Opportunities to Mentor
Mentors lend their expertise, enrich our student’s experience, and enhance UMKC’s standing as the home of one of the world’s premier entrepreneurship institutes.
Ways to Get Involved
- The Entrepreneurship Scholars Program
- E-Scholars work alongside a peer group of entrepreneurs while taking their business from idea to launch. They learn how to develop a scalable and sustainable venture from accomplished entrepreneurs from the Kansas City startup community and exceptional faculty.
- The Entrepreneurship Scholars Program offers a workshop-structured instruction designed to provide E-Scholars with a practical framework for venture advancement. Mentors serve as coaches to E-Scholars.
- One-On-One Mentoring: Work as a mentor with E-Scholars venture(s) in a long-term relationship with frequent one-on-one meetings. As a mentor, you help them find creative solutions to problems. Mentors are available at mutually agreeable times and may participate in offices provided at UMKC or an off-site location.
- Group Mentoring: Work as a part of a group of mentors, focusing their combined experience on a single venture.
- Demo Day: At the culmination of each semester, E-Scholars have an opportunity to present their business ideas to a group of mentors. Students receive feedback and input from mentors, who can then identify who they might like to work with.
- Mentor in Residence
- Provide assistance and advice to students with ventures they create for their entrepreneurship classes.
- Counsel students on business structure, management, and general questions, augmenting their classroom experiences with industry subject matter experts.
- Meetings take place on campus with office hours accommodating mentors and students.
- Provide assistance and advice to students with ventures they create for their entrepreneurship classes.
- Mentor Speakers Bureau
- Mentors Speakers Bureau connects mentors with Bloch School students during their class sessions.
- Provide experience and expertise, adding a practical perspective to specific topics taught in classes. Department faculty dedicate specific class sessions for bringing in mentors to work with students on special topics.
- Mentors Speakers Bureau connects mentors with Bloch School students during their class sessions.
- Special Event Mentors
- Community leaders who elect occasional program participation may elect to serve for specific special events. The mentor’s time commitment is limited, but the benefit to the student is tremendous.
- Judge the Regnier Venture Creation Challenge and the Roo Idea Jump.
- Evaluate many of the competition programs students participate in throughout the academic year.
- Mentors do not have to be available regularly and instead volunteer when needed.
- Community leaders who elect occasional program participation may elect to serve for specific special events. The mentor’s time commitment is limited, but the benefit to the student is tremendous.
- Other UMKC Programs
- Bloch Career Center Mentors
UMKC Innovation Center and Tech Transfer –Work with late-stage businesses who already are generating revenue then working with the Innovation center as an advisor, board member, perhaps investor, or leadership employee for these mature businesses.
- Bloch Career Center Mentors