How to Help
Business Mentors
We are soliciting mentor candidates from local business and community organizations. After reviewing your application and conducting a brief telephone interview, selected mentor applicants will be invited to participate in the LaunchFV capstone project known as InnovateFV Startup Weekend.
LaunchFV Cohort Candidates will take the knowledge acquired during their 10 weeks of academic learning, and will apply those insights into building and launching their existing small business or startup with the help of mentors like you.
On the evening of Sunday, November 19th, cohort candidates will present their business to the greater Fuquay-Varina community as part of their graduation ceremony.
Mentors, friends, family, and media will be invited to attend.
Specialist Mentors
Do you have a specific skillset that would be vital to an aspiring entrepreneur?
Volunteer as a mentor and help a small business and/or startup "launch" during their capstone project known as InnovateFV Startup Weekend, November 17-19th.
Even a small logo, a well-crafted mission statement, a small 1-3 page website, or a quick 1-page flyer design can mean the WORLD to a small business or startup. Your volunteer time can go further than you think...
Who should apply?
- Designers
- Attorneys
- Programmers
- Website Developers
- Copy/Tech Writers
- Accountants/CPAs
- Photographers
- Marketing
- Advertising
- Public Relations
- Grant Specialists
- Commercial Real Estate
Donate/Sponsor
If you’d like to sponsor food for one of our classes, please contact us! This is a great way to help keep the program going.
LaunchFV and InnovateFV Startup Weekend combined provides 12 weeks of potential sponsorship opportunities.
What is Business Mentoring?
We expect our mentors to fill a very specific support need. Business mentoring is different from management consulting or business coaching. It assumes that the mentee already possesses the basic technical skills to make their product or deliver their service. The mentor focuses on business perspective and guidance, personal development, and soft skills.
The mentee benefits from the knowledge and experience of the mentor by receiving:
- Advice, counsel and encouragement
- A confidential sounding board, thinking room, and support for working through crucial and often complex decisions.
- Networking and contacts
- Political and cultural know-how
- Ongoing personal support and encouragement
If this sounds like a good fit for you, please APPLY.
What is a Specialist Mentor?
Often times, a small business or startup only needs what you might consider as a few "basic" things. These things are often huge hurdles for aspiring entrepreneurs.
Specialist Mentors are experienced experts in their respective fields whom can provide relatively easy things such as:
- Simple Logo Design
- Budgeting/Accounting Insight and Tracking Sheets
- Documentation & Workflow Templates
- Strategic Plan Brainstorming
- Simple Starter Website/Landing Page Design
- 1-Page Flyer or Tri-Fold Brochure Design
- App Development Planning
- Marketing Strategy
- Legal Considerations
- Public Relations Strategy
If you have any of these or other skillsets that you would like to provide to LaunchFV Candidates, please APPLY.