Executive Mentor Agreement

Individuals with deep industry, investment, or entrepreneurship experience. They work with the companies pro bono, without expectation of reward or compensation, will share of their knowledge and guidance freely, and will open their networks when appropriate. –Techstars

This definition gets at the heart of how your experiences can help a founder grow their companies. But, it misses a key component - becoming part of a founder’s support system.

The life of a founder is an exhausting, emotional rollercoaster filled with a combination of excitement, doubt, passion, and burnout. Where the highs are really high and the lows are really low. Being there for a founder during these ups and downs as a non-judgemental, low-pressure outlet and sounding board can be equally as beneficial as your expertise and connections.

Executive Mentors are expected to commit to mentoring a company for an extended time with a focus on gaining traction and achieving measurable goals and KPIs. Mentor-mentee relationships can last a long time, but a minimum of 3 months and a williness to give 30 minutes to 1 hour of time each week during this period is required.

We suggest scheduling regular meetings with your mentee(s). Time can fly by for a founder - you can serve as an anchor for them, checking in, spurring accountability, and helping founders stay focused on the big obstacles and goals.

After 3 months, you and the mentee can revisit the relationship and determine whether or not you would like to continue.

We know your time is valuable and your commitment means a lot to us. When you volunteer to be a mentor, we vet founders prior to recommending a connection and require a double opt-in from both parties. If a founder or company is not interesting to you or you aren’t ready to help them (now or later), we will not make the connection.

If you ever feel that your mentee is taking advantage of the relationship or acting inappropriately, we will step in to help resolve the situation.

Lead with Kōkua.

Also one of the Startup Hawaiʻi guiding principles, leading with kōkua is a key value of mentorship: To give without expectation of an immediate gain.

This means that you are authentically and genuinely interested in giving back to this community and its current and future founders. Not selling your service to new clients. Not sourcing deals for investment. Not due to an interest in becoming an advisor or board member.

When you enter this relationship for the right reasons, it’s likely to be not only gratifying but also provide value in some form to you in the future. It’s not unheard of for mentors to become advisors, vendors, but this can’t be a primary motivator for entering the relationship.

Honesty is the best policy.

Be kind, but be honest. If you disagree with a founder’s path or strategy, keeping this to yourself is far worse than having difficult conversations.

Know what you don’t know.

As mentors, sometimes we put pressure on ourselves to know the answer to every question. That’s unrealistic. If you don’t know the answer or the question is outside of your expertise, say so.

Lean on the Startup Hawaiʻi Technical Expert community or your own network to cover gaps.

It’s not your company.

As a successful professional, it’s really hard to accept founder decisions when they go against what you think is right or best for the company. But, it’s their company. They are founders because they chose to take a risk and are able to look at problems and opportunities differently.

Respect their decisions and know that it is not a personal affront and they are not ignoring your advice.

Trust me, the founder probably agonized a long time about the decision.

What happens in Startup Hawaiʻi stays in Startup Hawaiʻi.

Keep what you learn from founders and company information confidential. A company’s secret sauce needs to stay its secret sauce!

Be open to learning.

Founders are creative, inspirational, and bold. You may have infinitely more experience, but remember, there’s always something to learn no matter how young or inexperienced the founder may be.

Listen to your mentee and you’ll be surprised at how intellectually fulfilling the relationship can be!

Lean into your new community.

By volunteering, you are joining a number of other individuals equally committed to giving back to this community and helping founders succeed. Join our mentor community online to share your knowledge and experience with other mentors where possible. Mentors need help too!

Be responsive.

Startups move fast! During this time, try to respond within 48 hours and never more than 1 week later.

Always follow our Community Ground Rules.