Domain Expert Agreement

As a Technical Expert, you will serve as a mentor with deep expertise in your field graciously allowing founders to call on you when they hit a related roadblock or have specific questions on an ad hoc basis.

As a Technical Expert, you are expected to be responsive when founders reach out with questions appropriate to your expertise.

We hope that you will be willing to give 15-30 minutes to respond to any given request. You may choose the level of time that you give to the community at large on an ongoing basis.

If at any time, you feel that the community is asking too much of you, please let us know! Your time is valuable and we do not want to overextend and take advantage of your time.

You are under no obligation to maintain a continuing relationship with any founder (unless you so choose).

We know your time is valuable and your commitment means a lot to us. When you volunteer to be a Technical Expert, we vet founders prior to recommending an outreach to you.

If you ever feel that a founder 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 other Startup Hawaiʻi Technical Experts 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 Technical Expert 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.