🚀 From First Check to Exit: The Board Strategy Most Founders Don't Know They're Missing
Successful exits: what founders should be doing now to get there.
Most early-stage founders focus on product, growth, and fundraising. The companies that consistently outperform are doing something else early, they're building the right people around them and structuring those relationships to actually drive outcomes.
Join us for a high-impact morning designed for pre-seed to Series B founders who want to build smarter, scale faster, and unlock access to capital.
We will demystify advisory and governing boards and show you how they can accelerate growth, strengthen your investor narrative, and open doors to capital. We'll start with a short fireside on exits; what founders get wrong, how early decisions shape outcomes, and why the people around you matter more than most realize. Then we'll zoom out to the full playbook.
Advisory boards, governing boards, strategic advisors - these are the most underleveraged tools in a founder's arsenal, and experienced entrepreneurs never leave this value on the table.
Why? How to actually build, structure, compensate, and paper these relationships has been nearly impossible to find in one place. Until now.
🎓 You'll walk away knowing:
the difference between advisory and governing boards and when to build each
how the right board increases your fundability and investor confidence — practical strategies for structuring, compensating, and managing boards early
how to identify and recruit high-impact members — and why diversity on your board leads to stronger decisions and better outcomes
💡 Boards should not be scary. They should be your rocket fuel.
Real-world lessons, common pitfalls, actionable frameworks. You'll hear from a VC, an M&A lawyer, and an operator-turned-founder on what the best companies do differently. Whether you're pre-seed or preparing for your next round, you'll leave with the clarity and tools to turn your board into a true strategic advantage — not the other way around.
Agenda:
10:00 – Arrivals
10:15 – Programming starts
Mini Fireside chat: Planning for exits
Moderator: Breen Sullivan, Founder, The Fourth Effect
Guest: Marlen Preyger, Partner, Anchin
Panel: Building boards that unlock capital and scale
Moderator: Marlen Preyger, Partner, Anchin
Panelist: Mike MacCombie, Investor
Panelist: Breen Sullivan, Founder, The Fourth Effect
Panelist: Jeffrey Koh, M&A Partner, Reitler
Come ready to learn, ask questions, and connect with other founders and operators building what’s next.
A Special Thank You to our partners:
Anchin: a full-service and privately owned accounting, tax, and advisory firm specializing in the unique needs of entrepreneurial, venture capital, and private equity-backed businesses from start-ups to established companies.
Reitler: a top-ranked venture capital law firm with offices in New York, Los Angeles, and Princeton. The firm represents emerging companies, venture investors and limited partners across all stages of investment, in seed financings, growth rounds, mergers and acquisitions and exit transactions. Reitler is consistently ranked as a Top 10 venture capital law firm by Pitchbook and has been recognized by Chambers as a global leader in its Startups & Emerging Companies category. With thousands of venture financings completed since our founding, we bring deep experience and practical insight to help our clients achieve their goals efficiently.
ABOUT:
The Fourth Effect helps startups find, structure, and manage the relationships that accelerate growth, while helping experienced professionals build meaningful advisory, board, and fractional leadership opportunities across innovative companies.
For Startups:
📚 Build Smarter Boards – Access expert-led programming, templates, and tools to create effective advisory and governing boards.
🎯 Find the Right Talent – Connect with 2,900+ vetted executives, operators, advisors, and fractional leaders ready to help you scale.
💰 Unlock Strategic Capital – Gain access to a growing network of angels, VCs, and ecosystem partners.
🤝 Join a Powerful Community – Learn alongside 800+ startups sharing insights, opportunities, and connections.
For Advisors, Operators & Investors:
🎓 Support High-Growth Startups – Work with innovative companies seeking strategic guidance and leadership.
🔗 Build a Portfolio Career – Discover advisory, board, and fractional opportunities aligned with your expertise and interests.
📈 Expand Your Impact – Join a curated network shaping the future of startups and innovation.
The advisory economy is already here. We’re building the platform it’s been missing.
Portfolio careers. Smarter startups. One platform.
💡 Learn more at a platform tour.
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***By signing up, you agree that any contact or personal information may be shared with The Fourth Effect, its affiliates, and other attendees. You also consent to the event being recorded and your name, information, image, audio, and video being published and/or edited in any form. You will also be added to our mailing list so that you can be in the know of all of our upcoming events.