Boards Network
12 episodes - English - Latest episode: about 4 years ago -Welcome to Boards Network. In this show, we speak to some of the most successful Board members and leaders in the world, whose stories will help you become better leaders in the boardroom. Companies influence a big part of the world around us, whether they are public or private. Boards often dictate their strategy and decisions. Therefore, we believe that by changing Boards, we can change the world.
Our goal is to find amazing business leaders who are willing to share their experience with the public. Besides Board members, we will also interview consultants, researchers, investors, executives, and authors.
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Episodes
Boris Wertz: As a Board Member, You're a Coach
April 14, 2020 18:02 - 34 minutes - 31.3 MBBoris is the founding partner of Version One, one of the leading seed stage venture funds in America and Canada. He previously founded JustBooks, which he sold to AbeBooks and became the COO, leaving when the company was acquired by Amazon. Afterwards, Boris moved into investing, first as an angel investor, and now with Version One. Today, Boris is recognized as one of the top tech investors in North America and focuses blockchain, marketplaces, SaaS and everything network effects. ...
Kate Mitchell: Be Open, Be Honest (Part 2)
April 07, 2020 16:02 - 24 minutes - 22.1 MBAfter a career in banking, Kate co-founded Scale Venture Partners that went on to back high growth companies such as Hubspot, Box, and DocuSign. She attended hundreds of Board meetings for more than a dozen private and public tech companies. In this episode, Kate, Justine and I reflected on the difference between public and private boards and discussed the difference between diversity and inclusion. On diversity, we also discussed the mission, vision, and purpose of the Venture For...
Kate Mitchell: Be Open, Be Honest (Part 1)
March 31, 2020 15:48 - 29 minutes - 27 MBAfter a career in banking, Kate co-founded Scale Venture Partners that went on to back high growth companies such as Hubspot, Box, and DocuSign. She attended hundreds of Board meetings for more than a dozen private and public tech companies. In this episode, Kate was kind enough to open up about her career path and first board experiences. We discussed what a banking career can bring to future board members, the importance of mentors, and why independent board members are so critic...
Mark Selcow: Think Company First
March 24, 2020 16:00 - 38 minutes - 34.8 MBMark is a serial startup founder and operator who is now an investor at Costanoa Ventures focusing on SaaS, fintech, future of work, and marketplaces. Prior to joining Costanoa, Mark was an operator, co-founding and serving as President of two companies, BabyCenter (sold to Johnson and Johnson) and Merced Systems (sold to NICE Systems). At Costanoa, Mark helped several portfolio companies as an Advisor and Board Member, and even became Interim CEO of Quizlet, a leading consumer lear...
Brett Hurt: Public Benefit Corporations Can Have It All
March 17, 2020 19:17 - 53 minutes - 48.6 MBBrett is the CEO and Co-founder of data.world, which is building the most meaningful, collaborative, and abundant data resource in the world as a Certified B Corporation. He is also a seed-stage investor at Hurt Family Investments in partnership with his wife, Debra, and previously founded several companies such as Bazaarvoice and Coremetrics. In this episode, we discuss the key characteristics of B Corporations, why you can “have it all” by converting to that legal form, how to co...
Kevin Oxendine: Lower Middle Market Entrepreneurship And Search Fund Boards
March 10, 2020 14:06 - 41 minutes - 37.9 MBKevin is a Partner at Pacific Lake Partners and works closely with search fund entrepreneurs throughout their search, acquisition, and operating phases and is a Board Member of Emporos and Kantola. In this episode, we discuss the critical differences between the COO and CEO role, the search fund model, and deep dive into search fund boards and their life cycle, from the search phase to the acquisition and liquidity event. We also discuss what it means for Boards Members to work ...
Brad Feld: Best Practices and Stories from the Author of Startup Boards
March 03, 2020 14:54 - 48 minutes - 44.6 MBWhat was Brad Feld's experience as a board member of successful companies such as SendGrid like? How does the experience differ from a company such as ReturnPath, which took considerably longer to arrive at a positive exit? How about when to start a board as a startup and how to construct said board? Brad Feld has been a venture investor for over 30 years. He founded Foundry Group and has invested in companies such as FitBit, SendGrid and many others. In addition, Brad is a prolifi...
Nikhil Basu Trivedi: Taking A Chance On Young Board Members, First Boards As A Venture Capitalist, And More Insights On The Role Of Observers
February 25, 2020 17:30 - 32 minutes - 29.6 MBWhat is it like to be on a Board with heavy hitters such as Mamoon Hamid (KPCB), Aileen Lee (Cowboy), and Angela Strange (Andreessen Horowitz)? Why are google docs not an entirely bad idea to share the Board deck with Board members? Why can Observers have a relationship advantage with founders compared to Board Directors? Nikhil is a board member/observer at ClassDojo, Frame.io, Imperfect Produce, Plays.tv, Tally, The Farmer’s Dog. He has co-sponsored many of Shasta’s investments ...
George Bradt: Onboarding do's and don'ts for Board Members
February 17, 2020 22:57 - 42 minutes - 39.1 MBWould you like to know how to make sure your onboarding as a Board member is a success? Well, our conversation with George Bradt details the do’s and don’ts of leaders onboarding, with a focus on Board members. Learn how to get a head start, how to manage the communication aspects of onboarding, and how to set direction. So, are you ready for Boarding? If you want more personalized advice on executive onboarding, check out what George is up to at www.primegenesis.com and on Twitt...
Benjamin Levin: Styles Make Fights, Styles Make Boards
February 17, 2020 22:56 - 36 minutes - 33.1 MBWould you like to know how a non-traditional path in Private Equity can lead you to establish your own investment firm? Would you like to learn how Board formation should be approached for bootstrapped technology businesses? Would you like to know how information can best flow between management and its shareholders through the Board? Ben Levin shares what he has learned about Boards and investing throughout his career. By listening to this episode, you will learn why getting more ...
Christa Quarles: From Research Analyst to CEO, the Board from all Angles
February 17, 2020 22:56 - 40 minutes - 37.3 MBFew people have seen technology company Boards of Directors from as many perspectives as Christa Quarles. From her early career as an Analyst on Wall Street to her role as CEO at OpenTable, she learned from and worked with the best in the industry. In this episode, we discuss what her equity research experience taught her that made her a good Board member. We also discuss how to interact with your Board as an executive when your acquisition pace is high (i.e. acquiring 8 companies ...
Anarghya Vardhana - From Board Observer to Board Director, A Learning Journey
February 17, 2020 21:56 - 33 minutes - 30.7 MBHow should one behave as a first time Board member? How differently should one act as a Board Observer compared to a Board Director? What are management's expectations regarding Board Observers? Since joining Maveron, Anarghya Vardhana has invested in a number of companies, including Masse, Co-Star, Illumix, Imperfect Produce, Two Chairs, and others. She was named to the Forbes 30 under 30 in 2017, and is an active member of AllRaise. In this episode, Anarghya shares her first Bo...