2019 UC Entrepreneurship Academy
 

Entrepreneurship Academy Mentoring Session Overview

On the evening of Day 2, participants work with mentors during a two-hour mentoring session. This is a two-hour block of time during which participants will share their concept, via an elevator pitch and slide pitch deck, with invited guest entrepreneurs, industry experts, and investors.

Mentors help the participants learn more about the commercialization process and the tools they need to validate the commercial potential of ideas and technologies they come across every day in the lab. The mentor’s job is to provide support, enthusiasm, business acumen and tough questions that will help them get particularly excited about continuing to work on their idea.

Mentoring Format

Mentoring sessions allow you to refine your ideas through one-on-one pitching and feedback in a timed rotation format spanning two hours. Each “idea” (either an individual participant or a team) will be assigned a number displayed on the table in front of them. Mentors select a table and number to start.

Each participant/team will briefly pitch their idea to the mentor and gather feedback through two-way questions and discussion. After 15 minutes, mentors will be notified to rotate to the next highest number. Since each mentoring engagement lasts approximately 15 minutes, and the mentoring session spans two hours, you can anticipate interacting with ~6-8 mentors.

Participant Responsibilities

Participants/teams are at various stages in their idea development. At minimum, you should be prepared to participate in mentoring with the following: 

  • The elevator pitch – ideally, a refined one or two sentence description of the idea
  • A lengthier description of their research technology and/or innovation
  • If possible, an early draft slide deck to guide the conversation and prompt mentor feedback
  • Some questions that could lead to information that may help move the idea forward

Mentors donate their valuable time and expertise to work with our participants. We respectfully request that participants arrive on time and well-prepared for the mentoring session.

Mentor Responsibilities

Mentors help participants learn more about the commercialization process and the tools they need to validate potential ideas and technologies they come across every day in the lab and in their work.

During the mentoring session, the mentor’s job is to provide support, enthusiasm, business acumen and questions that will help them get excited about continuing to work on their idea. When speaking with participants, you may consider:

  • Is the elevator pitch concise and to the point?
  • Did they answer the key questions around who, what, why and how?
  • Did they define a market, customers and competition for the new venture?
  • Did they identify a business model?
  • What suggestions can you provide them on their model?
  • What feedback can you provide them to help them refine their market and business model?

Questions

For questions or more information about the mentoring session, please contact:

Niki Peterson
Senior Program Manager
ndpeterson@ucdavis.edu
(530) 400-9531