At TiEcon2023, we have assembled some of the very best Mentors to help attendees (who included MentorConnect while registering for the conference) in their entrepreneurial / wannapreneurial journeys. Whether you are seeking guidance in specific topics (HealthTech, FinTech, Blockchain, Semiconductors, SaaS, AI, FoodTech, Telco, Pharma, Web3) or want to talk to Serial Entrepreneurs who have been through it all; or to Senior Corporate executives; or to Professional Leadership coaches, we have the right person for you. Short biographical information and links to their LinkedIn profiles can be found in the following page: http://tiecon.org/mentor-connect.
The event is being held in Exhibit Hall A1 – with the entrance from the Expo Hall. You should plan to arrive before 12:15 pm on the day your Mentoring Session is scheduled. Lunch will be served in the room. Members of the Steering Committee will help check you in and guide you to your table. You are welcome to pick up your lunch and make your way to your assigned table. The lunch in the Hall A1 is only for registered Mentees, Mentors and Steering Committee members.
Mentees should plan on attending only their scheduled Mentoring session. The Steering Committee has gone through great lengths to ensure that all the Mentors with confirmed Mentoring sessions will be available. So, unless you are explicitly instructed otherwise, please plan to attend only the Mentoring session that you are scheduled for. We want this to be a rich and rewarding experience for everyone. If you had requested a Mentor, and were not assigned that Mentor (the assignment is done strictly on a first serve basis), you do not have the option of sitting at their table.
This is your opportunity to be mentored by these luminaries. Mentors can provide their wisdom on management leadership skills, career success factors, industry insights, communication skills and best practices, and more. This is not an opportunity to “sell” your product / services to them.
Suggested Questions
Some of you have requested that we post “suggested questions” – to help you get started in your Mentoring Session. While these questions may help “break the ice”, please prepare for your Mentoring Session by writing down your questions in advance. Also, pace your questions. Please be respectful of the other people in the session. We have restricted the number of people per session to allow for deep and meaningful conversations. A general rule of thumb for the mentees is to listen more and talk less.
- What do you do to challenge your underlying beliefs, paradigms and assumptions?
- How do you handle obstacles and roadblocks?
- How do you stay positive and keep moving when nothing seems to be working?
- What would be your advice to those who start late in their career as an entrepreneur?
- What do you wish you had known before taking your first management role?
- Can you tell me about a time when you had a difficult boss? How did you handle the situation?
- What’s the most important leadership lesson you’ve learned and how has it proven invaluable?
- How do I prepare to be an entrepreneur (which invariably means trade-offs and sacrifices at many levels) against the comforts of a relatively steady job and also the demands of a certain quality of life? (mortgage, private schools, vacations, etc.)
- How much capital does an entrepreneur need to raise in order to get started with operations?
- What are some of the successful marketing strategies that you have seen companies use in the early days to target consumers?
- What are your suggestions to early-stage start-ups as to the thresholds and criteria they must demonstrate before being considered for investment?
- How is valuation determined for seed startups?
- What are your tips for managing and overcoming burnout?
- What was your experience like trying to find product-market fit? Tell me the story of how you reached it!
Lastly, please be respectful of the Mentors. They have been kind enough to offer their time from their busy schedules to participate in this program.
