What to Include
This section outlines the key members of your team, their roles, experience, and qualifications. It also includes the company’s governance structure, which includes details about ownership, the board, advisors, and any relevant governance policies.
Core Elements:
- Founders & Key Team Members: List the founders and key leadership team members, including their bios, expertise, and roles in the business.
- Advisors & Board Members (if applicable): Include any external advisors or board members who bring expertise or credibility to the company.
- Ownership Structure: Explain the company’s ownership (founders, investors, etc.).
- Governance Policies: Include any relevant governance structures such as operating agreements or decision-making frameworks (e.g., voting rights, quorum).
- Team Development Plans: Highlight how the team will expand or evolve over time as the business grows.
Where to Source the Information
- Internal team documents: Use internal HR or management documents that outline team roles and equity ownership.
- Resumes and LinkedIn profiles: For each key team member, collect relevant experience and qualifications from resumes or LinkedIn.
- Operating agreements: If you have established agreements with board members or advisors, those should be referenced.
- Company governance documents: Reference any formal governance documents (such as bylaws or shareholder agreements).
How to Analyze
- Highlight leadership strengths: Emphasize the relevant experience and skills of the team that will drive the company forward.
- Diversity and gaps: If there are areas where your team may be lacking (e.g., technical expertise, sales experience), identify plans to address those gaps as the business grows.
- Advisor value: Show how advisors or board members add value, whether through networks, expertise, or strategic insight.
- Ownership alignment: Clarify how ownership and equity align with the roles and contributions of each team member.
Format and Structure
- Leadership Team Overview: Short bios for the key team members with a focus on experience, role, and expertise.
- Advisors and Board: List the advisors/board members with their respective backgrounds.
- Ownership Structure: A table or pie chart illustrating ownership distribution.
- Governance Structure: A brief explanation of governance rules or decision-making structures.
- Team Growth Plan: Timeline or description of team hiring plans as the business scales.
Template: Team and Governance
Founders & Key Team Members
| Name | Role | Background and Experience |
|---|---|---|
| [Name] | CEO | [Years of experience, previous companies, key skills, etc.] |
| [Name] | CTO | [Years of experience, previous companies, key skills, etc.] |
| [Name] | COO | [Years of experience, previous companies, key skills, etc.] |
Advisors & Board Members
| Name | Role | Background and Experience |
|---|---|---|
| [Name] | Advisor | [Years of experience, industry expertise, notable accomplishments] |
| [Name] | Board Member | [Years of experience, industry expertise, strategic input] |
Ownership Structure
| Owner/Shareholder | Ownership Percentage |
|---|---|
| [Name] | [Percentage] |
| [Investor Name] | [Percentage] |
Governance Structure
Our governance framework is structured as follows:
- Board Meetings: Quarterly
- Decision-Making: Majority voting on key decisions
- Operating Agreements: [Brief overview or reference to legal docs]
Team Growth Plan
| Role Needed | Timeline | Purpose/Function |
|---|---|---|
| [Role] | [Month/Year] | [Function it will serve in the company] |
| [Role] | [Month/Year] | [Function it will serve in the company] |
Visuals
- Team Chart or Org Chart: Illustrating the structure of the leadership team and key roles.
- Ownership Chart (Pie Chart): Distribution of equity among founders, investors, and other stakeholders.
ThThe next section is:
Section: Team and Governance
What to Include
This section outlines the key members of your team, their roles, experience, and qualifications. It also includes the company’s governance structure, which includes details about ownership, the board, advisors, and any relevant governance policies.
Core Elements:
- Founders & Key Team Members: List the founders and key leadership team members, including their bios, expertise, and roles in the business.
- Advisors & Board Members (if applicable): Include any external advisors or board members who bring expertise or credibility to the company.
- Ownership Structure: Explain the company’s ownership (founders, investors, etc.).
- Governance Policies: Include any relevant governance structures such as operating agreements or decision-making frameworks (e.g., voting rights, quorum).
- Team Development Plans: Highlight how the team will expand or evolve over time as the business grows.
Where to Source the Information
- Internal team documents: Use internal HR or management documents that outline team roles and equity ownership.
- Resumes and LinkedIn profiles: For each key team member, collect relevant experience and qualifications from resumes or LinkedIn.
- Operating agreements: If you have established agreements with board members or advisors, those should be referenced.
- Company governance documents: Reference any formal governance documents (such as bylaws or shareholder agreements).
How to Analyze
- Highlight leadership strengths: Emphasize the relevant experience and skills of the team that will drive the company forward.
- Diversity and gaps: If there are areas where your team may be lacking (e.g., technical expertise, sales experience), identify plans to address those gaps as the business grows.
- Advisor value: Show how advisors or board members add value, whether through networks, expertise, or strategic insight.
- Ownership alignment: Clarify how ownership and equity align with the roles and contributions of each team member.
Format and Structure
- Leadership Team Overview: Short bios for the key team members with a focus on experience, role, and expertise.
- Advisors and Board: List the advisors/board members with their respective backgrounds.
- Ownership Structure: A table or pie chart illustrating ownership distribution.
- Governance Structure: A brief explanation of governance rules or decision-making structures.
- Team Growth Plan: Timeline or description of team hiring plans as the business scales.
This section is important for providing investors with confidence in your team’s ability to execute on the business plan and ensuring they understand how decisions will be made.