Mentors are individuals with experience in some aspect of entrepreneurship (e.g., fundraising, industries, founding teams, etc.). They work with startup companies without being paid and without expectation of reward or compensation. Mentors share their knowledge and guidance freely and open their networks, when appropriate. Quality mentors are a key asset to RAIN Catalysts' programs. The success of the startups we serve are a direct result of the generous contributions of our mentor network. Below is RAIN Catalysts' Mentor Manifesto; it lists the values and characteristics of mentorship that RAIN Catalysts seeks to add to our network:

1. Be a good listener first.
2. Be optimistic and responsive.
3. Expect nothing in return.
4. Be authentic and practice what you preach.
5. Clearly separate opinion from fact.
6. Hold information entrepreneurs share with you in confidence.
7. Say, “I don’t know” when you don’t know.
8. Communicate with other mentors, when appropriate.
9. Guide—, don’t control—so that. entrepreneurs make their own decisions about their startups (it’s their startup, not yours).
10. Never tell entrepreneurs what to do (don’t “should” all over them).
11. Provide specific actionable advice; don’t be vague.
12. Be challenging, but never destructive.
13. Have empathy and remember that startups are hard.
14. Understand that the best mentor relationships eventually become two-way relationships.

If these values and characteristics describe you, and you’d like to share your knowledge and experiences with entrepreneurial communities, please complete the form below. Thank you for your interest in supporting local entrepreneurial communities!