Mentoring is offered to all companies joining ITEN. Many mentors have experience at the senior level in IT start-ups. Others have related expertise that gives them an invaluable perspective for what makes ventures successful. There are a number of ways ITEN ventures connect with mentors able to give specific advice to overcome their particular early-stage challenges, including "Mentor Match," a search engine for finding the right mentor(s). See more about how mentoring works in ITEN.
Beyond traditional mentoring, groups of our mentors come together to create unique programs that accelerate the progress of ventures. Each program requires an application in order to be accepted. Here are the specialized programs, along with links to more information about each one and to their applications. (Note: you must be a registered company with ITEN to apply for these programs):
Business Model Validation Program What's the problem? How does your venture solve it? How will you make money? How big is the market? Put your business model to the test with a small group of mentors who will kick the tires of your basic assumptions. The mentors will examine and help you clarify the key aspects of your business model. For concept and pre-revenue stage companies as well as ventures facing challenges to their basic assumptions. See more.
Technology and Architecture Mentoring Program Are you sure you're committing to the right platform? Can it scale to handle the growth you hope for? Wondering about cloud or servers? Open source or .Net? This program is for you. Present your strategy and challenges to an expert panel of the region's top techies who will validate your technology strategy or suggest alternatives. For companies at the concept stage or facing technology-related challenges needing expert input; must have a techie involved with the venture. See more.
E-Commerce/Web Business Mentoring Program The ITEN E-Commerce Program enables companies to present their online strategy and results-to-date to a group of very knowledgeable mentors and get direction and suggestions for how to improve their online revenue, SEO, and click-through results. For companies already launched with results from current e-commerce efforts. See more.
Mock Angel Training In ITEN's Mock Angel Training Program companies present their investor pitch to a group of mentors with particular expertise in raising money and funding IT start-ups. The training begins with an initial pitch, followed by a period of focused mentoring, leading up to a second session in front of the Mock Angels that may result in graduation and referral to outside investors. For revenue-producing companies preparing for or already engaged in raising capital. See more.
