Inside a startup: Boardroom insights from OnBoard

Hamilton NZ, 8 July 2025

For Sarita Males, Senior Commercialisation Manager at Plant & Food Research, the OnBoard programme offered the chance to return to the boardroom and strengthen her governance skills—valuable preparation for her goal of becoming a startup board director.

Supported by KiwiNet, Sarita spent 12 months observing on the board of bioplastics startup Humble Bee Bio. The board placement came at a pivotal time for the company, which was entering a period of rapid growth under the leadership of newly appointed senior executives and a refreshed board.

“One of the biggest progressions I observed was the transition from a science-first mindset to a more commercially driven focus,” says Sarita.

“Now the team is thinking more strategically about market fit, partnerships and growth levers—it’s been inspiring to see that unfold under the guidance of the new board.”

The experience gave Sarita a front-row seat to the inner workings of a high-performing startup board. Despite its small size, the board’s professional approach left a lasting impression.

“I was surprised by how thorough and well-run the board was; it really set a high bar for how a small board should operate,” she says.

Her time with Humble Bee Bio also gave her a deeper appreciation for the unique challenges faced by founders and startups.

“A key learning was just how much of the CEO’s time and energy is devoted to capital raising. It’s a continuous cycle, and critical for future growth.”

Another standout insight was the importance of strategic focus, particularly when working with platform technologies.

“While these technologies can solve a wide range of problems, it’s imperative to hone in on a single application early on to avoid distraction and attract investment. This is especially relevant to me as I’m hoping to lead a platform technology spin out process this year and am now focused on defining a beachhead market.”

Sarita continues to apply her learnings daily in her role at Plant & Food Research and encourages others in the commercialisation ecosystem to take advantage of opportunities like OnBoard.

“It provides a much more holistic experience of commercialisation. I’ve already recommended it to a number of colleagues as a really valuable experience,” she concludes.