Mentors

Mentors are carefully selected based on their expertise in business formation and operations, and for their skills as advisors as well as their desire and ability to give back.

They are drawn from a wide range of industries, including both for-profit and non-profit ventures. Our mentor pool can include founders, serial entrepreneurs, CEOs, COOs, CTOs, CSOs, and SVPs along with experts in finance, funding, human resources, law, marketing, product development, sales, and team formation. They have contacts across a broad range of industries and markets.

VMS works with the many other programs on entrepreneurship, innovation, and translation at U of T, and VMS mentors are also active in many of those programs, as well as programs outside of U of T.

Mentors all have agreed to make a significant and sustained time commitment to the program.

Mentors adhere to a strict code of ethics. Mentors are required to subscribe, in writing, to a Statement of Principles that govern their behaviour, outline their responsibilities, guard against conflicts of interest, and control financial involvement with the entrepreneurs and their ventures.

In addition, all mentors sign a non-disclosure agreement ensuring that all their interactions with mentees are confidential. Mentors may not solicit business from ventures or invest in ventures they are mentoring.

Mentors participate in VMS for many reasons; the top reason being a desire to give back to the Arts and Science community as an alumni.

Relationships between mentors and entrepreneurs are formed based on the needs of the entrepreneur and the interests of available mentors. Mentors provide advice, but the actual work is the responsibility of the entrepreneurs. The membership of a mentor team may change over time as the needs of a venture change.

Professionals who are interested in becoming a mentor can submit their expression of interest here.