Advisors Are Evolving — Your Start up advisor Program Should Too
The old model of a “startup advisor program” hasn’t aged well. In the early 2000s, founders had limited support — few accelerators, barely any playbooks, and a short list of people who’d “been there.”
Now? Founders are surrounded by resources. Tools. Funds. Experts. You name it. Simply trading 1% of your company for monthly coffee chats doesn’t cut it anymore.
Instead of seeing advisors as honorary roles, start treating them like real contributors — and reward them accordingly.
With the right approach, an advisor program can be one of your company’s most strategic assets.
Step 1: Define a Clear Equity Budget
Think of your startup advisor program equity pool like your employee option pool — it deserves structure.
- Commit 1–1.5% of your fully diluted equity.
- Use tiered allocations based on expected involvement (e.g., Gold = 0.25%, Silver = 0.05%, Bronze = 0.01%).
- This approach simplifies onboarding, keeps you within budget, and helps signal expectations.
Step 2: Set Up the Program Infrastructure
- Grant type: Most advisors receive common stock (either via NSOs or RSAs). Consult your legal team to choose the right format.
- Vesting terms: 2–3 years is the sweet spot. It’s long enough to encourage engagement, short enough to be practical.
- Agreement: Use a lightweight, flexible agreement (like the FAST Agreement or Asoka.App’s built-in templates). Include mutual termination language so either side can exit easily.
- Share count tip: Starting with a 10 million share cap table? Consider a 10:1 split to get to 100 million. It adds precision to your equity math and gives psychological weight to grants (“5,000 shares” sounds better than “500”).
Step 3: Find the Right People
Think beyond typical “advisors.” Look for:
- Subject matter experts
- Influential customers
- Content creators in your space
- Former employees
- Channel partners
The best startup advisor program come from real interactions. When someone helps you or shows genuine enthusiasm, that’s your cue. Here’s a sample outreach:
“Really appreciated our conversation earlier. I run a small advisory group made up of people I admire — some are users, others are experts in our space. It’s informal: I send a monthly update with a few asks and optional ways to contribute. I’d love to include you and offer a small equity grant as thanks. Can I send over an invite?”
Also, empower your leadership team to build their own advisor networks. It’s a powerful way to scale reach — and a great perk for execs.
Step 4: Keep Advisors Active and Aligned
startup advisor program won’t act unless you ask. Engagement is everything.
- Send consistent updates. Format and cadence matter. Pick one and stick with it.
- Make it easy to help. Pre-draft social posts. Provide intros. Give clear instructions. Remove friction.
- Segment your asks. Group advisors by expertise, industry, or location — and route asks only to those most likely to act.
- Ask in real time. Don’t save everything for your next update. When an opportunity comes up, send the ask.
- Track impact. If someone consistently doesn’t contribute, thank them and move on. That’s why the agreement should be easy to end.
Asoka.App Makes It All Simple
Managing startup advisor program manually is a pain. Asoka.App makes it seamless.
Use it to:
- Send and sign advisor agreements
- Create structured advisor tiers
- Maintain a searchable directory of contributors
- Trigger and route asks based on advisor profiles
- Deliver tailored updates at scale
- Track and cross-reference advisor networks for intros and influence
Whether you’re just starting or revamping an existing program, it helps you turn advisor equity into an engine for growth.
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