article thumbnail

Startup Mentors

SoCal CTO

Do you have any suggestions for how to find a good mentor? Great question and I believe that just like finding a Technical Advisor for your startup is critical, finding a good mentor is critical. These are not mutually exclusive and good mentors and advisors get into both. For me, I'd use LinkedIn. Most of us are not Google.

CTO Coach 259
article thumbnail

Accelerators Have Resources To KickStart Your Startup

Startup Professionals Musings

A few are still trying to make a profitable business out of nurturing startups, but it’s a challenge to make money when your customer startups don’t have many resources to give. Mentoring and technical assistance from volunteer or paid experts. Direct seed funding, for a share of the equity, and introductions to investors.

Resource 159
Insiders

Sign Up for our Newsletter

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

article thumbnail

5 Reasons Every Smart Business Owner Seeks A Mentor

Startup Professionals Musings

As a long-time mentor and business advisor, I find it ironic that many look only to friends for advice. They forget that friends tell you what you want to hear, while good mentors tell you what you need to hear. When the message is the same from both, you probably don’t need the mentor anymore, but you always need the friend.

Mentor 72
article thumbnail

7 Ways Academic Connections Can Assist A New Venture

Startup Professionals Musings

An underutilized, but valuable resource, every startup should investigate is a formal or informal connection to your alma mater, including any local university. If you need part-time resources to build a prototype, you can always find hungry but high-caliber graduate and PhD students with the latest theory ready to work.

Incubator 172
article thumbnail

8 Potential Entrepreneur Assists From Your Alma Mater

Startup Professionals Musings

Most aspiring entrepreneurs look to their alma mater, or any university, as a source of classes that can help them, but neglect to think outside the box or take advantage of all the other resources to be found there. Get help with grant funding and incubator resources. Access to entrepreneurs-in-residence, business mentors.

article thumbnail

6 Drivers For Aspiring Entrepreneurs To Finish School

Startup Professionals Musings

In fact, I think the evidence is clear that many entrepreneurs started their journey while still in college, and capitalized on all the resources there, before moving on: Extend your technology focus with business basics. Take advantage of free startup programs and mentors. Write a business plan and pitch deck for learning.

article thumbnail

5 Key Steps For Launching A Successful Startup Today

Startup Professionals Musings

Based on my own mentoring and investing experience, the best entrepreneurs are pragmatic problem solvers. After some review of available resources, I’m convinced that problem solving is a learnable trait, rather than just a birthright. A good alternative is to enlist the help of a business mentor you can trust.

Startup 135