Women drive roughly 80% of consumer purchasing decisions. If your board doesn't include people who understand your customer at a deep level, you're leaving insight — and growth — on the table. Beyond the data, a well-composed board is your competitive advantage: better pattern recognition, harder questions, and a broader network working on your behalf.

Not at all — in fact, this is the best time. Most founders wait until a board is required (usually by investors) and then scramble to fill seats. If you start thinking about governance early, you get to be intentional. That might mean an informal advisory group, a single independent board member, or just understanding what "good" looks like before you need it. We help founders at every stage think this through.

It depends on where you are. For some founders, it starts with a conversation about what their board should look like in 12–18 months. For others, we run a search to find and place a board member who fills a specific gap — industry expertise, functional skill, or network. We also host events (like last night) and produce content to help founders build governance knowledge over time. There's no single entry point — we meet you where you are.

Because that's where the gap is — and where we see the greatest untapped potential. Since 2020, we've placed 73 women onto consumer company boards, resulting in over 120 board seats and counting. 57% of those women were first-time board members. The talent isn't the problem. The access is. We exist to close that gap, and we make no apologies for the focus. It's what we do, and we do it well.

Yes. A lot of founders have boards that exist on paper but don't actually work for them. Maybe meetings feel like reporting exercises instead of strategic conversations. Maybe you have board members who were great at seed stage but aren't right for where you're heading. We can help you assess what's working, what's not, and how to evolve your board as your company grows — including navigating the sometimes-awkward process of board transitions.

No. We work with any founder who believes their board should be better. Last night's event was intentionally open to everyone — men are welcome and encouraged to be part of this conversation. Strong governance benefits every company. And frankly, the founders who care enough to show up to a "Board Curious" happy hour on a Tuesday night at Expo West are exactly the kind of people we want to work with.

It's our way of saying: you don't have to have it all figured out. A lot of founders feel like they should already know how boards work, or that asking basic questions is a sign of weakness. It's not. Being board curious means you're open to learning, you're thinking ahead, and you're taking governance seriously before it becomes a crisis. That's a strength, not a gap.

Our events and educational content are free. Board search and placement engagements are structured on a case-by-case basis depending on the scope of the work. Because we're a nonprofit, our fees go directly toward covering the cost of our resources and funding our ability to reach even more founders and place even more women — so it's significantly more affordable than traditional executive search, and your dollars are supporting a mission that's making boardrooms better for everyone. If you're just exploring, there's no cost to start a conversation with us — and we'll always be honest about whether a formal engagement makes sense for where you are right now.