Startups need experienced hands. You can hire them, rent them, offer them a seat on your board, or—as Eric Tilenius and Elliott Ng did— borrow them for six months. Unlike many young entrepreneurs, the founders of San Francisco-based Net-centives Inc. didn't have to go begging. Instead, they created a stock program specifically for mentors. Netcentives is in the business of using frequent-flier miles to promote products on the Web. The Web is new, but salesmanship is old and so Netcentives' founders figured they needed some experts "to talk to. How to get them? Tilenius and Ng decided to let their lieutenants do the recruiting. To each of the first eight of their senior employees, they distributed chits representing extra shares in Netcentives. With the extra stock, these employees could lure any mentor they wanted, subject to board approval, in return for five hours each month of confidential advice for half a year.
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