Inspire your board to ride the waves of change.
There is a high demand for experienced board members who know what it takes to scale. A scale-up is not a large start-up: to grow from startup to a full fledged enterprise, a company needs to transform itself. Do you have what it takes to support a leadership team through this journey?
In ScaleUpBoard you will:
- Build the skills toolbox you need to facilitate growth
- Learn from an experienced network of faculty
- Join a life-long community of peers
Join the next class, starting in April 2025 in Amsterdam.
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What the program looks like
When? April 10, 11 + May 16 + June 19, 20
Where? 5 days on-site in Amsterdam
The ScaleUpBoard Program is for independent board members of start-ups/scale-ups, for investors, for CEOs that are creating a supervisory or advisory board and for coaches, mentors and advisors of start-ups/scale-ups.
In the program we experience the typical journey of a board member of an innovative venture that is going through the scale-up phase, characterized as highly eventful, uncertain and dynamic.
The journey starts with understanding what you are getting into as a new board member. What will define success for the company? What are its challenges and opportunities? What is required to be a board member of a scale-up? What are the legal aspects and governance issues?
The next step is to “demystify the growth engine”, i.e. to understand what will drive the value and impact growth, and how to optimize funding and investment schemes. This will lead to involvement with the business operations. Key topics for the board include understanding management biases, helping improve the quality of business decisions and setting remuneration and incentives.
At the same time, you delve into the board’s role in building confidence in the CEO, thinking courageously, helping recognize opportunities and making strategic bets. Final, crucial topics include dealing with headwind, setting up proper business intelligence, receiving proper warning signals, acting on dilemmas/crises, and building resilience in the MT and organization.
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Alumni Board Matching Service
Your exclusive access to innovative ventures looking for certified ScaleUpBoard Members.
The Board Experts
Our faculty knows scale-up board dynamics in-and-out
Menno van Dijk was a senior partner at McKinsey for over 20 years. He specialized in innovation and growth, working with companies in Europe, South Africa, Australia, and everywhere in between. He created McKinsey’s first software business in a JV with Nielsen. After returning to Amsterdam, Menno co-founded THNK, the School of Creative Leadership. After some years, he was ready for the next big thing: ScaleUpNation. His company came alive with two assumptions in his mind: “Large societal challenges in the world are also large entrepreneurial opportunities. And only the companies that scale can move the needle in terms of impact, value creation and employment”.Menno’s expertise is in leadership, business strategy and growth. He has deep knowledge of what makes a start-up scale or stall, and can provide you clarity on vision, strategy and priorities.
Jolanda's mission is to make people aware of their own authentic strength. As a trainer, coach and moderator, Jolanda has worked with hundreds of women to make their ambitions visible and find their personal mission. She is the author of the book “From your heart to success”, and is the founder of the Lof Academy, where she helps companies like Accenture, PWC, Post NL, or DNB further develop the potential of their female talent. She is also a change leader at Better Future, a global leadership and strategy consultancy. In 2016 she joined the board of the World Press Photo foundation.Jolanda has experience as both the board member and the CEO, which allows us to put herself in their shoes and understand both perspectives. She knows how to touch people's hearts and inspire them to take on their personal leadership for a meaningful world, which she tries to do with ScaleUpBoard participants as the program director.
Jan Paul’s career has been focused on digital transformation for over 20 years, in roles that ranged from journalist, to intrapreneur, to senior global executive. His experience in the scientific publishing industry revealed to him the limitations in traditional governance practices, but also the opportunities to improve. So he went on to become an independent coach on innovation and leadership. In 2015 he joined Rockstart as Program Director of “Renew the Book”, an international startup accelerator. He also joined THNK, the School for Creative Leadership, as an enterprise coach, guiding participants on their individual innovation projects.At ScaleUpNation his focus is on internal investor relations and stakeholder management. His role is to guide participants through the program using a business case, a practical simulation of being in different boards.
Natalia has over 20 years of experience working as a technology consultant, senior investment manager, business support advisor, and, most recently, as a coach to entrepreneurs. She has deep expertise in venture boards, and has researched and published numerous articles on the topic of venture board effectiveness, as well as spoken on the topic internationally. Natalia holds a Doctorate in Corporate Governance of early ventures, and her research is focused on “why startup boards matter and how to get the most value out of them”.Natalia has currently joined Mercia, an asset management company, as portfolio director. There she supports investee companies with strategic direction, growth optimisation and board oversight.
Anne Mieke is dedicated to helping entrepreneurial leaders design new possible futures and apply creative intelligence to transform their business. With a background in design, in 2016 she co-founded Caracta business innovation, a consulting firm which helps companies such as AkzoNobel, Corbion and The Red Cross design their future direction, brand positioning and transformation journeys.In #ScaleUpBoard she is responsible for building creative leadership and the essential competencies for driving scale. She facilitates the Board Effectiveness session of the ScaleUp Board Program.
Patrick is a managing partner at Newion, a venture capital firm that focuses on early-stage investments in B2B software companies in North-West Europe. Patrick has a long track record as a board member - he has held board member positions in no less than 16 companies in the last two decades and across the Netherlands, Belgium, and Germany. He still holds 5 of those positions currently, in software companies FIlestage, Value Blue, CustomerGauge, Collibra, and Servoy. Patrick is also a VC Council member at Invest Europe, an association that represents Europe’s private equity, venture capital and infrastructure sectors.Patrick holds a Master’s degree in AeroSpace Engineering from TUDelft.
Dorine Wekking is an experienced board member: from the Haagsche School, to HEMA, to the Aon Groep, she has been part of numerous supervisory and executive boards. Dorine has a long track record as a HR professional in multiple international industries and in the public domain, where she has gained valuable insights of the dynamics of organizations, their boards and critical stakeholders. Among other positions she was Senior Manager HR Strategy at Deloitte, HR Director at KPN, and Director HR at Aon. She is now a member of the external audit committee at the Ministry of Finance of the Netherlands.Dorine’s purpose, in her words, is to “support leaders and teams in their journey to create and ground humane and sustainable organizations”.
Marlies has extensive managerial and supervisory experience in the private, public and charitable sectors at large and small organizations. She has been on the board of 10 companies and foundations, including Ogilvy, Greenpeace, the Dutch Brain Foundation. She is currently a Governance Advisor and faculty member at NR, a company that provides governance training. In 2005 Marlies founded her own governance consulting firm, By Trust, through which she has supported and empowered numerous teams.Marlies pays special attention to the 'soft controls' of governance, which is a perspective she brings to the ScaleUpBoard program.
Board with us on this journey
If you are an accomplished entrepreneur, investor, business advisor or
coach, join ScaleUpBoard now and scale your impact as a board member.
Questions?
When is the next program?
The next class is:
Winter 2024 (on-site)
November 21, 22 + December 16 + January (2024) 16, 17
Is the program in-person?
The Spring program and Fall/Winter programs will happen on-site in Amsterdam.
In between all program days you will meet with your learning circle: a peer-to-peer session where you discuss a case topic to deepen your learning. These insights will be shared in plenary during the next session.
What is the participation fee?
The fee for the program is €7,500, exclusive VAT. It includes:
- 5 program days and 5 learning circles (peer-to-peer sessions to deepen your learning).
- All materials, meals and refreshment (in on-site events)
- Certification as qualified scale-up Board Member upon completion of course work
- Access to the ScaleUpNation community of investors, advisors, researchers and ventures
How is the selection process?
The group is individually put together through a selection process to ensure that you experience the most impactful learning. Participation is therefore determined by application.