This program is designed to train individuals in mentoring startups. It targets professionals with some startup mentoring knowledge embarking on a mentorship journey. The goal is to enhance their mentoring techniques and establish effective communication with the startups they guide.
The program is part of the DIN-ECO Project, supported by EIT Digital and funded by the European Union.
It is accessible and free of charge for startup mentors invited by the DIN-ECO Partners’ network.
Registration is required through this online form: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSe_WDNWAvgGfdWcfxU4i4FAXZlF74EZ6RgJvyujzBmXSj2p4A/viewform?usp=sf_link
The program is organized by Alma Mater Studiorum – University of Bologna in collaboration with Almacube accelerator and innovation hub.
All three sessions will be online and in English language.
PROGRAM AGENDA
Session 1: “Introduction to Startup Mentoring”
18th March 2024, from 6 pm to 7:30 pm CET
Lecturer: Paolo Lombardi, PhD, Director of AI Innovation @Taylor & Francis, Book Author
@Startup Program Design
This session will address the following topics:
- Defining the role and goal of mentoring and the differences between consulting
- The dynamics of mentor-mentee relationships
- Management of expectations and boundaries
Session 2: “Effective Communication and Relationship Management”
20th March 2024, from 6 pm to 7:30 pm CET
Lecturer: Paolo Lombardi, PhD, Director of AI Innovation @Taylor & Francis, Book Author @Startup Program Design
This session will address the following topics:
- Defining the different types of founder profiles and some of their key personality characteristics.
- Importance of active listening and effective communication
- Techniques for adapting mentorship strategies to specific expectations
- Effective conflict management
Session 3: “Practice: Mentoring Simulation and Discussion” 27th March 2024, from 4 pm to 6 pm CET
Lecturer: Adam Berk, Startup Mentor, Founder, Book Author @Startup Program Design
During this session, the participants will participate in a mentorship simulation exercise through role-playing. They will discuss the key aspects, difficulties, and feedback on the mentorship context in a group.
About the Lecturers
Paolo Lombardi co-founded two startups of his own before creating the startup accelerator Techpeaks in the Italian Alps, together with an international team including investors (LDV Capital, Earlybird Venture Capital) and research stakeholders (University of Trento, FBK – Bruno Kessler Foundation).
Paolo has designed and managed over 20 startup incubation and acceleration programs for such organizations as the European Commission and the World Bank.
He was a Fulbright Fellow at Santa Clara University, California, a visiting researcher at the University of Glasgow, United Kingdom, and holds a double PhD in Computer Vision and Artificial Intelligence from the Universities of Pavia, Italy, and Paris Sud, France.
He has been a Business Accelerator manager at the European Institute of Technology – EIT Digital, and a Scientific Officer at the European Commission. He is an external lecturer of Innovation and Entrepreneurship at the Polytechnic University of Milan, Bocconi Business School, and the University of Trento, Italy. Paolo has coached and supported the business development and fund-raising of hundreds of startups in the incubators, accelerators, and hackathons he has created or directed in digital, robotics, social impact, and creative industries.
Adam Berk is a lean entrepreneur, lean teacher, and serial entrepreneur who helps large organizations implement innovation at scale. His work includes mentoring startups in startup programs like Google’s AI for Social Good Accelerator, the World Food Programme Innovation Accelerator, and digitalundivided. He helps grantees and traditional startups with hypothesis testing, customer discovery and design sprints, assumptions mapping and prioritization, strategy, expansion into the US market, adoption of OKRs as they scale, and hiring. He advises the programs themselves, formally or informally, as to their design.
After completing his degree in Economics from Emory University in 2000, along with Dave Tomback, he founded neighborrow.com, which was one of the earliest companies to be part of the sharing economy. During this journey, he learned some valuable lessons, the most important of which was to deeply understand the problem that needs to be solved. Later, Adam spent time teaching, mentoring, coaching, and empathizing with product teams, embracing a lean startup and design thinkers mentality. Then, he started his career in corporate innovation consulting while working on the Pearson Lean Product Lifecycle team with Sonja Kresojevic.
About DIN-ECO Project
DIN-ECO project supports the implementation of Digital Innovation Vision Action Plans (DIVAP) by HEIs of the consortium. Through the DIVAPs, the innovation and entrepreneurial capacity of the participating HEIs will be increased and enable their integration into European innovation value chains and ecosystems. The DIVAPs outline the consortium’s vision for high-quality, inclusive, and accessible digital innovation in Europe.
It is a call to action for stronger cooperation among key innovation players coordinated by HEIs, seen as hubs of innovation and entrepreneurship in the digital age. HEI should educate entrepreneurs to understand the systemic implications of digital innovations and balance economic objectives with social responsibility.
While the application of digital innovation concerns researchers and entrepreneurs of all industries, DIN-ECO creates links between digital innovation and research in the health and manufacturing industries, highlighting the value of innovation-driven research in developing ventures that serve social and industry needs.
