Building a team
Running a company needs skill sets that you might not have. We’ll help you bring together the people you need for your company to thrive.
Creating a team with the right mix of skills
Your idea is at the heart of the company, but to be successful, you need a wider set of skills. Commercial experience, market insight and day-to-day business leadership often come from outside the University of Oxford. Being open to adding people with these strengths – especially early on – will help your company grow with confidence.
We can support you in finding the right individuals to complement your expertise.
Key roles
Founding teams take many forms, but a typical company includes:
- A Founder who may join full-time and take on a CxO role (eg Chief Technology Officer)
- An external CEO or Managing Director with commercial experience to lead the business
- Non-executive director or consultant, who might be a Principal Investigator in a spinout, or a relevant expert in any other company
As you build your company, you’ll also need trusted advisers – lawyers, accountants, HR specialists and more. We can help you identify suitable options, but the company should always have its own independent legal and tax advice.
Finding a CEO
Every company needs a dedicated leader. That’s usually a CEO or a Managing Director who can focus on guiding the business full time, shaping strategy and managing daily operations. This person is often external, allowing you to concentrate on the parts of the company where your background adds the most value.
Finding a CEO can take time, but there are several practical ways to identify strong candidates:
- Ask us for introductions: we can point you toward people with a track record of leading young companies or working in your sector
- Use investors’ networks: to access experienced leaders who specialise in early-stage companies
- Focus on complementary skills: look for commercial and strategic strengths rather than technical expertise
- Be upfront about expectations: including time commitment, early-stage challenges, and financial compensation (CEOs don’t usually get paid to start with, but receive shares – ‘sweat equity’ – in return for their time)
- Aim for a full-time leader: this is something investors will expect from day one
Balancing your commitments
Regardless of structure, investors usually expect at least one Founder to join the company full-time to run its day-to-day activities.
If you’re also continuing in your University role, this can mean wearing more than one hat. Because different roles come with different responsibilities and financial interests, potential conflicts can arise – and that’s normal. What matters is being open about them and managing them well. Find out about holding outside appointments
The University asks academics with outside financial interests or appointments to complete an Outside Interests and Appointments (OA1) form. This includes a simple conflict-of-interest management plan that sets out your roles, is shared with your department, and updated as your involvement in the company evolves. The plan must be agreed before investment is completed, or before the spinout begins operating if there is no investment.
Contact us
Wondering where to start with your team? We’ll help guide you through next steps.