I give this talk to startups before Startupbootcamp Selection Days, where they'll meet over 50 mentors during 2 intense days. Most of the content comes directly from startups and mentors, who make the suggestions to help others get the most out of their experience. I have also found many of these tips are applicable when pitching VCs or angel investors.

1. MAKING THE MOST
BY ANDY SHANNON
HEAD OF STARTUPBOOTCAMP GLOBAL
OUT OF YOUR
MENTORS

2. Hi, I’m Andy
@atshannon1
You can tweet me questions

3. Background
○ Startups
○ MBA
○ Investing
○ Accelerators
Startupbootcamp
○ Head of Global
■ Programs
■ Expansion
■ Global
About me That's me!
My wife, Tara

4. You'll meet tons of mentors during the program...

5. You'll meet tons of mentors during the program...
What do you want
to achieve from
mentor sessions?

6. How I RANK mentor usefulness

7. How I RANK mentor usefulness
5. Opinions
a. Only one datapoint, deeper in industry = mind closed

8. How I RANK mentor usefulness
1. Trusted advisors
a. A startup’s TRUE secret sauce

9. How I RANK mentor usefulness
1. Trusted advisors
a. A startup’s TRUE secret sauce
2. Connections
a. Intros to investors, partners, users, press, etc
3. Funds
a. Buys time to discover a sustainable business model
4. Case studies
a. Relatable, memorable, but never fully applicable
5. Opinions
a. Only one datapoint, deeper in industry = mind closed

10. You prepare for interviews

11. You prepare for interviews
Do you prep for
mentorship?
(most don’t)

12. Most of us prep for interviews
1) What topics are difficult for you?
2) How should the conversation flow?
3) Who is your perfect mentor?

13. What topics are difficult for you?

14. You WILL run into tough topics
Why is your team so young?
Isn’t your IP about to expire?
You’ve been doing this 3 years?
Doesn’t this market seem small?
You don’t have a tech founder?
SO PRACTICE THEM!!!

15. How should the conversation flow?
(who’s leading your conversation?)

16. Your optimal conversation flow?
PRACTICE
‘POLITICAL PIVOTS’
(steer your story like Bill)

17. Identify your optimal mentorWho is your perfect mentor?

18. “View every
situation with a
beginners mind”
Identify your perfect mentor
(not a last page of book mentor)

19. Trusted advisor
Difficult topics?
Political pivots
Beginners mind
Quick recap

20. “A beginners mind has
many possibilities...
Shunru Suzuki
Buddhist Zen Monk

21. … but an expert’s
mind has few”
“A beginners mind has
many possibilities...
Shunru Suzuki
Buddhist Zen Monk

22. They…
Are ‘always’ right
Think you will die
Won’t ‘friend’ you
(some) Mentors can be difficult

23. They…
Are ‘always’ right
Think you will die
Won’t ‘friend’ you
(some) Mentors can be difficult

24. Mentors make suggestions
"You'd be silly
<not> to do <this>"

25. Mentors make suggestions
"You should focus
on <sales, BD, etc>”

26. Mentors make suggestions
"You need an
<inhouse/outsourced>
dev team

27. “YOU NEED AN
OUTSOURCED DEV TEAM!”

28. What can you do with
this type of mentor?

29. Turn opinions into case studies

30. Turn opinions into case studies
WHAT DO YOU
THINK ABOUT
<TOPIC>?

31. Turn opinions into case studies
HOW WOULD YOU
THINK ABOUT THIS
DECISION?

32. Turn opinions into case studies
WHAT WOULD YOU
WORRY ABOUT MOST
IF YOU INVESTED?

33. Aggregate feedback
1. ASK SAME QUESTION
2. WRITE ANSWER
3. COMPARE REPLIES

34. Aggregate feedback
Mentor whiplash is real!
(Don’t take single data points)

35. Aggregate feedback (expanded)
1) Listen (with discounts)
2) Aggregate in a single sheet
3) Debate with your team
4) Get real customer feedback
5) Leader follows their gut

36. Every suggestion = customer service
*Best Practice
1) Acknowledge
2) Thank
3) Clarify
4) Digest
5) Respond with action

37. There’s no template for success
(scoring from midfield often?)

38. There’s no template for success
*Best Practice
UNDERSTAND WHY
THE ADVICE WORKED
IN 1 SITUATION
Sam Gerstenzang
(A16Z)

39. They…
Are ‘always’ right
Think you will die
Won’t ‘friend’ you
(some) Mentors can be difficult

40. "THAT’S BEEN
DONE BEFORE"
(Frequent mentor feedback)

41. "GOOGLE WILL
KILL YOU"
(Frequent mentor feedback)

42. “GOOGLE WILL
KILL YOU”

43. Arrows make you
uncomfortable?

44. Colin Farrell (He’s deep…)
“Every feeling
of discomfort is
a moment to
be decoded”

45. "All progress takes
place outside your
comfort zone.”
Seth Godin

46. Comfort
Zone
You
What to do?
Seth Godin

47. “SEEK FIRST TO
UNDERSTAND,
THEN BE
UNDERSTOOD”
7 Habits of Highly Effective People

48. Rejection =
- Subjective
- An Opinion
- Chance to learn

49. Start with your non-verbal
a little too
open…?

50. Start with your non-verbal
1) Lean in
2) Open posture
3) Customer Service

51. Go DEEP into core concern
1) Why?
2) Why?
3) Why?
4) Why?
5) Why?
?

52. - Are ‘always’ right
- Case Study
- Customer Service
- No Template
- Think you will die
- Discomfort = Learn
- Nonverbal
- Go Deep
(some) Mentors can be difficult

53. Half way point!
@atshannon1
(Andy to check questions)

54. They…
Are ‘always’ right
Think you will die
Won’t ‘friend’ you
(some) Mentors can be difficult

55. What’s the point of all this?

56. What’s the point of all this?
To raise your
chance of
CONNECTING
with someone

57. Raise your chance of connecting?
“Teach your
Hustle Muscle”
- Jamie Foxx
(here’s a few ways to do so...)

58. KNOW thy mentor

59. KNOW thy mentor
Put time into
researching
mentors

60. KNOW thy mentor
Research a personal touch

61. Prime them
● V1.0 (basic)
○ Tweet them
○ Linkedin connect them
○ Blog about them
○ Comment on their blog
○ Mail them a letter
● V2.0 (What Kim does)
○ Unsolicited recommendations
○ They look forward to meeting her

62. Know your STRUGGLES
(Your biggest roadblocks?)

63. Know your STRUGGLES
(Prepare Qs based on struggles)

64. Know your STRUGGLES
(Everything is great?)

65. (Difficulties = Fighting = Inspiring)
Know your STRUGGLES

66. (show dynamics + misinterpret)
Bring at least TWO

67. Assign a QUARTERBACK

68. Assign a QUARTERBACK
Don’t hog the ball!
(Impress with the team)

69. Take notes BY HAND

70. Is Obama listening to you?

71. Obama’s on Twitter!!!

72. This is Obama engaging
(Obama remembers with paper)

73. This is Obama being open (body + mind)
(90% nonverbal)

74. You don’t know?
House doesn’t know

75. You don’t know?
Ken doesn’t know

76. You don’t know?
How will you
learn FAST?
Only way to learn = start with ‘I don’t know’

77. Follow up
AN EASY LAYUP!!!
(Mistake: too late, not personal)

78. Keep in touch
it’s a lot harder
(updates/newsletter over time)

79. Know thy mentor
Prime them
Know your struggles
Bring at least two
Take notes by hand
Customer discovery
You don't know
Know your numbers
Assign a quarterback
Aggregate feedback
Follow up
In Summary (remember a few?)

80. They…
Are ‘always’ right
Think you will die
Won’t ‘friend’ you
(some) Mentors can be difficult

81. They still won’t friend you?
- Honesty
- Struggles (help)
- Empathy (favor)
(some) Mentors can be difficult

82. Today’s top takeaway

83. Today’s top takeaway
SUCCESS IS
ABOUT BEING
PROACTIVE

84. Today’s top takeaway
HAVE A GOAL.
DIE TRYING.
Karl Marx

85. Today’s top takeaway
I’ll leave you
with a few
quotes...
Karl Marx

86. Consensus is the
DEATH of startups
Committee approves decisions =
… compromise
… average
… innovation dies
Conviction > Consensus

87. “Measure only if
it helps make
informed actions”
- Seth Godin

88. Experts are today
Stand Out

89. “If success was based on past indicators...
LIBRARIANS
WOULD BE RICH
- Warren Buffett
(Disrupt those who can’t look into the future)
Experts are today

90. “It's the calls you
MAKE, not the
calls you take”
- Kathryn Gould (first woman VC)
(Insanely busy ‘responder’?)

92. THANKS FOR
LISTENING!

93. Questions?
Suggestions?
@atshannon1
(Tweet to remind me about deck)