. [2](https://www.startupinsurance.ai/ "Startup Insurance | Coverage that clears the review") (Evidence: Company-reported; scope: 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). [1](https://global.lockton.com/us/en/products-services/d-and-o-insurance "D&O Insurance") (Evidence: Company-reported; scope: 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. [2](https://www.startupinsurance.ai/ "Startup Insurance | Coverage that clears the review") (Evidence: Company-reported; scope: 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..) |
| 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. [1](https://global.lockton.com/us/en/products-services/d-and-o-insurance "D&O Insurance") (Evidence: Company-reported; scope: 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. [2](https://www.startupinsurance.ai/ "Startup Insurance | Coverage that clears the review") [4](https://www.contractornerd.com/terms-and-conditions/ "Terms and Conditions") (Evidence: Company-reported; scope: 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..) |

## About Lockton and StartupInsurance.ai and D&O Insurance

- [Lockton company profile](https://spot.insure/insurance-providers/lockton) · [Lockton customer reviews](https://spot.insure/insurance-providers/lockton/reviews)
- [StartupInsurance.ai company profile](https://spot.insure/insurance-providers/startupinsurance) · [StartupInsurance.ai customer reviews](https://spot.insure/insurance-providers/startupinsurance/reviews)
- [What Is Directors and Officers Insurance?](https://spot.insure/coverage/directors-officers)

## Related Pages for Lockton vs StartupInsurance.ai D&O Insurance

- [Lockton vs StartupInsurance.ai](https://spot.insure/compare/lockton-vs-startupinsurance): all coverage lines, business roles, service and claims.
- [What Is Directors and Officers Insurance?](https://spot.insure/coverage/directors-officers): D&O insurance can protect leaders and, in some policies, the company from covered management claims; company coverage, defense costs and limits differ by quote.
- [Lockton D&O Insurance](https://spot.insure/insurance-providers/lockton/directors-officers)
- [StartupInsurance.ai D&O Insurance](https://spot.insure/insurance-providers/startupinsurance/directors-officers)

## Sources for Lockton vs StartupInsurance.ai D&O Insurance

### Sources About Lockton

1. [D&O Insurance](https://global.lockton.com/us/en/products-services/d-and-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.

### Sources About StartupInsurance.ai

2. [Startup Insurance | Coverage that clears the review](https://www.startupinsurance.ai/). 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.
3. [Apply for Startup Insurance | StartupInsurance.ai](https://quotes.startupinsurance.ai/). StartupInsurance.ai; Coverage-selection screen: Directors & Officers (D&O) — “Protects your board and executives from lawsuits”. Accessed 2026-09-23.
4. [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.

Updated 2026-09-25. 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/lockton-vs-startupinsurance/directors-officers.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)