Case Study:  High-Growth CEO Forums™:  CEO's Achieve Next Stage Growth

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Peer Forums / VC-backed Growth Companies

Great ideas and great CEOs:  Can you think of a better combination?  Since 1989, CEOs of emerging growth companies in Boston have participated in Forums run by the Catlin & Cookman Group (CCG) with impressive results.  In Europe, CEO’s from 10 Countries say it is the single most valuable thing they have done to build their exit strategy.
 
Now, we are bringing that same model to the Bay Area for CEOs of high growth companies.  High-Growth CEO Forums™ meet quarterly to profit from the experience and perspective of peer-advisors to get on the other side of the challenges they face.  Peer Forums provide the shared experience and trust that is beyond the scope of what a Board or Management Team can offer. 

A six-year proven track record:

• 30% of member CEO’s have had a successful exit including an IPO. 
• All current members are on track for a successful exit.
• Five member CEOs have been winners or finalists in E&Y's Entrepreneur of the Year program.
• Members have been on the INC 500 and Deloittes Fast 50.
• A pipeline of effective CEO’s

Top CEO Challenges:

• Managing Board and employee expectations
• Building credibility as a leader
• Sale vs. IPO – pros and cons
• Growth strategies, including M&A’s and strategic alliances
• Finding and keeping top talent; building an effective management team
• Building a strong, resilient culture
• Jumping the next growth curve and securing survival
• Repeating success – getting multiple products to market successfully

CEO-centered meeting format:

• Exclusive focus on high-growth CEOs and expert CEO Forum leaders who use the depth and relevance of their intellectual property -- books, cutting-edge tools and models -- to frame discussion and deliver actionable insight
• Offers time for all members to present their key challenges at each meeting;
• Uses customized, interactive agendas designed with member input to address the most current issues and interests;
• Creates discussion and development of ongoing best practices by comparing what has worked/not worked in member companies

High-Growth CEO Forums™ are expert-led, confidential, by-invitation-only, peer groups of 8-12 CEOs of equity-backed companies.  The same group meets quarterly to solve tough issues, exchange ideas, develop best practices, and discover how to manage the most difficult challenges at each stage of company growth.   The cost is $15,000 per year.


Bottom-line impact
CEO groups not only provide a place for CEOs to find help with tough issues from peers; they also have an impact on the bottom line. “I can point to specific actions that I’ve taken as a result of participating in the CEO Forum that have had a dramatic impact on the growth of my company,” says Jeffrey Beir, former CEO of eRoom Technology and Venture Capitalist with North Bridge. “These were not easy decisions, but they were made easier by having a group of people that could help me think an idea through in advance.”

Beir believes having a group where the companies are in similar, yet non-competing situations is extremely useful. “We are all in similar situations – venture-backed, high-growth companies in the marketplace at the same point in time – and I think that similarity is very important,” he says. “But at the same time, we’re in very different businesses, and that actually makes the group more valuable, because sometimes you can get an idea from a different market segment that you never would have thought of.”

CEOs who have participated in these Forums have the following things to say about their experience:

"The job of the CEO is inherently and unapologetically isolating.  The CEO Forum offers a refreshingly honest and sincere source of support and advice from peers who live on similar quarterdecks.  It is one of the most effective feedback and personal development mechanisms available to a CEO.  The Forum has made me a more effective leader and a happier more balanced human being." 

Colin Angle, CEO of iRobot who just had successful IPO in November with a market cap over $700million.  He was also an Entrepreneur of the Year winner in 2003.