How to Build an Advisory Board That Actually Helps (Beyond Just Looking Good on Paper)
Date: 04/23/2026
Time: 12:00 PM (-5 GMT)
Most advisory boards are built for appearances. Founders add big names to impress investors, advisors agree to lend credibility, and everyone pretends quarterly calls are moving the business forward.
When you're actually trying to build something, you need advisors who show up when decisions get hard and stakes get real. This webinar shows you how to build an advisory board that delivers strategic value instead of just looking good in your pitch deck.
What You'll Learn
This isn't theory from a governance textbook. It's a framework built from real advisory relationships that either delivered results or quietly fell apart, and what separates the two.
How to distinguish between advisors who look good on paper and advisors who actually move your business forward - and why most founders get this backwards when they're starting out
The three questions that reveal whether a potential advisor will show up when it matters - not just when it's convenient or visible
Why industry expertise matters less than you think - and what actually predicts whether an advisor will help you solve problems or just add to your meeting load
How to structure advisor relationships without lawyers, equity grants, or complex agreements - including meeting cadence, communication norms, and decision rights that work for resource-constrained startups
The compensation models that kill advisor engagement - and how to align incentives when you're pre-revenue, cash-tight, or unsure what equity to offer
Red flags that signal an advisor will become dead weight - from overcommitment patterns to reputation risks that won't surface until you're already attached
When to expand your advisory board, when to keep it small, and when to quietly exit an advisor - without burning bridges or creating awkward explanations to investors
Real examples from advisory board successes and failures - including what worked in practice, what collapsed under pressure, and what you can apply to your situation today
Who Should Attend
If you're building something that matters and need advisors who actually help rather than just attend meetings, this webinar will show you how to find them, structure the relationship, and know when to walk away.
Founders and CEOs building or scaling their first advisory board and want to avoid common mistakes that waste time and dilute focus
Early-stage entrepreneurs who've been told they need advisors but aren't sure what to look for, how to structure relationships, or what realistic expectations should be
Startup accelerator participants navigating advisor selection as part of their program and want to choose strategically rather than based on titles alone
Investors and board members working with portfolio companies that need stronger advisory structures but don't have the budget or bandwidth for traditional governance overhead
Business development and strategy leads tasked with recruiting advisors but unclear on how to evaluate fit beyond resume credentials
Second-time founders who've had mixed experiences with advisors in the past and want to build something more effective this time around
Consultants and fractional executives who serve as advisors themselves and want to understand what high-performing advisory relationships actually look like
Anyone who's sat through advisory board meetings that felt performative rather than productive - and wants to understand how to design something better
Reserve Your Spot
Date: 04/23/2026
Time: 12:00 PM (-5 GMT)
About the Presenter
John Cobb is the founder of Pholus Advisory, where he advises founders, boards, and investors on governance and strategic decision-making in complex operating environments.
He serves as Chair of the Advisory Board for Ideal Technology in Mozambique, where he leads monthly board meetings entirely in Portuguese, a language he learned from scratch in six weeks specifically to take the role.
He holds a BA in International Relations from Seton Hall University and has operated businesses on the ground across Latin America, Sub-Saharan Africa, and South Asia.
Ready to build an advisory board that actually works?
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