Since a couple of years, we see emerging more and more mentors around startups... But what are they? Who are they? How to recognize them? How can they help you? In this presentation I explain what startupmentoring is really about.

1. Mentors
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2. Mentors are like
Mushrooms
by @peignoir
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3. How to recognize the good ones?
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4. Good mentors
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5. How to recognize them..
Successful people
Rare / hard to find
You will have to attract them (they usually say no)
They are awfully busy
They have connections and usually $
They helped a lot of successful Startups
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6. Toxic Mentors
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7. How to recognize the toxic ones..
They claim to be a mentor (it’s not a job!)
They will come to you (usually you beg for a good one)
They cost $ (usually mentors will invest...)
They never successfully launched anything
They will spend a lot of time with you (they have time!)
They are everywhere!
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8. Side Effects of Toxic Mentors
- Weird strategic move - If you survive he will claim success
- Killing your Startup
-Losing credibility
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9. Where to find them in the Startup eco-system
You are taking over the World!
HIGH GROWTH
You have a stable business model
and a great product
SCALE
You have a solid team Garage STARTUP
with some good ideas
You are an ACTION
Entrepreneur
You want to be an DISCOVERY
Entrepreneur
INSPIRE/CELEBRATE
You’ve got some
passions & ideas
?
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10. What is Mentoring?
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11. Origin
Someone who imparts wisdom to and shares knowledge with a less experienced colleague
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12. Is it only about
Knowledge?
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13. ork
etw
’s n
or
e nt
M
An unfair advantage provider
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14. Example of unfair advantage:
Before After
Mary Maxwell Gates
was an American businessperson. Gates served 18 years (1975–1993) on the University of Washington board of regents. She was the first female president of King County’s United
Way, the first woman to chair the national United Way’s executive committee where she served most notably with IBM's CEO, John Opel, and the first woman on the First Interstate
Bank of Washington's board of directors.
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15. Type of Mentors
The Connector Mentor The Guru Mentor
Network > Knowledge Network < Knowledge
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16. How networks and Money Interact with startups
Computing-Tabulating-Recording Company
George W. Fairchild Sherman Fairchild Gordon Moore
(1854 - 1924) (1896 - 1971) (1929 ... )
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17. Be good at school kids!
Having a great Academic network is your first ally!
It allows you to build a great “unfair advantage” by yourself!
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18. It’s only been 6 Years since good
accelerators allows you to have
access to great mentors via your
Talent (usually technical talent!)
Like Colleges each accelerator /
incubators are different. Avoid the
ones who don’t provide good Mentors
(cf the Mushroom section)
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19. Do you need mentors / great
academics to succeed?
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20. Nope...
There’s always exceptions!
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21. Though having models might
help...
Edwin H. Land
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22. Questions?
franck@startupweekend.org
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