Grow your Future with our Venture Mentoring Services Program

As we wind up 2016, our pilot year, we are pleased to report success.  From 0 to 14 mentee companies and 50 trained mentors TCM VMS achieved its goals for the pilot.  Mentee companies are actively engaged with their mentor teams and reports from the mentees indicate a uniform sense of progress. We continually receive thank yous and praise for the program. And, we have a first capital raise of $500,000.  Our goal is to reach 30 mentee companies in service in 2017.

With the expanding interest and participation, as well as our improving operational efficiencies, we have capacity to continue expanding.  We are seeking mentee company candidates that meet the parameters for the program. Mentees come by referral.  If you can identify a candidate company, please do so by contacting Pam Lubel, VMS Program Manager at MTC (Plubel@techcouncilmd.com). 

Prospective mentees generally should have:

1. A “tie” to Maryland;
2. A tech or biotech product or service with proof of concept established in someway;
3. At least one full time employee (presumably, the CEO);
4. A direction towards obtaining “series A investments”

We are looking for companies beyond the earliest stages, but still young in the development cycle and in need of practical assistance with growth and scaling issues.

For more information or to apply, contact Pam Lubel: plubel@techcouncilmd.com or apply online at http://www.techcouncilmd.com/tcm/pdf/application.pdf

Venture Mentoring Services

Grow your Future with the Tech Council of Maryland Venture Mentoring Services Program (TCM VMS) 

The pathway to becoming an entrepreneur is often challenging. Through hands-on mentoring, TCM VMS’s mentee companies learn how to perfect their products and services, identify markets, build business organization and seek funding.

The ultimate goal of the TCM VMS program is to bring employment opportunities and capital to the area in the technology and life sciences fields by helping companies to grow faster.

The TCM VMS program is based on a team mentoring approach modeled after the highly-successful MIT Venture Mentoring Service, which has been implemented in more than 60 communities around the globe. 50 Mentors have gone through the TCM VMS training and are currently serving 14 Maryland-based startup companies.

The TCM VMS program is looking for startup companies in the technology and life sciences fields, led by an individual or individuals who work full-time on the business that are preparing to raise their first venture capital or institutional round of financing.

Potential Startup Companies whose applications are accepted will have the opportunity to present to potential mentors at a monthly meeting, after which the TCM VMS will facilitate matches with interested mentors. The TCM VMS will provide guidelines to support the startup of the relationship and assist in the ongoing management of the team mentoring meetings.

There is no fee to the startup company for the mentoring program.

Contact: The Tech Council of Maryland Venture Mentor Services is a program of the Tech Council of Maryland. For more information or to apply, contact Pam Lubel: plubel@techcouncilmd.com or apply online at http://www.techcouncilmd.com/tcm/pdf/application.pdf

Tech Council of Maryland Venture Mentoring Services (TCM VMS) Continues to Soar – Seeking Startup Companies

The TCM VMS program is looking for startup companies in the technology and life sciences fields, led by an individual or individuals who work full-time on the business that are preparing to raise their first venture capital or institutional round of financing. For more information or to apply, click here

Potential Startup Companies whose applications are accepted will have the opportunity to present to potential mentors at a monthly meeting, after which the TCM VMS will facilitate matches with interested mentors. The TCM VMS will provide guidelines to support the startup of the relationship and assist in the ongoing management of the team mentoring meetings. There is no fee to the startup company for the mentoring program. For more information or to apply, click here

The TCM VMS program is based on a team mentoring approach modeled after the highly-successful MIT Venture Mentoring Service, which has been implemented in more than 60 communities around the globe. The TCM VMS program is currently serving 14 Maryland-based startup companies, which have a nexus to Maryland and a demonstrated proof of concept for their respective product or service. For more information or to apply, click here 

Contact: The Tech Council of Maryland Venture Mentor Services is a program of the Tech Council of Maryland. For more information or to apply, click here.

Tech Council of Maryland Venture Mentoring Services (TCM VMS) Soaring – Seeking Startup Companies

The TCM VMS program is based on a team mentoring approach modeled after the highly-successful MIT Venture Mentoring Service, which has been implemented in more than 60 communities around the globe. The TCM VMS program is currently serving 14 Maryland-based startup companies, which have a nexus to Maryland and a demonstrated proof of concept for their respective product or service.

The TCM VMS program is focused on startups in the technology and life sciences fields that are preparing to raise their first venture capital or institutional round of financing. Potential startup companies are carefully selected and may include individuals whose organization is their first or second venture.

The TCM VMS program is looking for startup companies led by an individual or individuals who work full-time on the business and will be committed to the program and willing to take responsibility for engaging with their mentor team.

Potential Startup Companies whose applications are accepted will have the opportunity to present to potential mentors at a monthly meeting, after which the TCM VMS will facilitate matches with interested mentors. The TCM VMS will provide guidelines to support the startup of the relationship and assist in the ongoing management of the team mentoring meetings. There is no fee to the startup company for the mentoring program.

Contact: The Tech Council of Maryland Venture Mentor Services is a program of the Tech Council of Maryland. For more information or to apply, click here.

The Tech Council of Maryland (TCM), in partnership with the Montgomery County Economic Development Corporation started a mentoring program in 2015 to help the technology and life sciences community, called the Tech Council of Maryland Venture Mentoring Service (TCM VMS). The program is based on a team mentoring approach modeled after the highly-successful MIT Venture Mentoring Service and provides active and specially tailored mentoring services in teams catering to the specific needs of each accepted company.

The companies must have a nexus to Maryland tech and life sciences sectors and a demonstrated proof of concept for their respective product or service. TCM VMS is particularly interested in serving companies that are preparing for their first venture or institutional financing, as there is a perceived gap in resources for companies at this development stage.

The TCM VMS program engages highly qualified volunteer mentors with experience relevant to early stage companies and who are committed to providing advice in a team mentoring setting. Mentors receive special training on the MIT team mentoring model in addition to careful vetting of their expertise.

Mentor teams and Mentee Company CEO’s, once paired, meet regularly at the request of the CEO to assess issues and to assist in developing growth oriented solutions for the company. Team Mentors also meet monthly to share their mentoring experiences and to take advantage of the expanded networks and expertise which the larger cadre of mentors represents. These monthly meetings also have the advantage of giving the mentors access to new contacts.

The MIT model has been adopted in over 60 communities worldwide because the results are stunning. Companies thrive…grow faster, attract more funding, earn more revenue and create more jobs with this program, which is becoming a foundational component of this area’s ecosystem.

Current Status: The TCM VMS is preparing for its fifth training program for volunteer mentors in October, 2016, bringing the total number of trained volunteers to over 40. In this pilot year of operation, the program is already serving 10 Maryland-based companies with teams of mentors.

Contact: The Tech Council of Maryland Venture Mentor Services is a program of the Tech Council of Maryland. For more information on the TCM VMS program, see http://www.techcouncilmd.com/careers/mentor-opportunities.php.