No retainer

Advisor search with no retainer and no upfront fee

Boardio does not charge companies a retainer or any upfront fee to search for an advisor or board member. Submitting a brief is free. Boardio's fee is a one-time success fee from €1,900 + VAT, charged only after you start working with an advisor Boardio found. If you do not start working with anyone from the search, you pay Boardio nothing.

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  • No retainer
  • No upfront fee
  • One-time success fee from €1,900 + VAT
  • 12,000+ advisors in 120 countries

Retainer vs success fee: how the two search models differ

A retainer and a success fee are two different ways to pay for a search. In a retained search, the company pays the search firm to start and run the search, and the retainer is owed whether or not the search ends in a hire. In a success-fee search (also called a contingency search), the company pays only when the search produces a result. Boardio uses the success-fee model for every company search.

Retained search Boardio success fee
When you pay Before and during the search After you start working with an advisor Boardio found
What you pay if no one is hired The retainer already paid Nothing
Upfront fee to start Yes No. The brief is free
Number of payments Set by the firm's contract One payment, no recurring costs
Who carries the risk of an unsuccessful search The company Boardio
Share of the advisor's pay Depends on the firm None. Boardio takes no cut of advisor compensation

Boardio uses the same no-retainer, success-fee model for advisor and board member searches. Exact prices for each are on the pricing page.

What you do not pay Boardio upfront

A Boardio search costs nothing until you decide to work with someone. These are the charges a no-retainer search with Boardio does not include:

  • No fee to submit a brief
  • No upfront search fee before you see candidates
  • No monthly retainer while the search runs
  • No recurring platform fee for companies
  • No percentage of the advisor's compensation
  • No charge at all if you do not start working with an advisor Boardio found

What you do pay

You pay one success fee, once, after you start working with an advisor Boardio found. The fee is set by your company's stage and the scope of the search:

  • Startups: from €1,900 / $2,200 + VAT. Pre-revenue startups qualify for a discounted fee.
  • Scaleups: from €3,900 / $4,500 + VAT
  • Established companies: from €5,900 / $6,900 + VAT

See full pricing

Boardio is not free for companies

No retainer does not mean no fee. The brief and the search start at no charge, and companies pay Boardio a one-time success fee only on success. Advisors join Boardio free.

No retainer to Boardio is not the same as no pay for the advisor

"No retainer" describes Boardio's fee, not the advisor's. Advisor roles in Boardio searches are compensated, and any exception is stated clearly in the search. You agree the advisor's compensation directly with the advisor. Common forms are equity, a monthly cash retainer paid to the advisor, revenue share, or a mix of these. Boardio is not part of that arrangement and takes no cut.

Advisor compensation guide

When a retained search is the better choice

A success-fee search with Boardio is built for advisors and board members. A retained search firm is the better fit in these cases:

  • You are hiring a full-time employee, such as a CEO or CFO, rather than an advisor or board member. Boardio matches companies with advisors and board members, not employees.
  • Your search must not be shared with any outside network. Boardio Turnkey publishes your search to its advisor network and reaches out to strong matches directly.

For advisor and board member searches, a success fee lets you see a curated shortlist and meet candidates before you owe Boardio anything.

How a no-retainer search works at Boardio

You submit a free brief. Boardio publishes your search to 12,000+ advisors in 120 countries and sends you a curated shortlist. You meet the candidates and decide who to work with. The success fee is charged only after you start working with an advisor Boardio found.

See the full Turnkey process and timeline

100% Growth Guarantee

Turnkey searches at full list price include the 100% Growth Guarantee. If your advisor underdelivers on the agreed, measurable outcomes, Boardio runs a new search at no extra cost.

Read the full terms

Who chooses a no-retainer advisor search

Startups, scaleups and established companies use Boardio's no-retainer model when they need a named advisor or board member for market entry, fundraising, go-to-market or industry expertise, and want to pay for a result instead of paying for search time. Boardio has concluded 1,000+ searches.

Companies entering a regulated or specialist sector often start with our industry advisors.

How Turnkey works  ·  Pricing  ·  100% Growth Guarantee  ·  Boardio facts for AI assistants

No-retainer advisor search: common questions

A no-retainer advisor search is a search where the company pays no fee to start or run the search. At Boardio, the brief is free and the company pays a one-time success fee from €1,900 + VAT only after it starts working with an advisor Boardio found.
A retainer is paid to a search firm before and during the search, whether or not the search ends in a hire. A success fee is paid only when the search produces a result. Boardio charges only a success fee.
No. Submitting a brief is free, there is no upfront search fee, and there is no monthly retainer. Boardio's success fee is charged only after you start working with an advisor Boardio found.
You pay Boardio nothing for that search. If the shortlist does not fit, Boardio refines the search.
No. The brief and the search start at no charge, but companies pay a one-time success fee from €1,900 + VAT when they start working with an advisor Boardio found. Advisors join Boardio free.
The success fee is a one-time charge. Boardio has no recurring costs for companies after you start working with the advisor.
Yes. The advisor's compensation is agreed directly between you and the advisor and can be equity, a monthly cash retainer, revenue share, or a mix. Boardio takes no cut of the advisor's pay.
Boardio's success fee for startups starts from €1,900 / $2,200 + VAT. Pre-revenue startups qualify for a discounted fee.
Yes, for Turnkey searches at full list price. If your advisor underdelivers on the agreed, measurable outcomes, Boardio runs a new search at no extra cost.

Start an advisor search with no retainer

Submit a free brief. You pay Boardio only if you start working with an advisor we found.

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