A NEW “MATCH.COM” FOR STARTUPS, MENTORS, AND VC FIRMS
When you’re a new startup, finding a mentor or a VC investor is sort of like trying to find your life partner. You’re looking for certain qualities that will ensure a successful, happy, and lasting relationship like friendship, kindness, understanding and support of your dreams and mutual goals.
A mentor or investor also needs the attributes that are found in a good parent, like setting a personal and professional example that you want to emulate; knowing when to say yes and when to say no, and the gentle balancing act of getting you back on track when you’ve gone off the rails without crushing your spirit.
Since there currently isn’t a dedicated matchmaker service that provides carefully curated personality-based connections for startups, mentors, and VC investors, being part of the Social Innovation Accelerator at Impact Hub Austin is the next best thing. It’s the perfect support system for new startups lead by a team of mentors who have perfected the process of teaching the art and craft of making your dreams a reality.
My Accelerator cohorts are all involved in exciting social innovation ventures and non-profits that will change the way that Austin and the world will deal with challenging issues now and in the future. Some of my classmates are creating a new way to empower the homeless; others are providing a safe place to successfully thrive after surviving domestic abuse; one woman has created coursework and connections for other highly skilled women who have chosen to start a family and who want to get back into the workforce on their own terms, and a former literacy volunteer has created a way to provide inmates the printed materials that they need to better their lives, and further their education and skills so they will be prepared to rejoin society on a more level playing field.
Most importantly, we’ve learned to work as a team with a goal of helping each other to the finish line, whatever that means for each individual member of the cohort. We all support one another in class and outside of class at events that further the cause of their non-profits or ventures. We also partner on mutually beneficial community projects and grants opportunities.
We aren’t competing with each other, we are working together to succeed together. We’ve also formed a unique relationship whereby we mentor and support each other to solve problems and achieve goals that only someone who is on the same journey can understand. What can I say, we’re a perfect match!
