Lack of guidance is one of the issues that either keeps would-be entrepreneurs from launching a business, or those that have started one from succeeding.
The Young Entrepreneur Council (YEC) says it has a solution for that.
Today marks the launch of #StartupLab, a free virtual mentorship program presented by Citi and YEC that will connect top young startup founders with aspiring entrepreneurs looking for advice.
Those who participate in #StartupLab will have direct access to mentorship (both virtual and in-person) through interactive live video chats, how-to content, and weekly email lessons.
Startup Founders Will Be Mentors
The #StartupLab endeavor will have a stable of startup founders who will serve as mentors to participants. Catherine Cook of MeetMe, Jennifer Fleiss of Rent the Runway, Slava Rubin of Indiegogo, Jason Nazar of DocStoc, Ryan Allis of iContact, Matt Mickiewicz of 99Designs, and Rahim Fazal of Involver are a few of the mentors who will be available to provide free advice and tips for entrepreneurs.
Those who participate in the program will gain access to four interactive live video chats per month, weekly email lessons, an eBook club, and access to YEC’s complete library of how-to articles and videos. If a business incubator isn’t a possibility for you, a virtual mentoring program like #StartupLab may be a solution.
Another Entrepreneurial Effort by YEC
This is another program by the Young Entrepreneur Council. The invitation-only nonprofit, which targets recent grads and young entrepreneurs, has more than 500 members. According to the YEC, the group has collectively created tens of thousands of jobs and over 1 billion dollars in revenue.
Last spring, YEC spearheaded #FixYoungAmerica, a national grassroots campaign and book that sparked student-led rallies on over 300 college campuses. #FixYoungAmerica was designed to provide solutions to unemployment faced by young Americans. Scott Gerber, Founder of The Young Entrepreneur Council, says:
“Our goal is to help mentor, retrain and retool the workforce into a more entrepreneurial one. We believe that giving aspiring business owners access to the minds behind many of the most successful startups in the world will help them to build successful ventures.”
Who Can Participate
Anyone who is interested in the resources provided by #StartupLab can participate, as well as members of organizations including Junior Achievement, Georgetown University, BizWorld, Lemonade Day, George Washington University, MassChallenge, University of Central Florida, North Carolina Rural Center, and others.
Individuals will have access to #StartupLab mentors via YEC’s Facebook Page. For more information, visit #StartupLab’s website.
This looks like a very cool initiative. Do I have to be young to participate ?
GC–
I don’t believe there’s an age requirement or cutoff for this.
Susan
Martin Lindeskog
I had the same question as GC when I saw the name of the organization, the Young E. S. Is it catering only to the North American market?
Mads Singers
Outstanding, really cool initiative, I have been a keen mentoring fan for many years, so the more of this stuff the better 😉
Scott Gerber
Anyone, anywhere with an Internet connection can benefit from #StartupLab