Proper board stance is better described as a partnership. This may seem idealistic and is not always practical in reality as it requires buy-in from both parties. Nonetheless the ideal board member provides transparent, professional views on the company— wins, challenges, opportunities, and resources— working with the management team to maximize company value.

In this post, I codify my learnings from building ReTargeter during a recession so you can accelerate your sales motion even though you are already likely firing on all cylinders with extremely constrained resources (time, talent, money): 

• Prioritize where you focus your efforts— what fires to let burn, what fires to put out, and how to play offense even if you’re forced to be on your back foot. 

• Leverage your relationships (social capital) to access a broader network to lubricate your sales motion. 

• Systematize your sales motion with simple, cost-effective processes and technologies. 

In this post, we summarize 8 ways we have seen founders take control of the harsh economic environment to keep their companies alive, thriving even. (*TLDR: Find more taps and connect them to your buckets. Find more buckets and fill them with water. Keep plugging the leaks with whatever and whoever you have.)

This post focuses on driving accountability through 1:1 communications— a common cultural practice top teams have. We do this because it is also a simple, practical way to change the operating tone from:

• Doing “stuff” → Getting the right things done in time

• Making sloppy promises with inconsistent delivery → Honoring commitments through impeccable agreements

• Being busy → Busy achieving

Top teams treat accountability like a game and pattern this mindset into their teams— they win together, learn together, and fail forward together. In this post, we share a simple communication model so you can drive accountability when:

These questions are designed to elicit responses from the potential key hires in order to evaluate their:

• Growth mindset

• Relationship with conflict

• Values and criteria

• Self-awareness

• Success criteria

• Cultural compatibility (belonging)

Aside from sharing insights on the market and how Collective was born, Hooman shares his unique approach to company building, covering some of the most important pillars of any startup: 1) Fundraising and 2) Relationships.

Different brains communicate at different altitudes by default. A well-choreographed team implicitly understands this and works together to ensure important communications happen at the same level, and more importantly, are enriched by many levels of detail.

As first-time founders know too well, there are only so many hours in the day. Taking their startups to the next level requires them to work productively — and not just be busy for the sake of being busy. To this end, we’ve developed a five-step productivity cycle that founders can use to supercharge productivity and make sure the right things are getting done.

Today’s guest is Gautam Gupta, Partner at M13 Ventures and founder (former CEO) of NatureBox, a digitally native brand of snacks. In this interview, Gautam talks about his unique learnings and journey from starting in venture, venturing out as a founder, and returning to venture!

Culture plays a pivotal role in the story of any startup. Create and cultivate a culture conducive to high-performing behavior and values-aligned talent, and great things can happen. Here are seven tips that can help you codify your startup's culture and bake it into the foundation of everything you do.

In this post, we share the 5-Questions (Our Accountability Frame) that can inspire and encourage accountability— one that works with human nature rather than against it. The Accountability Frame can be used when addressing someone 1:1, addressing a group (1:many), and working with ourselves more importantly.

How exactly can you quickly tell whether someone’s natural capabilities are complementary to yours without conducting a long-winded psychometric analysis? How do you determine the likely natural talent gaps in your initial founding duo or founding team? There are many ways to do this. But over the years, we have observed a pattern across multiple psychometric models and frameworks—one that can be distilled into four distinct talent footprints.

Today’s guest is Sheel Mohnot, Co-founder and GP at Better Tomorrow Ventures (BTV). In this interview, Sheel talks about the journey from operator to angel, and now, institutional investor. If you are serious about getting into venture capital for life— you’ll enjoy Sheel’s sharing!

In this interview, Ashley talks about the kind of innovations needed to meet the rapidly evolving needs of our workforce. She also touches on important matters such as diversity, upward mobility, and the role policy plays in driving socioeconomic transformation.

Today’s guest is Melanie Strong, Managing Partner at Next Ventures and former Nike executive for over 18 years. With a history of leading diverse international teams, Melanie is one of the most passionate leaders you can find in the sports, health and wellness space.

In this interview, Hiten shares some great insights into problem-hunting, product-development, and the performance psychology behind ‘0 to 1.’ Throughout this interview, you will experience his deeply empathetic, humble, and more importantly, engaging approach to company-building! Especially if you possess the ‘company-builder for life’ mentality that so many great founders have!

We’ve identified 14 common behavioral traits of top-tier, early-stage founders (and founding teams) in the U.S. Our observations have their implicit biases, but nonetheless, we thought you might find them insightful.

Jun has a PhD in Biomedical Sciences and intentionally crafted her career in Venture Capital due to her love for new technologies that disrupt traditional areas. In this video interview, Jun shares her experience in investing and scientific due diligence— combining her love for data analysis with emotional intelligence to evaluate the companies building the future!

Due to the fast-paced nature of startups, founders don’t always have the luxury of taking their time when pitching potential VCs. So, how do you balance the components of speed and diligence while fundraising? Here are four tips to help you find the right investors quickly and secure the funds you need to scale so you can go back to building your business: