Cyber liability, professional indemnity, D&O and employee benefits for California tech companies — from seed-stage startups to established enterprises.
Health, dental, vision, life and disability plans that help you compete for engineering and product talent in California’s tight labor market.
Covers data-breach response costs, network-security failures, ransomware demands, regulatory fines and third-party lawsuits. Critical for any company that stores customer data, processes payments or relies on cloud infrastructure.
Protects against claims that your software, code, consulting advice or managed service caused a client financial loss — missed deadlines, bugs in production, or service outages that breach your SLA.
Covers bodily injury and property damage at your office, coworking space or client site. Often bundled into a BOP with property coverage for smaller tech firms.
Shields founders, board members and executives from personal liability in shareholder suits, investor disputes, regulatory investigations and employment-practices claims.
Extra liability limits that sit above your GL, auto and employer’s liability policies — essential when enterprise contracts require $5 M or $10 M in coverage.
Health, dental, vision, life and disability plans that help you compete for engineering and product talent in California’s tight labor market.
Enterprise procurement teams, VCs and SOC 2 auditors will each ask for proof of coverage. Common requests include a certificate of insurance naming the client as additional insured on your GL, evidence of cyber liability with limits that match the MSA, and proof of E&O coverage before you sign an SoW. We issue same-day certificates and can add endorsements mid-term.
Every carrier rates tech risks differently. These are the factors that come up most often.
Every carrier rates tech risks differently. These are the factors that come up most often.
MFA, endpoint detection, incident-response plan and SOC 2 status all affect underwriting.
A single data breach can trigger notification costs, credit-monitoring expenses, regulatory fines under the CCPA, and class-action lawsuits. Service outages that breach an SLA expose you to consequential-damage claims. And as you grow, investor disputes, employee lawsuits and IP infringement allegations add layers of risk that a general business policy was never designed to cover.
Cyber liability
First-party coverage pays for forensic investigation, breach notification, credit monitoring, data restoration and business-income loss during a network outage. Third-party coverage defends you when a client or regulator sues over a breach. Watch the exclusions: some policies carve out nation-state attacks, unencrypted-device losses or failure to patch known vulnerabilities within a stated window.
Professional liability (E&O)
Responds when a client alleges your product or service caused them a financial loss — a software bug that corrupted their data, a missed launch deadline, or advice that led to a poor business decision. Defense costs alone can reach six figures; E&O covers them from dollar one on most forms.
Directors & officers
Protects the personal assets of founders and board members against shareholder derivative suits, investor fraud allegations, regulatory investigations and employment-practices claims brought by name. Side-A coverage — which pays when the company cannot indemnify — is especially important for venture-backed startups.
CCPA / CPRA. The California Privacy Rights Act gives consumers a private right of action for data breaches involving unencrypted personal information. Statutory damages of $100–$750 per consumer per incident make even a modest breach expensive.
Workers’ compensation. Every California employer must carry workers’ comp. Tech companies with mostly office or remote workers benefit from lower class-code rates, but the obligation is the same.
AB 5 and contractor classification. Misclassifying an engineer as an independent contractor can trigger back-premium audits on your workers’ comp policy and expose you to EPLI claims.
Cyber and E&O premiums are typically rated on annual revenue, record counts and the services you offer. At renewal, carriers may audit your actual revenue against the estimate on the application. Rapid growth is common in tech, so building a cushion into your revenue projection avoids a surprise additional premium at audit.
Before signing an MSA, enterprise procurement teams will ask for certificates showing cyber liability (often $5 M+), E&O, and GL. They may require additional-insured status on your GL, a waiver of subrogation, and evidence that your cyber policy covers the types of data you will handle under the contract. SOC 2 Type II compliance and cyber-insurance limits are increasingly linked — auditors want to see that your coverage matches the risk profile in your trust report.
We’re an independent California broker that works with carriers who actually understand tech risk — not just general commercial underwriters. We benchmark your coverage against similar-stage companies, negotiate manuscripted cyber and E&O terms, and handle certificate requests the same day so a deal never stalls on insurance paperwork.
A single data breach can trigger notification costs, credit-monitoring expenses, regulatory fines under the CCPA, and class-action lawsuits. Service outages that breach an SLA expose you to consequential-damage claims. And as you grow, investor disputes, employee lawsuits and IP infringement allegations add layers of risk that a general business policy was never designed to cover.
Cyber liability
First-party coverage pays for forensic investigation, breach notification, credit monitoring, data restoration and business-income loss during a network outage. Third-party coverage defends you when a client or regulator sues over a breach. Watch the exclusions: some policies carve out nation-state attacks, unencrypted-device losses or failure to patch known vulnerabilities within a stated window.
Professional liability (E&O)
Responds when a client alleges your product or service caused them a financial loss — a software bug that corrupted their data, a missed launch deadline, or advice that led to a poor business decision. Defense costs alone can reach six figures; E&O covers them from dollar one on most forms.
Directors & officers
Protects the personal assets of founders and board members against shareholder derivative suits, investor fraud allegations, regulatory investigations and employment-practices claims brought by name. Side-A coverage — which pays when the company cannot indemnify — is especially important for venture-backed startups.
CCPA / CPRA. The California Privacy Rights Act gives consumers a private right of action for data breaches involving unencrypted personal information. Statutory damages of $100–$750 per consumer per incident make even a modest breach expensive.
Workers’ compensation. Every California employer must carry workers’ comp. Tech companies with mostly office or remote workers benefit from lower class-code rates, but the obligation is the same.
AB 5 and contractor classification. Misclassifying an engineer as an independent contractor can trigger back-premium audits on your workers’ comp policy and expose you to EPLI claims.
Cyber and E&O premiums are typically rated on annual revenue, record counts and the services you offer. At renewal, carriers may audit your actual revenue against the estimate on the application. Rapid growth is common in tech, so building a cushion into your revenue projection avoids a surprise additional premium at audit.
Before signing an MSA, enterprise procurement teams will ask for certificates showing cyber liability (often $5 M+), E&O, and GL. They may require additional-insured status on your GL, a waiver of subrogation, and evidence that your cyber policy covers the types of data you will handle under the contract. SOC 2 Type II compliance and cyber-insurance limits are increasingly linked — auditors want to see that your coverage matches the risk profile in your trust report.
We’re an independent California broker that works with carriers who actually understand tech risk — not just general commercial underwriters. We benchmark your coverage against similar-stage companies, negotiate manuscripted cyber and E&O terms, and handle certificate requests the same day so a deal never stalls on insurance paperwork.
Send us the requirements from your contract, lease or credentialing packet, including the certificate holder, additional insured and waiver of subrogation, so we can review your request.
Do I need cyber insurance if I’m SOC 2 compliant?
Yes. SOC 2 is a controls framework, not an insurance policy. It reduces your risk and often lowers your premium, but it does not pay breach-response costs or defend a lawsuit. Most enterprise clients require both.
What cyber limits should a SaaS company carry?
It depends on your revenue, record volume and contract requirements. Seed-stage companies often start at $1 M; by Series B most carry $5 M–$10 M. We benchmark against companies at your stage and in your vertical.
Is E&O the same as cyber insurance?
No. E&O covers professional mistakes — a bug that costs your client revenue, or advice that leads to a bad outcome. Cyber covers data breaches and network-security events. They overlap slightly but protect against different claims. Most tech companies need both.
Can I get coverage if my company is pre-revenue?
Yes. Several carriers write cyber and E&O for pre-revenue startups. Premiums are based on projected revenue and headcount. Having a policy in place before you sign your first enterprise contract avoids a delay later.
Does my policy cover remote employees in other states?
GL and cyber policies typically apply wherever your employees work. Workers’ comp is state-specific — if you have employees in states beyond California, you need coverage in each state where they’re based.
What is retroactive coverage on an E&O policy?
E&O is claims-made, meaning it covers claims made during the policy period for acts that occurred after the retroactive date. If you switch carriers, keeping the original retro date is critical — otherwise prior work falls into a coverage gap.
How long does it take to get a quote?
For most tech companies we can return indicative quotes within two to three business days. Complex risks — large record volumes, government contracts, or prior claims — may take a week.
Do I need D&O if I’m bootstrapped?
It’s less urgent without outside investors, but still valuable. Employment-practices claims, regulatory investigations and customer disputes can name founders personally. Side-A D&O protects personal assets when the company can’t indemnify.
What is a hammer clause?
A provision in some E&O policies that reduces coverage if you refuse a settlement the carrier recommends. We look for forms without a hammer clause, or with a softened version that still gives you input on whether to settle.
Do I need cyber insurance if I’m SOC 2 compliant?
Yes. SOC 2 is a controls framework, not an insurance policy. It reduces your risk and often lowers your premium, but it does not pay breach-response costs or defend a lawsuit. Most enterprise clients require both.
What cyber limits should a SaaS company carry?
It depends on your revenue, record volume and contract requirements. Seed-stage companies often start at $1 M; by Series B most carry $5 M–$10 M. We benchmark against companies at your stage and in your vertical.
Is E&O the same as cyber insurance?
No. E&O covers professional mistakes — a bug that costs your client revenue, or advice that leads to a bad outcome. Cyber covers data breaches and network-security events. They overlap slightly but protect against different claims. Most tech companies need both.
Can I get coverage if my company is pre-revenue?
Yes. Several carriers write cyber and E&O for pre-revenue startups. Premiums are based on projected revenue and headcount. Having a policy in place before you sign your first enterprise contract avoids a delay later.
Does my policy cover remote employees in other states?
GL and cyber policies typically apply wherever your employees work. Workers’ comp is state-specific — if you have employees in states beyond California, you need coverage in each state where they’re based.
What is retroactive coverage on an E&O policy?
E&O is claims-made, meaning it covers claims made during the policy period for acts that occurred after the retroactive date. If you switch carriers, keeping the original retro date is critical — otherwise prior work falls into a coverage gap.
How long does it take to get a quote?
For most tech companies we can return indicative quotes within two to three business days. Complex risks — large record volumes, government contracts, or prior claims — may take a week.
Do I need D&O if I’m bootstrapped?
It’s less urgent without outside investors, but still valuable. Employment-practices claims, regulatory investigations and customer disputes can name founders personally. Side-A D&O protects personal assets when the company can’t indemnify.
What is a hammer clause?
A provision in some E&O policies that reduces coverage if you refuse a settlement the carrier recommends. We look for forms without a hammer clause, or with a softened version that still gives you input on whether to settle.
Tell us about your company and what you build. We’ll compare options from carriers that specialize in tech and send you a proposal — usually within a few days.
Tell us a little about your business. A licensed broker will follow up.
Tell us a little about your business. A licensed broker will follow up.
