Growing Need for Volunteer Mentors

"To do more for the world than the world does for you - that is success" - Henry Ford

Globally, as the recent eighty (80) year economic-business cycle draws to close and the dawn of a “New Age” cycle, a "Convergence" is rapidly occurring across various strata. Regardless of developed, developing or emerging markets, there is ongoing definitive transformation occurring both simultaneously and independently at macroeconomic, microeconomic and socioeconomic levels.

This "Convergence" has a direct and indirect impact on various stakeholders including Government-Corporate-Academia and Individuals. There is an immediate focus on urgency for mandatory “renaissance and regeneration” of the value chain and life cycle for products and services. This must be critically supported by Research, Design & Development (RD&D) with incubation of new technologies to enter commercial markets. The dawn of a “New Age” leads to creativity, invention, innovation and entrepreneurial start-up and early-stage companies embarking on creating new wealth across all socioeconomic strata on a sustainable basis.

Accordingly, there is a growing need for volunteer mentors to guide, advise, support and assist talented entrepreneurs in key areas such as, but not limited to, following:

·         Technology Evaluation & Commercialization

·         Intellectual Property Rights (IPR)

·         Business Plans & Capital Formation Process

·         Enterprise Risk & Mitigation

·         Commercial Market Fundamentals

·         Business Fundamentals (Balance Sheet, P&L, Cashflow)

·         Business-Revenue Models

·         Corporate Structuring & Corporate Governance

·         Structured Finance

·         Transactional Contracts

·         Functional Business Operations

·         Business Development-Execution-Accounts Receivables

·         Regulatory & Policy Framework

·         Government Relations & Advocacy

On a positive and encouraging note, many dynamic colleges and universities, via alumni networks, have launched ongoing mentoring programs to enable and accelerate volunteer mentoring of current students and recent graduates. Moreover, there must be a concerted and cohesive effort across all stakeholder levels in meeting the growing need for volunteer mentors.

End-of-the-day, it really comes down to volunteer mentors “giving back and paying forward”, via intangible ways, as well as helping mentees succeed since; “A rising tide lifts all boats”.