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What Is "Venture Mentors"?
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What Is The Objective? |
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How Does Venture Mentors
Work? |
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Who Are The Baltimore Venture
Mentors? |
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Whose Idea Is This? |
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Who Is Eligible To Participate
in Venture Mentors? |
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How Does the Baltimore Venture
Mentors Handle Sensitive and Proprietary Information? |
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How Are The Baltimore Venture
Mentors Supported? |
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How Do I Contact the Tidewater
Venture Mentors |
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| Q. |
What Is "Venture Mentors"? |
| A. |
Baltimore Venture Mentors is a pro bono mentoring organization
designed to assist early stage companies in the Greater
Baltimore region with critical issues they face in their
growth. |
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| Q. |
What Is The Objective? |
| A. |
The objective is to aggressively mentor a portfolio
of early stage companies to help them navigate key inflection
points in their growth. |
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| Q. |
How Does Venture Mentors Work? |
| A. |
A company applies (by filling out online form) to begin
a BVM Portfolio Company. BVM will take the application
and, if appropriate, set up a qualifying interview for
the company with the Screening Committee. The Screening
Committee will score the company on their presentation
and the templates (Executive Summary and SWOT analysis)
they have submitted. If the company is approved by the
Screening Committee they become a Portfolio Company
and will have a BVM team member assigned as their full-time
mentor. (For a complete explanation of the BVM process,
see the 'Methodology' Section)
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| Q. |
Who Are The Baltimore Venture Mentors? |
| A. |
We are a group
of experienced and successful Baltimore men and women
who have built, financed, managed and led business enterprises,
corporate operations and management teams in public and
private sector environments. The core group, called "Mentor
Partners", are a highly select group of career professionals,
expert in the functional elements of Marketing, Sales,
Business Development, Operations Management, Finance and
Technology. |
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| Q. |
Whose Idea Is This? |
| A. |
Baltimore Venture Mentors is the second "spin-off"
of the original Venture Mentors program. The original
Northern Virginia group, organized in 1998 by a small
group of successful Northern Virginia entrepreneurs and
business executives, gathered in an informal "roundtable"
setting to provide experienced-based guidance to individuals
and groups planning startup and seeking outside financing,
at little or no cost to the entrepreneur. One of their
members, Bob McKisson, brought this group out of the Dulles
Corridor to Hampton Roads and Tidewater
Venture Mentors was launched. John Kirby, CoFounder
of Baltimore-based reachNET, Inc. (a Northern Virginia
Venture Mentor presenting company) thought the time was
right for a Venture Mentor organization in Charm City.
As a disciple of Northern Virginia Venture Mentor founder,
John Casey, John Kirby had the inside track on launching
the Baltimore team. Baltimore Venture Mentors was founded
in September, 2001. |
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| Q. |
Who Is Eligible To Participate in Venture Mentors? |
| A. |
It's a highly selective process. Individuals and organizations
who are planning venture startup, business expansion or
restructuring, who have a prepared Business Plan, and
have either launched startup operations or are within
sixty days of execution may apply by submitting a ONE
PAGE Executive Summary to any Baltimore Venture Mentor
Partner. The Mentor Partners are the sponsoring channels
for acceptance to present. Preliminary interest may also
be indicated by visiting www.baltimoreventurementors.com/qualify.asp
and filling out the online form. |
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| Q. |
How Does the Baltimore Venture Mentors Handle Sensitive
and Proprietary Information? |
| A. |
Venture Mentors is a closed event, not open to the
public. Participation is restricted to the presenters,
Mentor Partners and invited industry Domain Experts.
Others who are members of the entrepreneurial and investment
community may be invited to attend as "Interested
Observers" on a provisional case by case basis,
by sponsorship of a Mentor Partner ONLY.
Business Plan and Summary information is not provided
to "Interested Observers" nor do they participate
in the presentation evaluation. Information provided
by those who present is considered sensitive, proprietary
intellectual property. Such information is shared among
Mentor Partners, Domain Experts and others who are part
of the venture investment community for the sole purpose
of evaluating the opportunity as a suitable candidate
for forward assistance and possible investment.
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| Q. |
How Are The Baltimore Venture Mentors Supported? |
| A. |
Venture Mentors is free to all presenting companies.
Venture Mentor Partners and invited "Domain Experts"
contribute their time and expertise in the interest
of contributing to the enrichment and development of
the Baltimore technology community. Meeting facilities
and other support are provided by our sponsors
- without whom, we would not exist and, to whom, we
are extremely grateful.
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| Q. |
How Do I Contact the Baltimore Venture Mentors? |
| A. |
Contact us by filling out our online contact
form. Or email John Kirby at: jkirby@baltimoreventurementors.com
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