How to run efficient and effective board meetings in the early stages

Your goal: Communicate progress clearly and get constructive feedback

Of all the Things an early-stage founder has to figure out, one of the most unexpected is how to get the most out of their board. But it’s essential to effectively leverage the board from him for guidance and support. The slides he uses can help you run efficient and effective board meetings that make the most of the discussions they spark.

Much has been written about the optimal cadence, process, and hygiene of board meetings, but for the sake of completeness, in the early, often shorter (~1.5 hours) stages, the most frequent meetings ( ~6 weeks) make sense.

Each board will have its preference and ultimately the cadence should work for everyone. You will need to submit your materials 24-48 hours in advance to give participants time to review the material and ask their questions. It is also essential to include your “Head of…” functional leaders to discuss their areas of expertise.

Then dive into the material! As CEO, your goal is to clearly communicate the progress of the business and get constructive feedback. Therefore, the information in your deck is more important than the visual design when putting together your board deck, although both are important.

The slides in this article are not intended to be a complete dashboard. These are examples of actual early-stage board slides from seed and Series A-stage companies that have done a great job informing their boards and sparking constructive discussion. [Disclosure: Costanoa Ventures has invested in Highnote and Highline.]

Showcasing business progress: Where the rubber meets the road

Image Credits: Costanoa Ventures

This is a strong opening: briefly summarize the main achievements and set the stage for the company’s key priorities until the next board update. It also effectively frames the CEO’s key discussion points with the board. While ideally your board should have read the slides ahead of time, this is often not the case.

This slide helps everyone level up early, creating a framework for a useful discussion. Remember, that’s what a board meeting is all about: discussion, not a presentation or reading.

Image Credits: Costanoa Ventures

Here’s another great slide: The “Business Metrics Overview” is a snapshot of the key metrics the board should measure the company against. Each business will have its own key metrics, but it’s good to start with a summary that sets the context for how progress should be measured.

Your board members typically work with many companies and don’t always know the best ways to measure your company’s progress. So this is where you frame the best way to understand your specific key metrics.

For early-stage companies, revenue is often a lagging indicator, so it’s not your most important metric. By establishing what your key metrics are and marking them with red or green dots, for example, your dashboard can quickly see what is and isn’t on track, which they always need to know. Unlike you, they don’t live or die according to your plan, so you’ll need to remind them here.

Image Credits: Costanoa Ventures