Program Overview

One of the unique advantages of competing in the MIT $100K Entrepreneurship Competition is your access to the world's best mentors.  Through its connections with the MIT and Boston area entrepreneurs, professional firms, and VC's, the $100K can help your team find the mentors who can provide you the experience and guidance you need to successfully compete in the competition, and to eventually build your company.

The $100K mentors have experience writing business plans and/or building great companies. MIT $100K mentors look for serious teams who want their help.  These people have perspective on what to look for, where to focus, and sometimes just as important, how to avoid wasting your time.  While their free time is in short supply, they have pledged to help advise your team and to help you develop a stronger business plan. 

Teams in the past have benefited enormously from this help. Beyond giving advice, some mentors in the past have also made connections for $100K teams with new team members, first customers or start-up capital.

Connecting with a Mentor

The $100K Mentorship Program is designed to help you find the mentors that you need to succeed.  Each team's mentorship needs is as unique as its business plans.  Thus, we believe that the best way to connect you with the help that you need is to provide you with the opportunity to meet with our mentors in informal and low-pressure settings.  In this way, you can talk with multiple potential mentors to find the right match for your team. 

For the 2007 $100K Competition, the events that especially focus on helping you connect with a mentor include:

• Office Hours for Personal Executive Summary Review – March 1 & 2 –You will have the opportunity to meet with a pair of experts, review, and fine-tune your executive summary with leading $100K Mentors.  Space is limited and RSVPs are required.


• Semifinalist Kickoff – March 23^rd – The night after the Semi-Final Awards ceremony, the semifinalist teams are invited to a reception with dozens of $100K mentors.  At this event, you can connect and network with many different mentors to find the right match to help you build your business plan.  It's like speed-dating for mentors.
  
  
• Mentor Match Program – After Semifinals – Semifinalist teams who need additional help finding mentors can ask the $100K Mentors team for help.  We will do our best to connect you with the mentorship that you need.  To connect with a mentor in this manner, please contact the Mentors Team Lead from the contacts page with a description of your team and detailed information on the type of mentorship that you are looking-for.
  

Tips

• We allow and encourage you to recruit your own mentors.  We advise you to be careful and use due diligence in selecting unaffiliated mentors.


• If someone contacts you claiming to be an official MIT $100K mentor, you can validate their membership by contacting the Mentors Team Lead from the contacts page.