Venture Mentoring Service
Starting a for-profit or non-profit venture is challenging.
Founders are constantly making decisions in the midst of uncertainty. Many entrepreneurs seek an experienced mentor for guidance, and these relationships are one of the critical factors for a venture’s eventual success.
A fledgling business or non-profit is far more likely to thrive when an entrepreneur can draw on the advice and guidance of a team of mentors with proven skills and experience in a conflict free, confidential, trusted environment.
Enter the Trinity Venture Mentoring Service.
Venturing Into Success
Trinity VMS helps entrepreneurs from the Trinity community overcome challenges by connecting them with high-level mentors.
Proven Partnership
Trinity VMS is a MIT VMS sister program. All mentors adhere to a strict code of ethics and are focused on developing the entrepreneur. Each entrepreneur is matched with a team of experienced mentors, providing more in-depth insight than traditional 1:1 relationships.
CONNECT, EXCHANGE, GROW
Information for Ventures
When you join Trinity VMS, you will be matched with a team of mentors who will offer their expertise and insight to help you develop your business. Meetings feature objective, unbiased, confidential business advice and guidance, and cover a wide range of topics that you, the entrepreneur, set yourself.
All ventures, at any stage - including alumni - are welcome!
Trinity VMS connects entrepreneurs with experienced mentors, offering objective advice on topics chosen by the entrepreneur.
Trinity’s VMS is ready to support you with topics ranging from: Ideation, Business Model, Market Validation, Early Stage Financing, Intern Support, Legal Support, Accounting advice, pricing advice, and other questions you may have regarding opening, growing, or scaling your business.
Entrepreneur Requirements
Venture founders must:
- Be Trinity students, faculty, staff, or alumni
- Be able to attend VMS meetings
- Be based in the greater San Antonio area (as must the venture as a whole) or agree to virtual mentoring guidelines if outside of Bexar County
Student entrepreneurs: Note that involvement in this program is secondary to your academic interests at Trinity.
Benefits Spectrum
- Meetings scheduled around your availability
- The ability to change your mentors as needed
- Targeted advice and brainstorming
- Qualified mentors from a variety of backgrounds
- Near-term action items and advice
- Confidentiality
- Life-long growth and commitment: mentoring evolves as you and your venture evolves
- Invitations to all On-Campus Entrepreneurship Workshops
Testimonials
Trinity VMS is an unparalleled opportunity to learn from the pros and make your budding business bloom. Learn what the mentors and participants have to say about the program.
Advice for Those Seeking Mentorship
Have a chat with Lyn Swoboda Akhil ’06 and Lauren Swoboda Pepping ’06, the entrepreneurs extraordinaire behind Cookie Cab, and hear what they recommend to those considering Trinity VMS.
What VMS Means for Participants
Listen to Selena Davila '21 and Jacob Hurrell-Zitelman '20 of Quick Sip testify to the transformative insight and guidance that Trinity VMS has given them along their entrepreneurial journey.
ENCOURAGING ENTREPRENEURIAL EXCELLENCE
Information for Mentors
As a Trinity VMS mentor, you will work with entrepreneurs from the Trinity community and provide objective, unbiased, practical, and professional business advice and guidance following a team mentoring model licensed from MIT.
VMS Mentors subscribe to a Statement of Principles which governs behavior and ethics, outlines their responsibilities, and guards against conflicts of interest.
Mentors' Key Role
As a mentor, you will help budding entrepreneurs by:
- Listening and understanding their specific needs and aspirations
- Educating and encouraging them
- Helping them think through their alternatives and set targets
- Advising and coaching them through constructive criticism, asking questions, and offering “actionable” advice
Benefits Spectrum
- Join a community of accomplished leaders who share your passion and commitment to advancing San Antonio’s entrepreneurial ecosystem
- Assist in furthering Trinity University's educational mission
- Develop a connection to this prestigious institution and its exceptional students and alumni
- Enjoy the distribution of the responsibility of guiding a venture among a team of mentors
- Focus on mentoring while the program handles the administrative work
- Grow from your connections during the monthly mentor commun
Ready to get started?
I want to be a mentee.
Application Checklist To apply, you’ll need:A lean business model canvasAn executive summary Questions and Applications If you have any questions, email @email.
I want to be a mentor.
Application Checklist To apply, you’ll need:Your resume or CVLetter(s) of recommendation from any professional you've mentored in the past or from an existing VMS mentor. Questions and Applications