Get Rippling’s $225M board deck

See which KPIs guided Rippling since the early days

The problem with standard board decks

Most board presentations follow a predictable template with executive summaries, KPIs, functional deep dives, and product updates. This structure encourages "functional-level storytelling" that allows companies to present curated narratives rather than raw business performance data. The result is board meetings that obscure real issues behind polished departmental updates instead of fostering meaningful strategic discussions.

Rippling's data-first approach

Rippling redesigned their board deck to be 80% SaaS metrics, focusing on granular, actionable data like monthly net new ARR breakdowns, detailed cohort analysis, and custom efficiency metrics such as cash-on-cash payback for sales investments. Rather than departmental narratives, the deck integrates forward-looking financial planning with multiple scenarios, creating a transparent view of business performance that reveals trends and issues the numbers themselves uncover.

Turn board meetings into strategy-dense sessions

By providing the metric-heavy deck as a pre-read, Rippling transforms board meetings from slide presentations into focused strategic debates. Board members arrive with pointed questions about key business drivers, allowing the meeting to center on high-leverage discussions about solutions rather than basic context-setting. This data-driven culture shifts board meetings from obligations into competitive advantages that drive better decision-making.

Watch the full interview

Adil Syed (Startup GM and former CFO of Rippling) walked through this entire board deck on a webinar while explaining what worked (and what could be better). Click here to watch.