Counterpart vs Foundershield: Professional Liability / E&O Insurance

Venture firms, SaaS marketplaces and software developers can ask Founder Shield, a retail brokerage, to approach carriers for them. Counterpart sells through wholesale brokers with separate programs by profession.

Kearny Risk organizes these comparisons for firms whose advice, content or technology creates professional exposures.Research updated 2026-10-01

Founder Shield targets service firms including consultants and software developers and often packages E&O with tech E&O and cyber; Counterpart separates programs by profession.

What Are the Key Differences Between Counterpart and Founder Shield Professional Liability (E&O) Insurance?

Program Structure and Professional Fit

Founder Shield targets venture capital firms, consultants, media and advertising agencies, SaaS marketplaces and software developers, and says E&O is often packaged with technology E&O and cyber. Counterpart lists distinct programs for miscellaneous professionals, architects/engineers/contractors, allied healthcare and lawyers. A business with intertwined technology and professional exposures should ask Founder Shield how the policies coordinate; a licensed or specialized profession should identify Counterpart's matching program. [6] [3] [2] [5] [8]

Carrier Selection and Limits

Founder Shield's carrier page reviewed September 23, 2026 said it places E&O with carriers rated A- or better and selects them for the client's industry; the page does not name the carrier for a specific placement. Counterpart publishes modular limits and selected examples. Ask both for the proposed insurer and the complete limit and retention schedule. [9] [6] [5]

What Should You Confirm in Counterpart and Founder Shield Professional Liability (E&O) Insurance Quotes?

  • Founder Shield: ask which carrier and retroactive date are proposed and whether tech E&O is part of the placement. Counterpart: verify the profession program and whether quoted limits are separate across coverage parts. [9] [8] [6] [5]

Areas of coverage

Counterpart

  • role: Counterpart describes its product distribution through Counterpart Insurance Services, Inc. and wholesale brokers. The cited marketing pages do not identify the insurer for a particular professional-liability risk or state.company-reportedSource ↗Source ↗
  • eligibility: Counterpart lists distinct professional-liability programs for miscellaneous professionals, architects/engineers/contractors, allied healthcare and lawyers. Each page has its own occupation scope; no single eligibility rule applies across all four products.company-reportedSource ↗Source ↗Source ↗Source ↗
  • coverage: The Lawyers Professional Liability page describes claims arising from lawyers’ professional services; the MPL page gives service-related negligence and financial-loss examples. These are distinct program summaries and do not establish identical policy triggers or coverages.company-reportedSource ↗Source ↗
  • limits: Counterpart says its professional pages support modular limits and presents sample limits and retentions for selected professions. Published examples are illustrative, not terms available to a particular applicant.company-reportedSource ↗Source ↗

Founder Shield

  • role: Founder Shield is a retail insurance brokerage, described on its site as “the innovation arm of The Baldwin Group,” and places Founder Shield Errors & Omissions Insurance with third-party carriers rather than underwriting the policy itself. About-us page; applies to Founder Shield's brokerage model generally, restated here for this line.company-reportedSource ↗
  • eligibility: Founder Shield markets E&O to venture capital firms, consultants, media and advertising agencies, SaaS marketplaces, and software developers who perform services for other parties. Errors & Omissions Insurance product page.company-reportedSource ↗
  • coverage: Founder Shield lists defense costs, defense against disciplinary or regulatory proceedings, lost-earnings coverage, and claims from errors by employees or contractors as what E&O responds to. Product page; the issued policy and declarations control actual coverage.company-reportedSource ↗
  • role: Founder Shield says E&O (professional liability) is often packaged with technology E&O and cyber coverage since the two types of claims tend to intertwine. Errors & Omissions Insurance product page.company-reportedSource ↗
  • insurer: Founder Shield says it places policies, including Founder Shield Errors & Omissions Insurance, only with carriers rated A- or better by AM Best, chosen for the client's industry. It does not name the issuing insurer for this line; that depends on which carrier the policy is placed with. General carrier-selection FAQ, not specific to this line's placements.company-reportedSource ↗
  • application: You request Founder Shield Errors & Omissions Insurance through Founder Shield's website or an insurance advisor rather than binding coverage directly; Founder Shield says its placement team then approaches carriers on the client's behalf. About-us and carrier-selection pages describe the general placement process, not a line-specific application form.company-reportedSource ↗Source ↗

Sources reviewed

  1. 01
    How can I get insurance through Counterpart?

    Counterpart Knowledge Center · Retained source: article describes wholesale-broker referral route; prior access 2026-09-28. · accessed 2026-09-28

  2. 02
    Allied Medical & Healthcare Liability

    Counterpart, Inc. · Retained provider source: names allied healthcare classes, combined coverage/enhancements and illustrative limits/examples; does not establish conventional malpractice for every medical profession or standalone general liability. Prior access 2026-09-28; direct reopen failed in this session. · accessed 2026-09-28

  3. 03
    Architects, Engineers, & Contractors Liability

    Counterpart, Inc. · Retained provider source: A&E/contractor class examples, services, enhancements and illustrative limits; prior access 2026-09-28. · accessed 2026-09-28

  4. 04
    Counterpart | Agentic Insurance™

    Counterpart, Inc. · Retained provider source: footer states insurance products are offered by Counterpart Insurance Services, Inc., described as a licensed producer and surplus-lines broker; product/state availability varies, issuer not mapped by product/state. Prior access 2026-09-29. · accessed 2026-09-29

  5. 05
    Lawyers Professional Liability Insurance

    Counterpart, Inc. · Reopened 2026-09-30: page lines 4–8 names lawyer-focused product; lines 236–272 company-stated geographic reach, modular liability limit examples, professional services, technology/media extensions and GL alongside professional cover. Product terms remain policy-specific. · accessed 2026-09-30

  6. 06
    Professional & General Liability

    Counterpart, Inc. · Reopened 2026-09-30: page lines 4–8 says MPL may be purchased alone or packaged with GL; lines 208–245 describe industries and coverage examples; lines 251–283 describe risk assessment, quoting channels and underwriter access. Marketing page, not binding terms. · accessed 2026-09-30

  7. 07
    About Us

    Founder Shield · “Founder Shield is the innovation arm of The Baldwin Group”; company history and mission · accessed 2026-09-23

  8. 08
    Errors & Omissions Insurance

    Founder Shield · What Is Errors & Omissions Insurance?; Who Needs Errors & Omissions Insurance Coverage?; What Does Errors and Omissions Insurance Cover? · accessed 2026-09-23

  9. 09
    How Do You Decide Which Carriers to Approach?

    Founder Shield · FAQ answer on carrier selection: works exclusively with A-rated (AM Best) carriers, matched by industry appetite · accessed 2026-09-23

  10. 10
    Professional Liability – US Direct Errors and Omissions Insurance

    Hiscox Inc. specimen · About this Policy / Coverage for Claims Made Against You; I.A Insuring Agreement; I.B Defense; I.C Settlement; II.A Notice of Claims; II.C Optional Extended Reporting Period; III.A, III.K, III.M, III.R, III.S Exclusions; IV.A–B Limits and Deductible; VI.O Professional Services; VI.U Wrongful Act · accessed 2026-09-16

  11. 11
    Professional liability insurance

    Insurance Information Institute · Opening paragraphs (professional services/advice and E&O name); Claims not covered by general liability; What types of businesses need professional liability insurance?; What’s covered… and what’s not (claims-made versus occurrence, defense and judgments, non-financial/intentional limits, BOP/in-home exclusion) · accessed 2026-09-16

  12. 12
    FAQ: Professional liability insurance

    Texas Department of Insurance · What’s professional liability coverage?; What types of damages…; What’s general liability insurance?; Do I need professional liability… if I have general liability…?; Is professional liability insurance required?; Can a client require…?; What’s the difference between occurrence policies and claims-made policies · accessed 2026-09-16

  13. 13
    Get business insurance

    U.S. Small Business Administration · Six common types of business insurance table · accessed 2026-09-16

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