Advisor Recruitment

Overview

Most startup advisors are ornamental — they take 0.25% equity, attend zero meetings, and provide zero value. The mistake: recruiting advisors for logos instead of leverage. Great advisors unlock customers, candidates, investors, and strategic decisions. This skill covers identifying who you need, structuring the relationship, compensating fairly, and extracting maximum value.

Authoritative Foundations

• Scott Kupor (Andreessen Horowitz) — Secrets of Sand Hill Road (advisory equity) — Secrets of Sand Hill Road (advisory equity)
• Elad Gil — High Growth Handbook (leveraging advisors) — High Growth Handbook (leveraging advisors)
• First Round Review — High-Impact Advisory Relationships — High-Impact Advisory Relationships
• Jason Lemkin (SaaStr) — When advisors add value vs are dead weight — When advisors add value vs are dead weight

When to Use