Mentor Information Form – Venture Lab (VLAB)

The Venture Lab is being offered for the first time as an experimental course in the Fall 2013 semester and is part of the experiential entrepreneurship educational focus at San Jose State. The goal of the VLAB is to have students identify a market opportunity, design a product or service to meet that need and develop business models to launch the business. Some teams may formally launch their venture (or may already have prior to the VLAB), while others may decide not to launch. Those teams that decide not to move forward with their venture will learn critical techniques about creating a new venture that will be valuable in both corporate and startup environments.

The VLAB will be modeled after successful accelerators that provide services, access to mentors and investors, and funding to entrepreneurs. Some content areas that will be covered in the course are product development and design, customer discovery and validation, business model development, customer acquisition, and financing. Each team will have a mentor to provide strategic advice and coaching. Each team will also have the opportunity to pitch their business plan to a group of investors at a final Demo Day.

The mentor will play a critical role in the venture development process, providing coaching, strategic advice, and access to their network to the student teams. Please see FAQ below for more information and if interested, complete the mentor information form on page 3.
Employer FAQ

Question: What is the deadline to sign up for the program?

Answer: The deadline for the current semester is September 18th, 2013. Earlier submissions appreciated.

Question: How do I sign up to be a mentor?

Answer: Complete the short form on the last page of this document and email to Steve Bennet, course instructor, at or fax to 707-202-2545.

Question: When does the class meet?

Answer: Monday evenings from 6 – 8:45 pm.

Question: If we sign up, are we guaranteed a student team to mentor?

Answer: No. We will do our best to match the students with interested mentors, but want to make sure there is a mutual selection, so will most likely have more mentors than teams. This is also the first offering of the course, so do not know how many students and teams will be enrolled.

Question: What expectations are there for the mentors?

Answer: The primary expectations are to provide coaching, strategic advice and potentially open your network to the students.

Question: Can I meet with the entire group of students?

Answer: Yes. We will have a class session where mentors will introduce themselves and students will give elevator pitches of their projects. Following this, there will be an opportunity to meet one on one with the teams. Tentatively scheduled for September 23rd

Question: How many students are in the program and how are they selected?

Answer: This is a highly competitive course and is capped at 15 students. There is an application and interview process to ensure all participants are qualified. You will receive an electronic resume book that includes all of the students.

Question: Are there specific days and times to meet with the students?

Answer: No, the time/location and type of meeting (in person, phone, skype) is to be arranged between the student team and mentor.

Question: May I take advisory shares in the student company?

Answer: Yes, at the conclusion of the semester if offered by the students. However, would ask that you don’t do any type of economic transaction during the course.

Question: Where can I learn more about the program?

Answer: Visit or contact Steve Bennet at 650-739-0520 or

Mentor Information Form

Thank you for your interest in the Venture Lab (VLAB). Please send the form to Steve Bennet by email () or fax (707-202-2545).

Name:
Phone:
Email:
Website:
LinkedIn:
Twitter:
Why are you interested in being a mentor?
Are you available and interested in leading an educational session at the VLAB. If so, what are potential topics?
Do you have any questions about the program not answered above?
Are you available to join us at the mentor/student networking session (tentatively scheduled for Sept. 23?
How did you learn about the VLAB?