WVC:E 

Board Training

About

WVC:E is proud to bring to you Board Training for VCs. This programme has been designed as a series of four workshops emphasising practical knowledge and actionable strategies. Designed with women in VC in mind, this programme will empower you to articulate and engage confidently in your roles as leaders and directors in VC companies. The workshops will help you navigate the crucial role of directors and boards in VC backed companies.

By attending this programme, directors, board observers, and investors looking to take on their first board seat will gain the confidence to navigate the boardroom effectively, fulfil their fiduciary duties, and contribute to the long-term success of their venture. Participants are encouraged to come prepared to discuss their own board experiences and challenges.

Who is the course for?

  • Board directors

  • Board observers

  • VC investors looking to take on board positions

  • Angel investors / operators interested in independent board seats

When and where is the course?

  • The course will run for 4 sessions during June & July 2024 (more details in course outline)

  • The course will take place in-person in London and is limited to 18 spaces

What are the benefits?

  • Unlock practical governance strategies for VC boards

  • Empower yourself as a confident leader and director in VC-backed companies

  • Master the art of strategic decision-making, crisis management, and stakeholder engagement

  • Develop organisational agility, resilience, and a winning culture with enhanced emotional intelligence

  • Gain an understanding of the legal obligations and liabilities associated with directorship of a private company

  • Join a cohort of like minded investors and peers to grow and access knowledge without pressure

How much does it cost?

All prices shown exclude VAT

Non-member

£2,000

Member

£1,500

Course Outline

Timings may be subject to change

  • Mastering the Compass: Essential Duties for VC Boards
    = 4-hour Workshop including breakfast =

    ————————————————

    8:00 - 8:45 - Welcome breakfast

    8:45 - 10:00 - Setting the Stage: The Landscape of VC Governance

    - Defining Board Responsibilities and Fiduciary Duty
    - Key Legal Considerations and Regulatory Framework
    - The VC cycle of investment and how to use governance frameworks as a differentiator for your companies
    - Case Study: Breach of Fiduciary Duty - Consequences and Lessons Learned
    - Group discussions and q+a

    10:00 - 10:15 - break

    10:15 - 12:00 - Core Duties of Directors: A Deep Dive

    - Duty of Care: Ensuring informed decision-making & reasonable oversight

    - Duty of Loyalty: Mitigating Conflicts of Interest & Self-dealing

    - Identifying & Disclosing Conflicts
    - Recusal Practices & Transparency

    - Duty of Obedience: Acting in the Best Interests of the Company

    - Investor Alignment & Communication
    - Growth Strategy & Long-Term Value Creation

  • Navigating the Boardroom Dynamics in VC-Backed Companies
    = 3-hour Workshop =

    ————————————————

    9:00 - 9:15 - welcome, reflections and reprise of session 1

    9:15 - 10:30 - Building a High-Performing Board:

    - Optimal Board Composition: Founders, VCs, Independent Directors
    - Role of the Chair and Board Committees (Audit, Compensation, etc.)
    - Effective Board Meetings: Structure, Agendas, Information Flow

    10:30 - 10:45 - break

    10:45 - 12:00 - Setting Appropriate agenda’s, processes and systems:

    - Strategy & Oversight: Approving major transactions, capital allocation
    - Risk Management: setting the culture and lens
    - CEO Performance Evaluation and Succession Planning
    - Communication and Transparency: With investors, management, and other stakeholders
    - Deadlock situations and dispute resolution

  • Role of Board in Navigating Complex Situations
    =     3-hour Workshop =

    ————————————————

    2:00 - 2:15 - welcome, reflections and reprise of session 2

    2:15 - 3:30 - Identifying & Responding to Financial Distress

    - Early warning signs of insolvency in VC-backed companies
    - Understanding financial statements and key metrics
    - Roles & responsibilities of the board during financial distress
    - Restructuring & Workouts

    3:30 - 3:45 - Coffee Break

    3:45 - 5:00 - Managing fraud and wider governance issues

    - Red flags of potential fraud in VC-backed companies
    - Board's oversight responsibilities in financial and wider reporting
    - Tools and resources for fraud detection and prevention
    - Strategies for managing wider governance risks

  • Strategic Leadership
    = 3 hours followed by dinner =

    ————————————————

    3:00 - 4:00 - Emotional Intelligence (EQ) for Board Members

    - The importance of EQ for effective board leadership
    - Building trust and fostering healthy communication within the board
    - Managing difficult conversations
    - How to recognise bias and strategic decision making
    - Frameworks for analysing complex business challenges
    - Tools for making data-driven decisions under uncertainty
    - Developing the right behaviour and culture

    4:00 - 4.15 - Break

    4.:15-5.30 - Strategic Decision Making in Uncertain Environments

    - Group board simulation exercise
    - Panel Q&A session with the guest speaker(s)

    5:30 - Wrap-Up & Action Planning

    - Recap and reflections of key takeaways

    6:30 - dinner

Can't do these date? Please register your interest for our next programme.

Janhavi Dadarkar

Course Leader

The WVCE programme will be facilitated by Janhavi Dadarkar who uniquely combines legal and academic rigour with an entrepreneurial practitioners pragmatism. Having started her career as a corporate media lawyer, she has worked on some of the largest M&A’s, entrepreneurial IPO’s, complex financing structures including for the Harry Potter and the Bond movies, and advising boards of well-known multinational companies as well as personalities from the sporting world to enterprising individuals looking to commercialise space travel.

Janhavi then successfully made the transition to building her own ventures and a portfolio of board roles ranging from companies in fintech, historical estate management to organisations working at the supranational level. She is also the Programme Lead at the IoD for their flagship Governance courses and the CEO of the company that provides content and subject matter experts for IoD’s renowned chartered programme.

She holds the accolade of being the youngest and only person of ethnic background (male or female) to have served on the IoD Board of Examiners and the fintech board. Being first though, she hopes, means others will follow. Her passion is to work with boards and aspiring board members to help them achieve sustainable success.