Early Governance Setup

Produce a first complete and usable asset for Early Governance Setup. The objective is to remove ambiguity around board/advisor rhythm, decision records and governance basics, give the founder a decision-ready output, and make it clear whether the venture should progress, repeat the task with stronger evidence, escalate to expert support, or move into a linked stage.

Bertie or a programme manager assigns Early Governance Setup when the venture needs a decision-ready output for this group. Typical triggers include group-gate reviews, evidence gaps identified by the co-pilot or founder request.

founder profiles; current team status; role expectations; ownership assumptions; venture thesis if available; draft inputs or template to complete; specific context for board/advisor rhythm, decision records and governance basics.

1. 1Audit Existing Governance Assets and Templatesexpand_more

   The founder gathers all current company records, informal meeting notes, advisor agreements, and existing governance templates. They review current practice against baseline seed-stage governance requirements to establish a clear starting point.

   Objective

   Completing this action establishes a baseline inventory of the venture's current governance maturity. It prevents redundant effort by anchoring the asset in existing materials while aligning the structure with standard venture-building frameworks.

   What's expected

   A catalogued set of existing governance documents, notes, and template selections assembled in the working environment. The founder must produce a clear gap assessment between current informal practices and the required standard.

   Consultant stress-test · 5 questions

   1. 1.What specific gap exists between your current informal updates and a formal board reporting rhythm?
   2. 2.Why have you chosen this particular governance template over a light-touch advisory board framework?
   3. 3.How do your current advisor agreements align with the intellectual property assignment requirements in the template?
   4. 4.What legacy decisions have been made verbally that currently lack a documented audit trail?
   5. 5.How does this starting framework reflect the specific voting rights outlined in your cap table?

   Open action arrow_forward
2. 2Define Core Governance Parameters and Rhythmsexpand_more
3. 3Populate Governance Asset with Evidence Inputsexpand_more
4. 4Reconcile Asset with Venture Thesisexpand_more
5. 5Identify Governance Vulnerabilities and Gapsexpand_more
6. 6Finalise Governance Asset for Data Roomexpand_more

• A data-room asset titled Early Governance Setup
• A completed working asset, template, framework or decision-ready document that can be stored in the data room
• It should update the venture DNA with specific evidence or decisions about board/advisor rhythm, decision records and governance basics, create a visible milestone in the founder journey, and generate one or more recommended next tasks

A mentor or evaluator can review the output at the group gate. Programme managers can require an advisor checkpoint before Bertie moves the venture forward.

Draft your output and let Bertie review it