Mentors: Bringing in Outside Expertise
Engage verified mentors against agreed commercial terms - for diligence you cannot do yourself, or to support a company you have backed.
What you will learn
- What an investor–mentor engagement is
- Inviting a mentor and agreeing terms
- The payment models
- Why this module is not granted to most roles
What this is for#
Two quite different jobs. Before you invest, a mentor with real domain knowledge can look at something your team cannot assess. After you invest, a mentor can be attached to a portfolio company to help it.
Good to know
Only verified mentors can be engaged. Verification is the platform's check that the person is who they say they are.
Engaging a mentor#
- 1
Find the mentor
You invite a specific mentor rather than posting a request.
- 2
Set the engagement type
What the relationship is - advisory, diligence support, or ongoing help to a portfolio company.
- 3
Agree the payment model
This is a commercial commitment, so be explicit before you send it.
- 4
They accept or decline
The invitation goes to their mentor portal. It stays pending until they act on it.
Tip: You cannot invite the same mentor twice while an invitation is still pending - the portal will tell you one already exists.
| Payment model | Who pays |
|---|---|
| Investor pays | You do. |
| Startup pays | The company does. |
| Subsidised | Shared between you. |
| Retainer | An ongoing fee rather than per engagement. |
| Free | No fee. |
Why most roles do not have this#
Engaging a mentor commits money, so the Mentors module sits with the roles that already handle money. Managing Partner has it; analysts and observers do not.
Careful
If a colleague sees Mentors padlocked with 'your role doesn't have access', that is a role question. Grant it deliberately from the Roles page rather than by reflex - it is a spending permission.
Good to know
Any member whose role grants the module can engage a mentor. It is not restricted to whoever created the organisation.
Common questions#
Your role does not grant the module. Ask an administrator, from Roles.
It is waiting on them. Invitations stay pending until the mentor accepts or declines from their own portal.
No. Verification is a precondition.
No. An engagement is a relationship with the mentor; it does not open your pipeline to them.
