The Boardlist
BoardProspects (The Boardlist) is a two-sided marketplace and membership community, founded in 2010, connecting 14,000+ directors pursuing board seats with public and private companies recruiting board talent, supported by partners Sidley, Robert Half, and Protiviti.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2010
- HeadquartersSan Francisco, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingSoftware
What The Boardlist does
BoardProspects, Inc., operating as The Boardlist, is a two-sided online community and board recruitment marketplace founded in 2010 and headquartered in San Francisco. The company serves individual directors pursuing their first or next board seat—providing career development resources, tools, and peer connections—and public and private companies seeking qualified director candidates. Its positioning emphasizes the "upstream" portion of board recruitment, focusing on relationships and credibility-building before board seats are publicly posted, rather than competing with traditional executive search firms on disclosed roles.
The core product set includes an annual Director Membership program with insights (webinars, research, curated feeds), tools (Board Bio Workbook, Board Bio Generator, coaching sessions), connections (1:1 networking, group discussions, online community), and visibility features (appointment announcements, board role listings, 2026 curated talent lists). On the corporate side, the Board Search platform offers three engagement modes: self-serve job posting, database search, and full-service executive search delivered in partnership with Boardroom Resource Partner Robert Half Executive Search. Sidley and Protiviti serve as additional Boardroom Resource Partners, contributing governance, legal, and risk advisory content to the member community.
Revenue is generated primarily through individual director membership subscriptions, corporate board search services, and transactional fees for board role postings. Pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed. The platform reports 14,000+ members accumulated since 2010 and operates with a small team of 1-10 employees. Core technology is not publicly disclosed, no AI/ML capabilities are referenced, and the company has taken only one disclosed external investment—a 2020 seed round from Precursor Ventures.
The Boardlist firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- The Boardlist
- Legal name
- BoardProspects, Inc.
- Website
- https://theboardlist.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2010
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- BoardProspects (The Boardlist) is a two-sided marketplace and membership community, founded in 2010, connecting 14,000+ directors pursuing board seats with public and private companies recruiting board talent, supported by partners Sidley, Robert Half, and Protiviti.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
The Boardlist industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Board Recruitment Services
- akta.pro primary industry
- Governance & Board Effectiveness Advisory (BPAHAFAC)
Keywords
Where The Boardlist is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- San Francisco
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Markets served
The Boardlist business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Operations, Others
Revenue model
- Director Membership Subscriptions: Individual membership subscriptions for directors seeking board seats. Provides access to insights, tools, connections, and visibility features.
- Board Search Services: Flexible recruitment solutions for companies to identify, assess, and recruit board members. Includes job posting, database search, and full-service search support through Robert Half Executive Search.
- Board Role Posting: Companies can post open board opportunities to attract interest from the director community.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Annual | Individual Director Membership |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels5 records
The Boardlist product offering
Product offeringCore offering
BoardProspects operates a dual-sided board readiness and recruitment platform. For individual directors, it provides a paid membership delivering insights, tools, connections, and visibility to advance board careers. For public and private companies, it offers a board search marketplace with role postings, database access, and full-service executive search support delivered in partnership with Robert Half Executive Search.
Product overview
BoardProspects is a dual-sided board readiness and recruitment platform combining director membership services with a board search marketplace. The Director Membership provides tools (Board Bio Workbook, Board Bio Generator, Coaching Sessions), insights, connections, and visibility features. The Board Search platform enables companies to post opportunities, search the talent database, and access full-service recruitment support. Events programming includes webinars and networking. The offering is a unified platform connecting board-ready directors with companies seeking governance talent.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Membership for Directors Annual individual membership program for board-aspiring and sitting directors, delivering insights (webinars, research, curated feeds from Boardroom Resource Partners), tools (Board Bio Workbook, Board Bio Generator, coaching), connections (1:1 networking, group discussions, online community), and visibility (appointment announcements, curated talent lists, board role listings).
- Board Search for Boards Board recruitment marketplace for public and private companies to identify, assess, and recruit board members. Includes posting open board opportunities, accessing a database of 14,000+ director candidates, and engaging full-service executive search support through Robert Half Executive Search.
- Board Role Postings Transactional offering that allows companies to post open board positions to attract interest from the BoardProspects director community; members can view and apply for board opportunities.
- Events Programming Programming calendar of webinars and networking events featuring leading subject matter experts and sitting directors on governance risks, recruitment trends, and board career development.
- Coaching Sessions Group and one-on-one coaching sessions designed to strengthen board candidacy and professional development for members.
Companies that use The Boardlist
Customer profileSegments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
The Boardlist technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
The Boardlist partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- SidleycoreBoardroom Resource Partner providing governance expertise and resources to the member community. World-class partner supporting director development and board excellence.
- Robert Half Executive SearchcoreFull-service search support partner for companies seeking board talent. Leveraged for executive-level board recruitment with flexible search solutions across all board needs.
- ProtiviticoreBoardroom Resource Partner providing internal audit, risk, and governance resources to enhance member knowledge and board readiness.
Scale indicators2 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
The Boardlist competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Spencer Stuart: One of the world's leading executive search firms with a prominent board practice placing directors at public and private companies. Direct competitor for enterprise board search mandates that BoardProspects targets through its Robert Half partnership.
- Korn Ferry: Global organizational consulting firm with a major board and CEO services practice. Competes with BoardProspects for board recruitment engagements at large enterprises and offers broader talent advisory services.
- Heidrick & Struggles: Global executive search and leadership advisory firm with a dedicated board practice. Direct competitor for board director placement, particularly at large public companies and PE-backed boards.
- Russell Reynolds Associates: Executive search firm with a well-established board and CEO practice. Competes for the same enterprise board placement engagements that BoardProspects facilitates through its marketplace and search partners.
- Egon Zehnder: Global executive search and leadership advisory firm with a dedicated board practice. Direct competitor in placing independent directors, particularly at mid-to-large cap public and private companies.
- Chief: Private membership network of senior executive women that acquired the original 'The Boardlist' women-on-boards platform. Directly comparable as a community-led model targeting women executives pursuing board and C-suite positions.
- WomenCorporateDirectors: Global membership organization and network of women corporate directors. Comparable to BoardProspects as a community/network model focused on advancing women into board roles through peer connections and visibility.
Broad incumbents
- National Association of Corporate Directors (NACD): The largest US membership organization for corporate directors, providing education, certification, and resources. Operates as a broader incumbent serving the same director audience with overlapping governance and board readiness content.
- Diligent: Governance, risk, and compliance software company with a Director Network offering. Adjacent competitor that combines governance technology with director recruitment and board effectiveness services for enterprises.
Emerging players
- Equilar: Board intelligence and executive compensation data platform serving companies and directors. Comparable as an enabling technology layer for board recruitment, board composition analytics, and director networking.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
The Boardlist social profiles
Digital presenceThe Boardlist financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
The Boardlist leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
The Boardlist funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds1 record
Investors1 record
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
The Boardlist M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about The Boardlist
What does The Boardlist do?
BoardProspects operates a dual-sided board readiness and recruitment platform. For individual directors, it provides a paid membership delivering insights, tools, connections, and visibility to advance board careers. For public and private companies, it offers a board search marketplace with role postings, database access, and full-service executive search support delivered in partnership with Robert Half Executive Search.
Is The Boardlist a public or private company?
The Boardlist is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was The Boardlist founded?
The Boardlist was founded in 2010. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is The Boardlist based?
The Boardlist is headquartered in San Francisco, United States, in the North America region.
How does The Boardlist make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Director Membership Subscriptions are the primary driver. The others are board Search Services and board Role Posting.
Who are The Boardlist's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Spencer Stuart, Korn Ferry, Heidrick & Struggles, Russell Reynolds Associates, Egon Zehnder, Chief and WomenCorporateDirectors. Broad incumbents are National Association of Corporate Directors (NACD) and Diligent. Equilar is listed as an emerging player.
Does The Boardlist have an API?
No public API is recorded for The Boardlist.
What industry is The Boardlist in?
The Boardlist's product category is Board Recruitment Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAHAFAC, Governance & Board Effectiveness Advisory.