FOUR-MONTH PROGRAM
Founder to CEO
Coaching for first-time founders and new leaders in venture-backed companies, through the shift from doing the work to building the company that does it. Usually funded by the investor.
Who it's for
First-time founders and newly appointed leaders in VC and accelerator portfolio companies, typically after a raise or when growth starts to strain the team.
What's included
- A goal-setting session, plus short confidential interviews with a co-founder and one investor or board member
- Ten one-to-one sessions over four months (see the curriculum below)
- Email support between sessions, and a handout for every session
- A final review and a plan for the next six months
Outcome
- The founder builds and leads a leadership team instead of carrying the company alone, and the investor sees leadership problems early, before they cost the company.
Curriculum
| SESSION | FOCUS | DRAWS ON |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Kick-off | Goals with GROW, plus short confidential stakeholder interviews | GROW; Leadership Team Alignment |
| 2. From founder to CEO | What changes in the job as the company grows | Volatility and high growth; A bigger team |
| 3. Building the leadership team | Hiring and upgrading leaders ahead of growth, including the first sales leader | Upgrading your team; Building your bench |
| 4. Delegation | Letting go of the work without losing control of the outcome | Delegation and empowerment |
| 5. The co-founder relationship | Clear roles, decision rights, and raising tension early | Founder Partnership Reset (preventive version) |
| 6. Board and investors | Reporting, managing expectations, and delivering bad news well | Working with a board; Facing a hostile board |
| 7. Clarity for a growing team | Priorities, ownership and communication as headcount grows | Communication Clarity; Clarity, Competence and Recognition |
| 8. Feedback and hard conversations | Including early employees who no longer fit the role | Feedback That Lands; Difficult conversations |
| 9. Decisions under pressure | Decision overload, and getting to good enough faster | Strategic thinking and decision-making; Decision overload; Perfect enough |
| 10. Sustaining yourself and review | Isolation, resilience, and the next six months | The lonely leader; Building resilience |
Two ways to buy it
An individual track funded for a specific founder, or a portfolio cohort that brings founders from several of the firm's companies together in live group sessions, with one-to-one coaching added.