SVIA Alumni? No way, SVIA Mentors!

We are looking forward to next year’s revamped program. Make sure to check out the post where we described all the changes if you haven’t already.

SVIA keeps changing and improving based on our observations about how the entrepreneurs actually engage with the program. That includes the social experience as well as the curriculum.

Tapping back into SVIA

One of our biggest challenges and sources of frustration is our lack of follow-through with the alumni community. We want to tap into this huge reserve of talent, help them build their businesses, and also leverage their insights from previous years to help the SVIA folks this summer!

That’s easier said than done, though. We have to develop a program that balances the needs of this year’s participants with the interests of the entrepreneurs from previous years. There must be solid value propositions on both sides, otherwise we risk disappointing everyone.

We will make a first attempt at this in 2017. Specifically, we will be asking alumni to indicate their interest as mentors in the near future, then pair them with startup teams during their 7-week program on campus.

Why Be a Mentor?

There are several good reasons to sign up to help the 2017 teams:
1) Meet more amazing entrepreneurs. The community is the best part.
2) Help solve an important problem. The teams will naturally be struggling, and your help can make a difference in their progress.
3) Build your skills. Helping other people is a great way to reinforce important entrepreneurial lessons.
4) It’s fun. If you have a few hours a week to spare, why not invest it solving problems with awesome people?

Sign me up!

Make sure you contact Ryan Mayfield — rmayfield@bmntpartners.com with the subject heading “SVIA 2017 Mentor” and we’ll get your name on the list!