Venture MentorING Service

Program Summary

The Venture Mentoring Service (VMS) program helps University of Arkansas-affiliated (students, faculty, staff, alumni) innovators and entrepreneurs access experienced mentors to accelerate and support commercialization in a scalable manner.

This confidential and free virtual service is modeled after the 20-year-old MIT Venture Mentoring Service program. It incorporates proven principles and methodologies to create a mentoring program that provides business guidance in a trusted environment.

How It Works

The VMS program is a team-based approach to mentorship. Volunteer mentors, who are overseen and supported in their mentoring role by the OEI team, are carefully selected and paired to a venture team based on the needs of the entrepreneur as well as the interest and skill set of the mentors.

Apply Here

Venture Mentoring Service application

Do you need Venture Mentoring Services?

Are you an innovator or entrepreneur affiliated with the University of Arkansas (students, faculty, staff, alumni)?

Are you seeking experienced professional entrepreneurial advice?

Are you a scalable, Pre-Series A venture that is less than 5 years of age?

Interested in mentoring assistance that can aid your venture in acceleration?

Do you want to be a mentor in our VMS program?

Are you an experienced professional in the Northwest Arkansas region interested in mentoring potential new ventures?

You can help to provide team-based mentoring to support the advancement of innovative technologies through real-world guidance. All mentoring experiences are conducted in a confidential and conflict-free manner.

VENTURE FAQs:

How do we protect your ideas?

All mentors sign a contract ensuring that they will maintain strict confidentiality over any proprietary information entrusted to them by U of A VMS entrepreneurs.

What is the process behind initiating a mentor relationship?

After the VMS application is signed and submitted, we contact you and ask questions pertaining to your venture’s mentoring needs. We then create a compatible mentor team and connect you with them.

MENTOR FAQs:

What do we look for in a mentor?

We select our mentors on their level of business expertise, experience in operations, and passion to give back to start-up companies. The mentors are chosen from a wide variety of non-profit and for-profit organizations and includes a pool of serial entrepreneurs, CEOs, COOs, CTOs, CSOs, SVPs, and experts within the worlds of finance, marketing production, sales, and team formation.

Why mentor with us?

The singular goal of our program is to support entrepreneurs in their ability to develop and sustain successful ventures that align with their own personal and professional goals. Benefits of the program include the growth of the entrepreneurial talent pool in Arkansas, the creation of high-paying jobs, and improvement in the vibrancy and diversity of our communities.

What is the time commitment?

Entrepreneurs and mentors typically meet monthly and these sessions are scheduled and documented by the Office of Entrepreneurship and Innovation so that the mentor need only “show up,” with the promise that entrepreneurs in the program will uphold commitments and make efficient use of the mentors’ time.

Is there compensation for mentoring?

While there is no monetary compensation for mentoring, we hope you find value in offering your time and knowledge to assist new companies in their start-up journey.

To find out more information about the Venture Mentoring Service (VMS) program, email program administrators at vmsoei@uark.edu.