How can we provide a meaningful mentor model in our NEXT B2B Accelerator when our startups are working on such different things?
We flipped the traditional approach: we select mentors backwards. We begin with the founders, their founder-market fit, and their ability to build, and then choose the mentors. Not the other way around.
Our six startups this year are working on post-quantum security, aerospace and defense applications, telecommunications, rehabilitation, cancer and immune disease treatment, and even matcha.
Last week, we conducted our Mentor Day for our NEXT B2B Accelerator, and it reminded me once again: everything in an ecosystem comes down to people. The “how,” “where,” and “when” matter, but in the end, it’s the who that defines success.
Founders, investors, mentors: their quality makes all the difference. And that’s what matters most to me when we build the mentoring model: selecting both sides carefully - mentors and founders.
This year, our Mentor Day brought together 6 startups and 11 mentors from our ecosystem. Some are alumni from ESMT Berlin or Vali programs, and others have been with us for the fourth or fifth time. It sometimes feels like coming home. On Mentor Day, we bring together all mentors and founders in one place. We start with pitches and speed-dating formats. But the real value happens during deep-dive sessions, where we match mentors and startups based on their industry, functional, and technology expertise.
A massive thank you to our mentors for joining us this year:
Agnieszka M. Walorska, Bernd Brunke, Thomas v. Hake, Simon Kozlik, Tim Jaudszims, Oliver Kranz, Robin Schubert, Dr. Oliver von Quast, Dmitry Kharchenko, Dash Markova, Daniel B..
And big thanks also to our cohort: JYMMiN | spin-off Max-Planck, 10/10™ Matcha, SpeakInPrivate, Adoram Therapeutics, HellionTech, Sirius. Really looking forward to continuing to build with you!
Big thanks to our team who made this day possible: Juanita Corredor, Nicola Filzmoser, and Steve Adelman! I've rarely seen such great preparation and organization.
#entrepreneurship #startups #europe
