Startup D&O insurance

Startup D&O insurance for the round, the board, and the company.

The buying problem is a priced round. Investors and outside directors expect directors and officers cover at or before closing. Founders search “startup D&O” because the term sheet arrived, not because they want a management-liability lecture. We place it next to the cyber and E&O you already need to operate.

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What D&O actually responds to

Directors and officers insurance is for claims about how the business is run: investor suits, fundraising disputes, regulatory actions, and some employment-related management claims depending on the form. It protects individuals on the board and, on most startup forms, the company itself for certain securities-style claims.

It is not cyber. It is not Tech E&O. A customer saying the product failed still belongs on those policies. Mixing them up is how a closing checklist gets a useless certificate.

When it is early, and when it is late

Too early: two founders, no outside money, no board seats beyond yourselves
On time: a priced round, a lead investor, or the first outside director
Late: the close is next week and nobody has submitted an application

If you are late, say so in the notes. Deadlines change how we sequence markets. We still do not bind from this website.

Today: the operating stack

Cyber and Tech E&OCustomers and data do not wait for the round. Most startups still need this to sign the next MSA, D&O or not.

Workers compensationIf you have employees, requirements vary by state, employer type, and workforce. Investors will often ask. It is a different product.

As you grow: the D&O conversation

Priced roundThe usual trigger. Limits often start in a range the lead is used to seeing. We will not quote a number on this page. Underwriting sets it.

Outside board seatsOutside directors commonly expect the company to maintain D&O coverage, including Side A protection for them personally when the company cannot indemnify.

Employment growthEPLI often sits beside D&O as headcount rises. Some forms package management liability. We will say what you are buying.

Diligence or saleBuyers ask about run-off and who owns the tail. That is a later Stallion conversation, not a reason to skip the first policy.

Questions we hear

Not by statute. It is often required by the investor or by people joining the board. If your counsel or the lead is asking, treat it as part of closing, not as optional branding.

D&O is about management decisions. Injuries, wage claims, and product failures live on other policies. Who is an “insured person” is defined in the form. We walk that in plain language after we have a quote from a market, not before.

No. Premium depends on stage, raise, claims, and the market. Start an application. We aim to respond within one business day. We are not a carrier and we do not bind online.

Related guides

Start as a startup.

The application opens on venture or angel-backed so we ask about funding stage, not a generic trade questionnaire.

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