Business insurance · SMEs & startups
Comprehensive business insurance for Indian SMEs & startups
In a complex risk landscape, robust protection isn’t an expense — it’s a strategic asset. We help you build one shield across financial, operational and reputational risk, so you can focus on building the business.
Below are the covers a growing company in India tends to need, grouped on one page: what each policy actually protects, where it stops, and the day it earns its place. Nothing here is advice on a specific policy or insurer — which covers you need, and how each applies, depends on your business and your contracts. That part is a conversation.
Commercial General Liability (CGL)
Your company's safety net for accidents and property damage in the physical world.
Ideal forBusinesses with a physical office or client-facing operations.
When you’ll need itA visitor trips over a server cable in your office, breaks their leg, and sues for medical expenses.
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- Bodily injury to a third party on your office premises.
- Damage to a third party's property caused by your employees.
- Advertising injury (e.g. copyright infringement in a campaign).
Where it stops
- Professional mistakes or coding errors (covered by E&O).
- Employee injuries (covered by Employees' Compensation).
- Cyber breaches and data loss.
Directors & Officers (D&O) Liability
A shield for the personal assets of your leadership team against lawsuits over their management decisions.
Ideal forCompanies with a board, or startups raising venture capital.
When you’ll need itAn investor group sues the board, alleging misleading financial projections during a funding round.
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- Legal defence costs for allegations of wrongful acts.
- Claims from investors for financial misrepresentation.
- Actions from regulators for management failures.
Where it stops
- Fraudulent or intentionally criminal acts.
- Claims covered by other policies (e.g. bodily injury).
- Legally uninsurable fines and penalties.
Errors & Omissions (Professional Indemnity)
Malpractice cover for your technology and your services.
Ideal forSaaS companies, IT consultants and professional service providers.
When you’ll need itA faulty code push takes your SaaS platform down, causing financial losses for clients who then sue you.
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- Financial loss to a client caused by a bug in your software.
- Failure to deliver a promised service or technology solution.
- Negligence in providing professional services or tech consulting.
Where it stops
- Intellectual-property theft (better covered elsewhere).
- Intentional wrongdoing or false promises.
- General-liability claims such as property damage.
Cyber Insurance
Your emergency-response and recovery plan for a data breach or cyber-attack.
Ideal forAny company handling customer data or reliant on digital systems.
When you’ll need itYour customer database is hacked, and you now face regulatory fines, legal fees and notification costs.
Learn moreCovers
- Data-breach notification, credit monitoring and PR costs.
- Business-interruption loss from a system shutdown.
- Regulatory fines (e.g. under India's DPDP Act).
- Data recovery and forensic-investigation costs.
Where it stops
- Loss of funds from social engineering (covered by Cybercrime).
- Future tech upgrades to prevent another attack.
- Reputational harm without direct financial loss.
Commercial Crime Insurance
Protection against theft of your company's money and securities by employees or outsiders.
Ideal forCompanies whose employees handle finances or valuable assets.
When you’ll need itYour finance manager creates fictitious vendors and funnels company money into their own account.
Talk to usCovers
- Employee dishonesty and internal fraud (embezzlement).
- Forgery or alteration of financial instruments.
- Theft of money or property from your premises.
Where it stops
- Indirect or consequential losses.
- Cybercrime events such as fraudulent fund transfers.
- Inventory shortages discovered during a stocktake.
Cybercrime
A direct shield against financial loss from targeted online scams and fraudulent instructions.
Ideal forBusinesses that move money through online transactions.
When you’ll need itAn accountant receives a spoofed email from the “CFO” urgently instructing a large transfer to a new “vendor”.
Talk to usCovers
- Loss of funds from social-engineering attacks (phishing).
- Fraudulent fund transfers initiated by an impersonator.
- Computer fraud and telephone fraud.
Where it stops
- Data-breach response costs (covered by Cyber Insurance).
- Theft by your own employees (covered by Commercial Crime).
Employees' Compensation
Your legal and financial responsibility to care for employees injured or made ill by their work.
Ideal forAny company with employees in India.
When you’ll need itAn employee develops a severe repetitive-strain injury and sues for negligence in providing an ergonomic setup.
Learn moreCovers
- Statutory liability: medical expenses and lost wages.
- Common-law liability: negligence lawsuits from employees.
- Occupational diseases (e.g. repetitive strain for developers).
Where it stops
- Injuries occurring outside of employment.
- Self-inflicted injuries, or those under the influence of intoxicants.
Office Package Insurance
One policy that bundles protection for your physical office space and its assets.
Ideal forBusinesses with a physical office and valuable equipment.
When you’ll need itA short circuit starts a fire in your server room, destroying hardware and forcing you into a temporary workspace.
Talk to usCovers
- Damage to office building and contents (laptops, servers).
- Burglary and theft of office equipment.
- Electronic-equipment breakdown (e.g. a server malfunction).
- Business interruption if your office becomes unusable.
Where it stops
- General wear and tear of equipment.
- Software or data loss (covered by Cyber).
- Acts of terrorism (often a separate extension).
Marine Insurance (Cargo)
Cover for your hardware and goods while they are in transit.
Ideal forCompanies importing or exporting hardware or physical goods.
When you’ll need itA container carrying your new, high-value servers for a data-centre build-out is lost at sea during a storm.
Talk to usCovers
- Loss or damage to goods (e.g. imported servers) in transit.
- Risks like theft, accident, sinking, fire and natural disaster.
- General average and salvage charges (the cost of saving cargo).
Where it stops
- Damage arising from the inherent nature of the goods.
- Transit delays that don't cause physical loss.
- Wilful misconduct of the insured.
Trade Credit Insurance
A safety net for your receivables if a major client fails to pay.
Ideal forB2B companies carrying significant accounts receivable.
When you’ll need itYour largest client, at 30% of revenue, suddenly declares bankruptcy, leaving a massive unpaid invoice.
Talk to usCovers
- Non-payment from a customer due to their insolvency.
- Protracted default (a customer not paying over a long period).
- Political risks in export markets that block payment.
Where it stops
- Debts the customer withholds in a genuine dispute.
- Sales to already-known bad debtors.
- Losses below the agreed deductible.
Keyman Insurance
A financial cushion for the company if a critical founder or executive is unexpectedly lost.
Ideal forFounder-led startups, or companies reliant on specific individuals.
When you’ll need itYour founder and lead architect suddenly passes away, jeopardising a funding round and key client relationships.
Talk to usCovers
- A lump sum paid to the company on the death or serious illness of a key person.
- Funds to manage the disruption and hire a replacement.
- Reassurance for investors during a leadership crisis.
Where it stops
- Any payout to the individual's family — this pays the company.
- Suicide within a specified initial period.
- Non-disclosure of pre-existing medical conditions.
Fleet Insurance
A single master policy for all your company vehicles — simpler to run, cheaper to renew.
Ideal forCompanies running five or more vehicles for business use.
When you’ll need itYour 15 sales cars each renew on a different date — constant admin, and missed bulk discounts.
Talk to usCovers
- One common renewal date across every vehicle.
- Lower premiums through bulk negotiation.
- Flexible cover for any mix of cars, vans or trucks.
- A single point of contact for claims.
Where it stops
- Vehicles not registered in the company's name.
- Wear and tear, or routine mechanical breakdown.
Surety Bonds
Replace bank guarantees with surety bonds — the same assurance to the project owner, without locking up your collateral.
Ideal forConstruction, EPC and infrastructure firms bidding on government and private projects.
When you’ll need itBidding a ₹50 crore highway project, you post a surety bond instead of locking ₹12.5 crore in a bank guarantee — keeping your capital free for operations.
Talk to usCovers
- Bid security guaranteeing you'll honour your bid if selected.
- Performance guarantee ensuring completion per contract terms.
- Advance-payment protection safeguarding the owner's advances.
Where it stops
- Quality disputes or disagreements over deliverables.
- Force-majeure events beyond the contractor's reasonable control.
- Non-disclosure of material information during underwriting.
NoteThis page is a general guide to the covers a business might carry; it isn’t advice on a specific policy or insurer, and nothing here is an offer. Which policies you actually need, and exactly how each one applies, depends on your organisation, your contracts and the way each policy is worded — which is what a conversation is for. Exclusions shown are illustrative, not exhaustive.
What happens when you talk to us
A 20-minute video call with a Growth Advisor — no obligation, and no quote pushed. You’ll leave with an honest read on your current cover and where the real gaps are for a business your size, and a straight answer on whether we can genuinely help — even if you never become a client.
20 minutes with a Growth Advisor. No obligation.
A note on this page. Everything here is general information, not insurance, legal, financial or tax advice, and nothing is an offer. For advice about your situation, talk to us.