The Goal
1
Add Governance as a core pillar of the ESG framework.
2
Build governance structures appropriate to each company’s stage of growth.
3
Strengthen governance readiness for institutional investment.
The Governance Upgrade
The Governance
Upgrade
Closing the governance gap for a regional accelerator’s portfolio companies.
Client Overview
A major fund-of-funds foundation runs a regional accelerator supporting portfolio companies across their growth journeys.
Its ESG curriculum covered Environmental and Social factors, but Governance was not yet included, leaving a gap in how portfolio companies understood and applied effective governance at different stages of growth.
The Challenge
➤ Governance was missing from the accelerator’s ESG framework.
➤ Portfolio companies had different governance needs at different stages of growth.
➤ Portfolio companies had gaps that could affect their readiness for institutional investment.
Our Approach
ZER DTA – Diagnose → Translate → Apply
Diagnose: Assess each company’s governance structure, maturity and gaps.
Translate: Turn the gaps into practical governance priorities for its stage of growth.
Apply: Embed those priorities into board structures, capabilities and investment readiness.
The Result
10 hrs
structured governance advisory delivered
30–50%
potential valuation impact identified
100%
governance priorities linked to growth stage
0
ongoing dependency on ZER by design
Our Impact
Leaders gained clarity on their governance gaps, what needed to change, and the steps required for their next stage of growth. They were also empowered to manage these priorities internally.
