---
title: "Is investor-paid founder coaching confidential?"
slug: "direct-questions/is-investor-paid-founder-coaching-confidential"
section: "Direct questions"
description: "Only to the extent spelled out in the agreement and applicable law. Ask who the actual client is, what the sponsor receives, who can access notes, whether "
internal_only: false
---

# Is investor-paid founder coaching confidential?

Only to the extent spelled out in the agreement and applicable law. Ask who the actual client is, what the sponsor receives, who can access notes, whether sessions are recorded and what happens if the coach learns something materially adverse to the payer.

Require a three-party schedule covering founder consent, aggregated reporting, exceptions, retention, sponsor contacts and conflicts. ICF's April 2025 ethics code explicitly covers sponsor agreements and information exchange; it does not create attorney-client privilege. Do not share an investor-sensitive board note with a coach until written boundaries are clear. [ICF Code of Ethics, effective 1 April 2025](https://coachingfederation.org/credentialing/coaching-ethics/icf-code-of-ethics/) [Reboot Portfolio Circles](https://www.reboot.io/service/portfolio-circles/)