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How can Advisors on Demand help?
Our goal is to substantially increase the success rate of startups going through scaling and delivering the product to the market. We aim to achieve our goal by offering access to skilled executives with experience in the most critical areas of organizational management.
It is ok if a startup fails when trying to find a product-market fit: startups are designed to test ideas and fail quickly if the idea/product does not work.
It is a big shame and loss when your idea is great, you know how to build your product, your customers love it and you fail to scale. Countless startups flamed out because they could not scale their costs sub-linearly, became victims of organizational or cultural clashes or failed to come up with a robust and scalable go-to-market and business model.
Our approach to solving the problem is best described by this quote:
"It's said that a wise person learns from his mistakes. A wiser one learns from others' mistakes. But the wisest person of all learns from others's successes."
— John C. Maxwell American author, speaker and pastor 1947
What startups are we targeting?
AoD program is tailored to startups that have just entered or about to enter a scale phase, here is why. We do not recommend this program to startups in earlier stages (i.e. FFF, seed round, PoC) because working with experienced executives may, in fact, inhibit innovation. "Been there done that" attitude can bias entrepreneurs in a negative way.
There are two cases where the program can be beneficial in earlier stages:
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Startups with promising ESG credentials (specifically, E and S);
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High potential graduates of existing global programs in developing countries.
Need USP. What makes this program unique?
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We offer a tailored assessment of your needs, done by experienced executives and coaches to ensure a successful advisor selection.
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Our network has thousands of seasoned professionals with enterprise credentials who will help you navigate through the "fog of war" while scaling up and understand your blind spots.
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Upon agreement, you can list your advisor(s) in your company's trivia, boosting credibility.
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Unlike programs or accelerators sponsored by governments or big corporations, we come with no strings attached.
"When I was running Y Combinator I used to joke that our function was to tell founders things they would ignore. It's really true. Batch after batch, the YC partners warn founders about mistakes they're about to make, and the founders ignore them, and then come back a year later and say "I wish we'd listened."
— Paul Graham, co-founder of Y Combinator
Who are you?
Advisors on Demand is founded by two tech executives and IMD EMBA Alumni, John Joyce and Danila Rudenka. The program is supported by many more individuals and is a big team effort.
John Joyce
Tech exec @AbInitio, expert in crypto and fintech, scaling and developing teams, startup founder and mentor
Danila Rudenka
Tech exec @Google, expert in tech operations, scaling customer relations and people development, CapitalG advisor
How does it work?
Similarly to HBR's "Exploration, Extrapolation, Exploitation", we run the program in three stages.
Step 1: Understand your needs
Program leaders will start with one or multiple meetings with you and your staff to understand your needs better. Note that our perception of your needs will differ from your own and that's okay. We aim to operate across the following five pillars:
Business planning, strategy & GTM
Finance and capital management
Technology & R&D
Leadership, organizational
culture & HR
Operations &
customer relations
Step 2: Advisory board member(s) selection and framework set up
Program managers will identify candidate(s) for the advisory board from a pool of available executives and professionals and will run a series of introductory meetings. We rely on a vast international network of IMD Alumni and have a personal connection to every advisor. Advisors' skillset is categorized across the five advisory pillars.
Step 3: Counceling, wrap-up and mutual feedback
Advisors will be counseling startups on topics identified as challenging during a tentative time frame of 3 to 6 months according to a pre-arranged schedule. The program can be extended with or without remuneration.
This is a trial program, hence a two-way feedback is critical. We decided against a one-size-fits-all approach and you help shape it moving forward.
While the program does currently does not foresee any remuneration, you are free to continue working with your advisor after the program ends by offering them an advisor or board position.
Why would advisors work pro bono?
Our advisors typically have a strong connection to the corporate world and working with entrepreneurs brings them professional satisfaction. By participating in the program, our advisors can get outside their "bubble", expand their knowledge and network.
OK, What's next?
If you are interested in joining the program, please answer two quick questions in the interest form below - we will get in touch. Not interested? Help us improve.