The Chance to Merge Business Acumen with Social Impact
Mentoring is the core of our GroundFloor Program. GroundFloor mentors share the belief that social entrepreneurs are the cornerstones of change. Teams selected as GroundFloor Fellows receive comprehensive support to help them refine their business and financial models and launch their products and services.
The program consists of regularly scheduled workshops, status meetings, Mentor Meet Ups and networking opportunities designed to enable them to develop greater clarity about growing their business sustainably and foster the growth of Social Innovation and Social Entrepreneurship in North Texas.
Who are GroundFloor Mentors?
Our mentors are successful entrepreneurs, business executives, academic thought-leaders, social change makers, leading philanthropists, public policy advocates, investors and consultants. GroundFloor mentors are people like YOU!
We believe that your experience, your networks, your knowledge of the private as well as the public sector and your pragmatism are the key elements that enable our social entrepreneurs to move forward faster and build sustainable businesses that make a lasting change in our community.
What do GroundFloor Mentors do?
Mentors play an important, active role in ongoing training, development and follow-up for a specific team(s) during their Fellowship year. Mentors and teams will be matched based on the mentor’s subject matter expertise, experience and interests and the unique needs of each team. The ultimate role of the mentor is to help their team refine their business model, improve their product/service, and grow their business during the accelerator program. Ideally, mentors continue a relationship with the team post graduation thereby strengthening the ties and impact of the program throughout the community. Responsibilities include:
- Mentor Meet Ups: In monthly Meet Ups, mentors and fellows come together to address specific challenges they are facing; e.g. how to manage cash flow problems or how to price their product or service. Your experience in the private sector often gives you perspective on the issues and challenges facing our teams and often insight into solutions from the business which they may not have though of.
- Making Introductions: Sometimes the opportunity to speak with the “right person” is all it takes to unblock a critical situation and allow a project to grow. Along your career, you’ve built an extensive network. Often your relationships can give a much-needed lift to the development of a social venture. We ask that you “open your rolodex” by helping to connect teams to resources.
- Be a Lead Mentor: Lead mentors are assigned to a specific team and dedicate time to coordinate the efforts of other mentors assigned to the team to provide a consistent set of advice and recommendations to the team.
- Milestone Lunches & Pitch Practices: Outside of Pitch Days, additional opportunities are available throughout the year for Fellows to share their milestone progress or pitches to the entire mentor group for review and feedback. These sessions are critical to broaden the exposure of the team, gain insights from mentors who may not work with them on a regular basis, and prepare the team for future fundraising efforts.
We value your time and commitment. A detailed calendar of events is published regularly so you are able to plan and allocate your time accordingly.
How do I become a GroundFloor Mentor?
We know that volunteering as a mentor can be a big commitment. We want to provide the most enriching and meaningful experience possible for both the Fellows and Mentors, so we carefully review mentor applications to ensure that your skills are a good fit for the needs of our teams.
To become a GroundFloor Mentor start by simply filling out this short online survey so that your application can be reviewed by GroundFloor staff. If we are able to match your skills with the needs of our fellows and prospective teams, you are will then be invited to complete an online mentor profile and join our pool of GroundFloor mentors. All Mentors are invited to participate in twice a year Business Plan and Pitch Review days, as well as to observe Pitch Day and provide insight into teams during closed door voting session.
As new Fellows are selected we work to match them with Mentors whose skills match the challenges the team is facing. Teams can be assigned a Lead Mentor along with additional mentors to address particular needs, or a variety of strategic mentors can work with teams over time. Mentors assigned to a team must commit to the minimum time required for mentoring activities. As the Fellows grow within the Accelerator their needs may change, as such, Mentors (other than the Lead Mentor) may rotate off and on teams throughout the year.
