Course overview
A practical introduction to the responsibilities, expectations and dynamics of being a Non‑Executive Director in a venture‑backed business.
This one‑day course supports individuals stepping into their first NED role within early‑stage companies, providing a clear understanding of what effective board contribution looks like in a VC context.
Led by experienced practitioners, the programme explores the unique pressures and opportunities of joining a board, including fiduciary duties, legal and governance requirements, founder‑investor dynamics, and the realities of navigating fast‑changing environments.
Through real case examples, delegates will gain the confidence, frameworks and practical insight needed to add value from day one and support both founders and investors in building resilient, scalable businesses.
Key topics include
- What to expect in the boardroom:
- Essential attributes and skills to be an effective NED
- Potential pressures and challenges
- Dynamics in the room
- Financial health of a business and cash flow management
- Successful M&A
- Key personnel
- Customer pipeline analysis
- Product road map
- Preparing for upcoming funding rounds
- Pre-meeting preparation including KPIs and reporting
- Risk management
What will delegates take away?
- A clear understanding of NED responsibilities, including legal duties, liabilities and governance requirements in venture backed companies.
- Insight into effective board behaviours, decision making processes and how to balance oversight with support.
- An understanding of board structures and processes, including information flows, board packs, KPIs and meeting management.
- Tools for navigating common challenges, such as underperformance, scaling issues, shareholder tensions and strategic pivots.
- Increased confidence in contributing to high growth boards, informed by case studies and practitioner experience.
Benefits to employers
- Better prepared future NEDs, able to represent investor interests professionally and constructively.
- More effective board engagement, with delegates understanding legal frameworks, governance expectations and the realities of early-stage decision making.
- Reduced risk, as new NEDs gain awareness of duties, liabilities and common pitfalls in VC board environments.
- Stronger investor–founder relationships, supported by NEDs who can communicate clearly, mediate effectively and maintain alignment.
FAQs about this course
What should I expect on the day?
Please arrive with plenty of time to register. Breakfast will be provided along with lunch and refreshments, with a drinks reception at the end of day 1. The course will kick-off with introductions followed by content from multiple speakers as per the agenda.
What’s the dress code?
Smart casual.
What should I bring with me?
You may wish to bring something to work on/ to take notes such as a laptop or iPad (we will provide note pads and pens).
Will materials be shared with delegates?
Yes, all materials, including slides and case studies, will be shared with delegates.
Course Director
The course is led by Alex Cochand, learn more about him below.
Alex Cochand
Alex Cochand is a Director at SEI Ventures. He was previously a Partner at Q Ventures, heading the investment team. He managed the origination and investment process. He has worked in the venture space for over 9 years and in that time, he has completed over twenty-five transactions. He has a broad range of experience from corporate finance through to launching a CVC and working within tax efficient funds.
Guest speakers
The course features guest speakers with a wealth of expertise and experience from across the private capital industry. Click a speaker below to learn more about them.
Barnaby Terry
Barnaby has worked in venture capital for more than 30 years initially with 3i plc, then as one of the Founding Partners of Elderstreet Capital Partners, the best performing 1999 VC fund in Western Europe.BHe is currently Managing Partner of Sussex Place Ventures, specialising in B2B SaaS, IT Services and Deep Tech. Barnaby has invested in some of Europe’s most successful technology businesses including Content Technologies, acquired by Baltimore for $1b. He currently sits on the boards of Kantata and Cutover and is an active angel investor. Barnaby is an engineering graduate of Imperial College and started his career in enterprise sales in the data communications industry and holds an MBA from Erasmus University in Rotterdam.
Dr. Ilian Iliev
Dr. Ilian Iliev founded EMV Capital in 2018. After its acquisition by NetScientific PLC (now EMV Capital PLC), he became group CEO. Previously he co-founded and was CEO of CambridgeIP Ltd, which he built into a leading IP and patent strategy and data analytics provider in the UK and internationally.
He also worked as a strategy advisor for various corporate clients. In the 1990s he co-led a family business in industrials and electric engineering in Southern Africa. He is a Board member on behalf of the Group at many portfolio companies, including , Glycotest Inc. (Chair), Sofant Technologies, PointGrab, Q-Bot, Martlet Capital, DName-iT, Vortex and Wanda Health (Chair). He is a Board member of NASDAQ-listed PDS Biotech Inc.
Ilian holds a PhD from Cambridge University’s Judge Business School with a focus on Venture Capital; Master’s in Economics from the Witwatersrand University, South Africa; and is a former Associate Fellow at Chatham House. He has authored numerous academic, policy and industry reports.
James Codling
James Codling is Managing Partner of Volution, a UK and European venture capital firm backing high-growth fintech, AI and enterprise software businesses. With over 25 years of experience investing in technology companies, from early-stage through to international scale, he leads Volution's investment strategy, focusing on businesses with £5m–£20m in revenue that apply transformative technologies to drive productivity across capital markets and enterprise.
Olav Ostin
Olav Ostin is Founder and Managing Partner of TempoCap, a pan-European primary and secondary tech investor with offices in London, Paris, and Berlin. Olav has been active in the venture capital and secondary industries for over 20 years. In 2021, he was named one of RealDeals 20 most influential people in venture capital and private equity for TempoCap’s successful exits of Depop for $1.625B to Etsy and CurrencyCloud for $925m to Visa in 2021. In 2006, Ostin co-founded TempoCap, which was part of the DFJ Network from 2012 to 2016. TempoCap has acquired 11 portfolios of assets and closed multiple single assets transactions. Olav was educated at EM Lyon, France.
Peter Mitchell
Peter Mitchell is a Director at Future Planet, who leads on Data Science and Technology within the firm. With a keen eye for innovation, Peter has developed DataLace, a novel data system that analyzes over 500,000 data points to identify companies in the pipeline that are most likely to build profitable solutions to the world’s greatest challenges. He also serves on the Blue Ocean Mandate's investment committee and oversees relations with Future Planet’s key venture managers worldwide.
CPD accreditation
This course is CPD accredited by the CPD Certification Service for 8 hours. By attending this course, you will receive a digital certificate from Diplomasafe. This certificate allows you to share and save your new CPD accredited qualification on LinkedIn, adding instantly verifiable credentials and strengthening your professional profile.
Code of Conduct - Attendance at L&D courses
UK Private Capital is committed to bringing members together in a professional environment to collaborate and network. We have established this code of conduct to provide guidelines to participants, and to ensure that all participants understand what behaviour is expected of them at our training courses.
