Your Board Members and Executives Are Personally Exposed.
D&O Insurance Changes That.
WHINS places directors and officers liability coverage for AI startups, venture-backed technology companies, and AI-enabled businesses. We work with specialty carriers and surplus lines markets that understand the governance risks unique to artificial intelligence companies.
Built for AI Companies With Boards, Investors, and Governance Exposure
If you have outside directors, institutional investors, an advisory board, or are raising capital, the personal assets of your leadership team are at risk without D&O coverage. We know which markets will actually write it.
AI Startups (Seed through Series C)
Pre-revenue and early-stage companies adding board members or closing priced funding rounds.
Venture-Backed AI Companies
Companies with institutional investors, lead directors, or board observer rights requiring D&O as a condition of investment.
AI SaaS and Platform Companies
Established technology companies integrating AI features into products and facing increased regulatory and investor scrutiny.
Model Developers and LLM Companies
Companies training, fine-tuning, or licensing large language models where data sourcing decisions carry board-level liability.
AI-Enabled Services
Professional services businesses deploying AI in client work where leadership faces claims from dissatisfied clients or employees.
Autonomous Systems Companies
Robotics, agentic AI, and systems making automated decisions where governance and oversight liability is elevated.
What D&O Insurance Covers for AI Companies
D&O insurance protects the personal assets of directors, officers, and board members when they are sued for decisions made in their capacity as company leaders. For AI companies, the risk categories are broader than most founders expect.
Investor Claims and Fundraising Disputes
The most common D&O claim for venture-backed companies. If investors allege that leadership misrepresented AI product capabilities, revenue projections, or risk disclosures during a funding round, D&O covers defense costs and settlements for named individuals.
Regulatory Investigations
Federal and state regulators are actively investigating AI companies for data practices, consumer harm, and algorithmic bias. D&O policies can cover the cost of responding to subpoenas and regulatory inquiries before a formal lawsuit is filed.
Training Data and IP Liability at the Board Level
Directors who approved data acquisition strategies may face personal liability if those decisions result in copyright infringement claims or FTC enforcement. This is an emerging exposure that most D&O underwriters are only beginning to address.
Employment Practices Claims
Fast-growth AI companies frequently generate wrongful termination, discrimination, and harassment claims against individual executives. EPL coverage is often packaged with D&O or available as a companion policy.
Side A Coverage
Protects individual directors and officers directly when the company cannot or will not indemnify them. This is the core personal asset protection that makes D&O essential for any outside board member.
We Place D&O Where Standard Markets Say No
Most business insurance agents will try to fit an AI company into a standard private company D&O form. That creates gaps that surface when a claim is filed. We work in surplus lines and specialty markets where coverage for AI-specific governance risks actually exists.
Surplus Lines and Specialty Market Access
When admitted carriers decline, we go to non-admitted markets including Lloyd’s syndicates and specialty carriers with forms built for technology companies.
Policy Form Review Before You Bind
We read the actual policy language and flag exclusions that matter for AI companies before you commit to a carrier.
Multi-State Placements
We place D&O coverage for AI companies across the United States. Based in Westlake Village, California. Placements are not limited to California.
Direct Broker Access
You work directly with Joel Wagner, CIC. Not a call center. Not a junior agent. The person who placed the policy answers your questions.
What AI Companies Ask Us About D&O
Does an AI startup need D&O insurance?
If you have a board of directors, outside advisors with board seats, or institutional investors, yes. D&O protects the personal assets of those individuals if they are named in a claim. Many venture investors require D&O as a condition of closing a funding round.
When should an AI company buy D&O coverage?
Before closing a priced funding round, before adding outside directors or board observers, and before entering regulated markets like healthcare, financial services, or government contracting. Buying after a known circumstance exists eliminates coverage for that exposure entirely.
What is Side A D&O coverage?
Side A coverage protects individual directors and officers when the company itself cannot or will not indemnify them, such as in an insolvency situation. It is the most important component of a D&O policy for individual board members and executives.
Does D&O cover regulatory investigations of AI companies?
Many D&O policies include coverage for the costs of responding to regulatory inquiries and investigations, even before a formal lawsuit is filed. The specific scope depends on the policy form. We review the actual language before recommending a carrier.
How much does D&O insurance cost for an AI startup?
Early-stage startups can often secure D&O coverage for a few thousand dollars per year. Costs increase with revenue, headcount, number of outside directors, and the complexity of your AI products. We can provide a preliminary indication quickly based on a short intake or our online application.
Can you place D&O if we have been declined by standard carriers?
Yes. Surplus lines markets exist specifically for risks that admitted carriers will not write. Being declined does not mean coverage is unavailable. It means you need a broker with access to non-admitted markets.
Do you work with AI companies outside California?
Yes. We place D&O and related commercial insurance for AI companies across the United States. Our agency is based in Westlake Village, California, but our placements are multi-state.
Apply for a D&O Quote
Complete our D&O application and we will follow up with coverage options within one to two business days.
