“Startup Boards shines at demystifying the startup boardroom. It provides readers with an insider’s account of board issues, dynamics, and challenges. By breaking down exactly what a board of directors does, what a board member is, what the job entails, and all the scenarios accompanying it, many executives—of all backgrounds—can start to see themselves in this role.”

—From the Foreword by Jocelyn Mangan

A board of directors evolves over the life of a company. Good boards become powerful assets for startup success. Over the last decade, boardrooms have been morphing with the door opened wide by VCs and entrepreneurs who believe diverse boards and independent directors add value to any idea, product, or service.

Yet, many entrepreneurs, especially first-time ones, have never had board experience. At the same time, the past five years have seen an enormous explosion in the number of new VCs and angel investors who are now sitting on boards. And, more and more executives are becoming independent directors.

How do founders and boards prepare themselves for the journey ahead? And how do aspiring board members get up to speed quickly, so they can be good stewards on the boards they join? And how should a first-time board member understand all the questions they will face?

The newest edition of Startup Boards is your best resource and a ready-made instructor’s manual for anyone building, sitting on, or aspiring to be part of a board of directors.

A comprehensive guide on creating, growing, and leveraging a board of directors written for CEOs, board members, and people seeking board roles.

The first time many founders see the inside of a board room is when they step in to lead their board. But how do boards work? How should they be structured, managed, and leveraged so that startups can grow, avoid pitfalls, and get the best out of their boards? Authors Brad Feld, Mahendra Ramsinghani, and Matt Blumberg have collectively served on hundreds of startup and scaleup boards over the past 30 years, attended thousands of board meetings, encountered multiple personalities and situations, and seen the good, bad, and ugly of boards.

In Startup Boards: A Field Guide to Building and Leading an Effective Board of Directors, the authors provide seasoned advice and guidance to CEOs, board members, investors, and anyone aspiring to serve on a board. This comprehensive book covers a wide range of topics with relevant tips, tactics, and best practices, including:

• Board fundamentals such as the board's purpose, legal characteristics, and roles and functions of board members;
• Creating a board including size, composition, roles of VCs and independent directors, what to look for in a director, and how to recruit directors;
• Compensating, onboarding, removing directors, and suggestions on building a diverse board;
• Preparing for and running board meetings;
• The board's role in transactions including selling a company, buying a company, going public, and going out of business;
• Advice for independent and aspiring directors.

Startup Boards draws on the authors' experience and includes stories from board members, startup founders, executives, and investors. Any CEO, board member, investor, or executive interested in creating an active, involved, and engaged board should read this book—and keep it handy for reference.