Great boards don’t just oversee—they accelerate your success. As a founder, you should use your board as a sounding board for tough decisions, a reality check on strategy, and a lever for unlocking funding and opportunities.

Why Have a Board Early?

At the seed stage, structuring a board can feel like an unnecessary formality. The reality? The right board, with the right engagement, can provide critical strategic guidance, signal maturity to investors, and help drive your company’s growth.

Even before institutional capital enters the picture, maintaining structured communication with early investors (angels, friends & family) demonstrates accountability. These touchpoints don’t need to be extensive, but they should be thoughtful—focusing on milestones, challenges, and strategic direction.

Who Should Be on Your Board?

At this stage, a board isn’t just about governance—it’s about supporting your execution and future fundraising. Consider these key players:

• An Investor-Mentor:  If you have an early investor who has also served as a mentor, they can help accelerate fundraising beyond just introductions. Look for gravitas, not just connections—do they command the respect of other investors?
• A Customer or Product Advocate: Someone who represents the end-user perspective and can shape product development and commercialization efforts. If you’re still pre-revenue and running proof-of-concept efforts, having a board member who’s willing to engage at this level can be invaluable.

Since you likely hold significant common equity at this stage, board composition is less about voting power and more about leadership, guidance, and accountability.

How Often Should Your Board Meet?

You might assume board meetings are a burden, but with the right cadence and structure, they become a strategic advantage. We asked Gloria Cao, Chief of Staff and Head of Operations at Health2047, about frequency. “It depends on the current stage and needs of the company. If you’ve just formed a board, every other month is a good start,” she advises. “On the other hand, if you’re generating revenue and have products in market, every other month might be too frequent. The duration of each meeting is also important. If it’s every other month, then 90 minutes should suffice. But if you’re meeting quarterly, that likely wouldn’t be enough time to meaningfully cover the topics you need to address.”

Using Your Board Effectively

• Understand their motivations: Are they product-driven? Focused on financial returns? Knowing their perspective helps you filter advice through the lens of your business objectives.
• Don’t resell your vision—focus on execution: “It’s important to remember your investors are already bought in,” says Larry Cohen, Health2047’s CEO, who serves on the boards of many Health2047 portfolio companies. “Board discussions should center on key challenges and progress against prior goals.”
• Be transparent about risks: Every startup faces product-market fit, commercial, and technical risks. The best board discussions help you assess and mitigate these risks in real time.
• Leverage their networks: A well-composed board can accelerate access to future funders and key hires—whether that means making direct introductions or offering support through the interview process.

At Health2047, we help early-stage healthcare founders navigate these challenges and build the right foundations for success. If you’re thinking about board composition, cadence, or investor alignment, we’d love to hear from you.