Centre for Entrepreneurship, Innovation and SMEs (CENTIM)
Mentoring for Founders
Applications open
More information on the conditions of participation and the application process can be found further down on this page.
Mentoring for Founders is right for you if ...
- you want to learn from the experience of your mentoring match
- you are planning to develop or realise your business idea in the next year
- you need support with the next steps in your start-up project
- you want to expand your network, also internationally
Mentoring for Founders helps you...
- to strengthen your start-up personality and your entrepreneurial mindset
- to further develop your start-up project
- to successfully build and expand your (start-up) network through an intensive exchange of experience with others
- to work together with your mentor on your individual goals.
The mentors are experienced founders, experts in the industry you want to start in or in the field of entrepreneurship and business development. With their experience and expertise, they will help you sort out your next steps and clarify your individual questions.
Your mentoring match can come from Germany, Austria or the other side of the world – more important than physical proximity is that you fit together both personally and professionally!
How is mentoring different from our start-up consultation?
Both approaches support you in developing your business or start-up. However, there are some differences:
- Focus: Mentoring is primarily about the development and personal growth of the mentee. In consulting, we mainly look at current challenges.
- Type of relationship: A mentoring relationship can become very personal. In consulting, the relationship remains more neutral and deals with professional issues rather than personal ones.
- Role: A mentor can act as an advisor, critic or teacher to help the mentee on different levels. A start-up advisor acts more as a neutral observer and gives you feedback on specific issues.
Sign up and become part of Mentoring for Founders!
Does a mentoring partnership sound interesting to you? We award up to five places in the mentoring programme of the provider WoMentor. The mentees receive all the benefits of the programme (see below) and also have direct contacts in the Start-up-Manufaktur of the H-BRS.
Apply by 18 March 2024 via e-mail to gruenden@h-brs.de
Through mentoring and coaching programmes, WoMentor provides access to expertise, networks and advice for all, regardless of gender and background, to realise their full potential and make their best contribution to a more sustainable and equal society. WoMentor also supports companies and organisations in creating an innovative culture for equality and diversity. WoMentor's offers are explicitly also aimed at male participants. WoMentor founder Desiree Jonek was already a guest at the "Start-up live" event in October 2021 for a keynote speech.
What‘s included
- 1 year mentoring programme
- Precise matching with mentor:in with start-up experience
- Start with hybrid kick-off on May 7
- Mentoring Manual: 100 pages of content for mentors and mentees on how to get the most out of a mentoring relationship.
- Mentoring Content (in-app): Accompanying content for the one-to-one sessions between mentor:in and mentee.
- Founders Content: 50+ pages of special content for founders according to the Lean Start-up Methodology.
- Accompanying events in the WoMentor community
How does Mentoring for Founders work?
1. Application
Apply directly to us to get one of the spots. If you meet the conditions of participation and your letter of motivation convinces us, you will be accepted.
2. It's a match
In order to be matched with the right person for you, you fill out a detailed questionnaire in which you answer questions about yourself and your start-up project and specify your wishes for your future mentor.
3. Kick-off
The programme will start on the 7th of May with a hybrid kick-off event.
4. 1:1 mentoring
After the kick-off, the mentoring meetings begin - you will exchange ideas with your mentor on a regular basis. The exact dates and frequency are up to you to decide. We recommend at least one meeting per month. Depending on where your mentor lives, you will meet in person or virtually.
5. Additional offers
Parallel to the 1:1 meetings, there are accompanying events in the WoMentor Community on various topics. The Start-up-Manufaktur also offers a casual get-together for all H-BRS mentees once a quarter.
Of course, we also invite you to make use of our free start-up consultation parallel to the mentoring in order to discuss further questions regarding the start-up project.
How can you participate in Mentoring for Founders?
- You are currently enrolled at H-BRS as a student, have graduated within the last five years or are employed at the university.
- You are in the process of founding a company or are already advanced in the development of your start-up idea, i.e. you have either already founded a company or can prove that you are actively pursuing your start-up project. Start-ups in the context of self-employment are also included here. (This can be proven by submitting documents such as a pitch deck, business plan or project outline, which show that you are specifically working on your project - the implementation status of your start-up project is irrelevant here).
- If you participate in the programme, you agree to attend regular meetings with your mentor (regularly once a month). You are responsible for arranging the frequency and duration of the individual appointments and contacts with your mentor.
- You submit a letter of motivation in which you explain why you would like to take up one of the mentoring positions (length: 1-2 pages). For example, answer the following questions:
- Introduce yourself and your start-up project: Who are you? At what point in your project are you and what are the next steps? What milestones have you already reached? What are your stumbling blocks or challenges?
- What are your expectations of the programme? In what area do you want your mentor to support you?
- What do you hope to achieve by participating? What specific goals would you like to have achieved after the year?
Send your application including all documents to gruenden@h-brs.de by 18 March 2024.
Small print
All applications formally received in full by 18 March 2024 will be considered.
After reviewing the applications, the Start-up-Manufaktur team will award a maximum of five places. If no applications are received that meet the requirements, no award will be made. There is no legal claim to a prize.
The organiser reserves the right to change the conditions of participation or to terminate the competition at any time, even without prior notice.
Applicants shall indemnify the organiser against all conceivable claims by third parties which could be derived from the infringement of any copyrights, statutory property rights, trade secrets and other rights by the submitted documents.
The start-up projects and all materials submitted should be free of third-party rights, i.e. all necessary rights should be held by the applicants themselves.
All personal data and information on the start-up projects will only be used to check the application. No data will be passed on to third parties without prior consent.
Applicants who take up a place in the programme give their express consent that they may be published in direct connection with the Mentoring for Founders offer on the university's homepage, in newsletters, as well as in the context of university press releases and on the social media accounts of the university and the Start-up-Manufaktur.
Contact for queries
If you have any questions about the programme or the application, please contact the Start-up-Manufaktur team:
Karoline Noth: karoline.noth@h-brs.de
Questions?
Karoline Noth
Research assistant, H-BRS Entrepreneurship Centre, Project Coordination Start-up Programme Rheinbach Sankt Augustin (SUPRA)
Location
Rheinbach
Room
H 306
Address
Von-Liebig-Straße 20
53359, Rheinbach
Telephone
+49 2241 865 9850Location
Sankt Augustin
Room
F 413
Address
Grantham-Allee 20
Sankt Augustin
Telephone
022418659850