Round 3 Mentor/Mentee Page

Mentors – THANK YOU for volunteering your time to support the startups in 2024’s Competition
Companies – Congratulations on advancing to the top 26 – we started with over 200 companies!  

Suggestions on how to get started

• Email an introduction to each other – companies, perhaps send your Round 2 submission and/or feedback report
• Advise if you can make it to our networking event on July 2nd, so others can plan accordingly 
• Set-up a first meeting. While it is great if everyone can meet as a team, schedules don’t always allow for this. Set-up separate meetings if needed.

How to create a successful mentorship experience

Based on feedback from past companies, here are general best practices to ensure a great experience:

• As the company being mentored, founders, please take the lead on coordinating meetings and messages with your mentors. 
• At the first meeting, it’s important to set some expectations. Do you want your mentors to help you a) With getting in the top 10 of the Competition, or b) To advise on an overall aspect of your venture, or c) Both? Be clear about your objectives for the next few weeks.
• When the Competition is over, send a thank-you message to your mentors, and stay in touch. Many mentors and mentees continue to communicate long after this formal mentorship is over. 
• It can be a good and helpful practice to summarize the key conclusions and action points, as well as any ‘ask’ in a quick follow-up email after a mentor-mentee meeting has concluded. This can lead to additional actions and input provided by mentors as the relationship progresses.

Round 3 Resources & Links

• Round 3 Submission Guidelines – companies must submit their 8-page submission by Wednesday, July 31st, 5pm
  • This link includes general info on Round 3, rubric, and Round 3 jury names
• Round 3 Checklist (to be added soon)  – companies must complete this list to apply for sector specific prizes
• Mentorship resources at Mindframe Connect. 

  • This year we also have a partner that offers these 3 free & optional digital courses that may be useful for you or your mentee:

    1) The Principles of Mentorship (60 min): Review leading research in mentorship best practices, learn from real-world examples of mentors working with entrepreneurs, and apply these approaches to your own work as a mentor.

    2) The Principles of Menteeship (75 min): Prepare mentees to get the most they can out of mentorship. This course reviews leading research in mentorship best practices for mentees.

    3) Resilience Skills for Entrepreneurs (75 min): For entrepreneurs to develop the mental skills that enhance psychological resilience and wellbeing while running a venture.

NVBC Slack Channel

• If you want a place to casually chat, we’re happy to create a private channel on NVBC’s slack group. Just ask us and we’ll get it set-up! 

NVBC – Background Info

• Prizes and timeline are listed on our Competition page. In addition to the top 3, this year we have prizes for: Top SaaS, Women-Led Venture, Sustainability, Regional. 
• Top 26 Company List 2024
• Top 40 Company List 2024
• 2024 Company List
• NVBC Past Winners over the past 23 years. 
  • (Mentors – remember any notable past winners? Nominate them for our Alumni Impact Award – link to be added soon)

Upcoming Events

• Round 3 Showcase Event & Meet your Mentor – Tuesday, July 2nd, 5:00-7:30pm, in person at RBCx  
  • Register for free as a company/volunteer. 
  • Companies and assigned mentors have the opportunity to meet. If you cannot attend that’s ok – you can arrange a first meeting on your own. 
• Financials Webinar, July 17, 1:00-2:00pm
  • Registration link 
  • According to the judges, the weakest section of Round 3 submissions is almost always the financial question. To support you on this question, we have partnered with our sponsor, the Angel Forum to give Round 3 companies a workshop to go through all the financial questions Round 3 and build a stronger submission.  
• Round 3 Mentor Panel – July 16th, in-person between 10am-4pm
  • These are 50-minute “practice pitch” sessions. Each company gives a 10-15 minute business pitch to a panel of 6-7 mentors, who provide on the spot constructive feedback. This is a great way to make some connections while getting feedback ahead of the Round 3 deadline, or to practice an investor pitch.
  • Mentor panels are recommended, but not required. NVBC will organize these the week of June 24th. 
• Extra: if you golf, we have a few spots left in our casual NVBC Golf Day on July 22nd. 

Feedback? Questions?

• If anyone has any questions or feedback on the mentoring process for the Competition, please contact Angie or our Mentor and Jury “Wrangler” Floyd Sjimons (floyd[at]newventuresbc.com) at anytime.
• NVBC Code of Conduct