The Way We Work
How we Operate
| Dimension | Advisory Board | Board of Directors | OPERATOR Board |
|---|---|---|---|
| Purpose | Provides informal guidance and perspective to the founder. |
Offers formal oversight and approves strategy, budgets, and appointments. |
Supports the founder on specific near-term priorities and execution tasks. |
| Composition | Selected for broad experience. Usually informal and flexible. |
Formally appointed members, often including investors and independents. |
Assembled around current operational needs with relevant expertise. |
| Engagement | Meets periodically. No decision-making authority. |
Structured meetings with formal responsibilities and documentation. |
Engages more frequently on defined tasks or focus areas. |
| Structure | Light structure. Founder decides cadence and format. |
Follows formal governance rules, procedures, and reporting. |
Organised around specific goals. Cadence depends on operational demands. |
| Focus Areas | General strategic topics, industry insight, and founder sparring. |
Governance, capital allocation, risk, performance monitoring. |
Defined operational priorities such as sales, product, or partnerships. |
| Compensation | Often voluntary or compensated symbolically. |
Typically compensated through fees and/or equity. |
May receive equity or warrants tied to participation agreements. |
| Adaptability | Can change over time but often remains stable. |
Changes follow formal appointment or election processes. |
Adjusts based on evolving priorities. Members rotate as needs shift. |
| Value Delivery | Provides input, perspective, and introductions. |
Ensures accountability, governance quality, and long-term direction. |
Contributes to progress on specific operational goals. |
Role Definitions
Roles
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Decision-maker and owner of priorities.
Share openly, involve Operators, and create opportunities.
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Bring outside perspective and competence otherwise out of reach for the startup. Drive progress and results.
No governance or formal decision-making. Work directly with the founder on strategy and execution.
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Coordinator and facilitator between the founder and Operators, and within the Operator Board.
Sends meeting invites (with bcc to Gaia) and ultimately responsible for structure in joint work.
Logs decisions and actions in Operator Board meetings in BoardOps.
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Create momentum and energy!
Guiding Principles
Our Values
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We’re here to build real businesses - not just busy ones.
Real business and real people in long-term relationships.
Value creation should be tangible - and visible to everyone involved.
We build fast. We build to last.
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We bet on trust, not tactics.
The startup world is full of shortcuts. We’re not.
Like ROI, trust compounds over time.
Transparency isn’t optional - it’s how trust stays real.
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Tech startups, execs, experts, employees, entrepreneurs - we build and win together.
Together we can create what none of us can do alone.
We act with empathy, because we’re building with people, not just technology.
Care is a strength.
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We don’t guess - we gather.
We make decisions from research, not gut feel.
We listen more than we talk. We ask why before we answer how.
Depth is our foundation. Speed is the result.
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This is not a spectator sport.
We show up. We write the draft, push the deal, join the call.
We don’t hide behind roles - we step up wherever the work is.
Execution is the difference.