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Mentor Manifesto 18/18 - Have Empathy. Remember that startups are hard.

on Thu, 02/07/2019 - 02:14

This is the final post (18) of the Techstars Mentor Manifesto. As with item 17, Brad Feld let me complete the list with my own submission for this final item.

During one of the Techstars Boston cohorts where I’ve been Mentor-in-Residence, I worked with a 20-something CEO founder (code named Mary) who, shortly after raising a seed round of several million dollars, hired a high-powered exec, granting a significant equity option.

Mentor Manifesto 17/18 - Be Challenging/Robust but Never Destructive

on Wed, 02/06/2019 - 14:29

Brad Feld wrote 16 posts detailing each item of the Techstars Mentor Manifesto. However, there are 18 items in the manifesto and he never got around to writing the final two.

I prodded him several times; but after a year without the posts appearing from him, I volunteered to write them; and he has graciously accepted them for the final two installments.

This is item #17 of the Techstars Mentor Manifesto.


This item on the list might sound very similar to #4, “Be Direct. Tell the Truth, However Hard.” But, it’s different. This item (#17) has to do with you, not the companies.

You have been

Drupal world domination - step 2

on Wed, 08/22/2012 - 09:35

In recent years, a new breed of incubators called seed accelerators have had success helping new companies get started. They provide mentoring, connections, and capital. Depending on the accelerator, even the branding from having been accepted into the program adds value.

The best example I've seen is TechStars. TechStars has helped launch dozens of companies over several years by attracting extraordinary mentors, and running a well-thought-out program for getting startups off the ground.