As a complement to the Workshops and Special Topic Networking Events offered throughout EnterPRrize 2008, semifinalists of the Business Plan Competition will be required to work with an approved mentor. Mentoring is designed to provide participants with access to the expertise of seasoned entrepreneurs and business leaders. Teams are encouraged to access and engage their own mentors. If unavailable, a mentor will be assigned by the organizers, preferably within a related industry.
Find a Mentor
If you need a little more experience or just an extra edge, a mentor can help you get there. Take advantage of this "free of charge" pool of knowledge and expertise from our network of seasoned entrepreneurs and other members of the business community. In addition, the relationship your team establishes with your mentor can continue well beyond the EnterPRize 2008 experience
Mentoring Guidelines
Availability
A team will be assigned a mentor after being selected as a semifinalist of the Business Plan Competition, unless the team presents their own mentor. If EnterPRize 2008 assigns a mentor, every effort will be made to ensure the mentor suits the needs of the team, but no more than one mentor is assigned to each team.
Responsibilities of the Mentor
EnterPRize will recruit mentors to work with semi-finalist teams in developing the business plans and strategies further. The Mentors will be expected to commit two hours of time to their respective team. Any additional time, if any, is to be worked out between the mentor and the team. The mentor is expected to share his/her experiences and insights with the team, provide the team recommendations on their business plan and overall strategy. Mentors will be honored and thanked for their participation at the 2008 PRVF Conference.
Mentors may include:
- Entrepreneurs
- Attorneys
- Accountants
- Consultants
- Investors
- Successful business owners and managers
- venture capitalists
- angel investors
- academics
Mentors should understand the sensitive nature of confidential business planning ideas and materials and should respect the intellectual property rights of the teams.
Responsibilities of the Team
Recognizing that mentors have significant time constraints, teams are expected to be well prepared and focused during their meeting with their mentor.
After EnterPRize 2008
The team and the mentor will have no further obligation to each other, although maintaining a working relationship is encouraged. At this point, teams and mentors would be welcome to continue their relationship, at the discretion of both parties.
Conflict of Interest
All mentors are giving their time and energy to assist participants of EnterPRize 2008. Mentors understand the sensitive nature of your confidential materials and will respect the team's intellectual property rights. Conflicts of interest should be brought to the attention of the Organizers of EnterPRize 2008 so that certain mentors can be avoided due to their current involvement in your particular field of interest.
Competition
