As a founder, you’re constantly juggling the demands of innovation, management, and strategic growth. In the whirlwind of startup life, board meetings can either be a source of tremendous value or a dreaded calendar event. 

That’s why we’re introducing the Board Code — a guide for founders to leverage their board meetings.

The purpose is clear: to make board meetings less about mundane updates and more about strategic decision-making, realignment, and actionable feedback. Whether you’re preparing for seed round discussions or steering through Series A and beyond, this asset is your blueprint for conducting board meetings that are informative and instrumental in propelling your company forward. 

Board meetings are strategic platforms that can shape the future of your startup. Drawing from Mark Suster’s insightful framework, we’ve distilled the essence of board meetings into four core quadrants: Advice, Strategy, Update, and Approval.

While it may seem counterintuitive, about 70% of your board’s discussions should center around Advice and Strategy. Advice is the board’s forte, sought at virtually every meeting, where the collective experience of the board can guide operational decisions. Strategic discussions may not occur as frequently—typically once a quarter or biannually—but they are the pivotal moments where critical decisions regarding fundraising, mergers, or key hires are debated.

 

The remaining 30% of the board’s time should focus on Updates and Approvals. Updates provide a quick synopsis of the company’s key highlights and lowlights, ideally pre-discussed to ensure the meeting remains focused on moving forward. Approval, though less frequent, is equally vital, dealing with essential governance items such as annual audits. These should be approached as a clear-cut, no-fuss process.