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Steve Blank

I had a group of ex-students out to the ranch who were puzzling over a dilemma—they’ve been working hard on their startup, were close at finding product/market fit and had been approached by Oren, a potential angel investor. Oren had been investing since he left Google four years ago and was insisting on not only a board seat, but he wanted to be chairman of the board. The team wasn’t sure what to do.

I listened for a while as they went back and forth about whether he should be chairman. Then I asked, “Why should he even be on your board at all?” I got looks of confusion and then they said, “We thought all investors get a board seat. At least that’s what Oren told us.”

To read the original article: Don't Give Away Your Board Seats | Xconomy