Academy Exchange | Good Governance: Building a Strong Founder-Investor Relationship

The Academy Exchange Session brings founders and investors together for an open exchange of perspectives, experiences, and practical insights.

The session “Good Governance” takes a closer look at the long-term relationship between founders and investors: What makes it work? What do both sides need from each other? And how can a relationship be built that creates trust and value long after the term sheet is signed?

Our speaker Britta Bomhard is a board member for large corporations and an active angel investor in more than a dozen companies. She has sat on both sides of the table, leading companies big and small and navigating the dynamics between founders, investors, and boards.

The session explores:

Setting the foundation: How founders and investors can align on expectations, motivations, and ways of working from the start
Building trust: How to create open communication where both sides can give feedback, challenge, support, and learn from each other
Balancing control and autonomy: How investors can add value without overstepping, and how founders can make the most of their investors’ experience and network
Beyond the money: The role and leverage of investors beyond funding and how both sides can contribute to a good relationship in practice
Navigating challenges: How to deal with disagreements, changing needs, and difficult moments without damaging the relationship