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Serving on boards is a vital part of what venture capitalists do. VCs who succeed at this will enjoy advantages, including building their own brand, increasing deal flow, and helping the companies they invest in perform better. To navigate board rooms more successfully, follow these seven tips.
Being a successful venture capitalist isn’t just about making investments. It’s also about serving on boards of the companies you invest in. Yet the majority of venture education focuses on the first part of this process: deal sourcing, due diligence, selection, and winning the investment. Once the investment is made, that transition quickly catalyzes to serving on the board. However, many new investors are thrown into the deep end without first learning how to swim. Rarely is there a formal onboarding process to teach best practices and how to avoid common mistakes.