The right advisors open doors, sharpen thinking, and tell you things you don't want to hear.
Every founder needs people around them who aren't on the payroll, aren't trying to invest, and aren't just being polite. Good advisors are the ones who've been where you're going — and will tell you honestly what they see from where they're standing.
At the MVP stage, investors often ask "who's around you?" It's not just a credential check. It's a signal of self-awareness. Founders who've built an advisory network are founders who know what they don't know.
Good advisors do a few specific things: make introductions to potential customers or investors, provide domain expertise you don't have on your founding team, challenge your assumptions before the market does, and lend credibility to your pitch by association. They don't run your company, they don't attend every meeting, and they shouldn't be making decisions for you.
They don't work for equity alone unless the relationship is genuinely active. And an advisor who agreed to the title but never responds to emails isn't an advisor — they're a name you can't actually use.
The best advisors come through warm introductions — founders who've worked with them before, investors in your space, or people you've met at industry events. Platforms like Connectd exist specifically to connect founders with advisors, fractional executives, and non-exec directors who are actively looking to support startups.
When approaching someone, be specific. Don't ask "would you be an advisor?" Ask: "I'm working on [specific problem]. You've done [specific thing]. Would you be open to a 30-minute call to share your perspective?" Specific asks get answers. Generic asks don't.
Most early-stage advisory arrangements are informal. Some involve a small equity grant — typically 0.1% to 0.5% vesting over one to two years, depending on seniority and involvement. Keep it light until you know the relationship works.
At MVP stage, two to four active advisors is ideal. One with deep domain expertise in your sector. One with fundraising or investor relations experience. One with sales or go-to-market knowledge. Anything beyond five starts to look like a list-building exercise.
Listing advisors on your pitch deck who aren't genuinely active. Using advisor titles as a credibility shortcut without substance behind it. Not being clear about what you need from advisors, so meetings drift and relationships fade. And not asking advisors for introductions — which is often the most valuable thing they can do.
A founder who can say: "I have three active advisors. One spent ten years in HR tech and makes two customer intros a month. One is an angel investor who's reviewed my deck and introduced me to two other angels. One is a fractional CFO who checks my financial model quarterly." Specific, active, useful.
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Try the funding finder →This is general information, not financial or legal advice. Always do your own research and seek independent professional advice.