SMARTUP Deliverable N° 4.2 Mentoring Training Report · SMARTUP – Deliverable N° 4.2 Mentoring...

SMARTUP – Deliverable N° 4.2

Mentoring Training Report

Project acronym: SMARTUP

Project title: Start-up Master and Advanced reflective Tools by Universities and Partners

Project number: 575662

Instrument: Erasmus+

Call identifier: EAC/04/2015

Type of action Key Action 2 – Knowledge Alliances

Start date of project: 01-01-2017

Duration: 24 months

Deliverable number 4.2

Deliverable title Mentoring Training Report

Deliverable due date 31/10/2017 (extended to July 2018)

Lead beneficiary Research & Qualification S.r.l.

Work package WP 4

Deliverable type Report

Dissemination Level

PU Public -

RE Restricted to a group specified by the

consortium -

CO

Confidential, only for members of the

consortium (including the Commission

Services)

X



Title:

Mentoring Training Programme Report

Author(s)/Organisation(s):

M. Coletti & C. Fusilli / Research & Qualification S.r.l.

Contributor(s):

B. Trivellato

Short Description:

• This document outlines approach and content and lists the participants to the mentoring course: the course

is first presented as it was planned, and later recommendations are provided based on the experience.

• Moreover, it distils some lessons we learnt during this activity

• The report mainly deals with the selection and training of mentors.

• Part of the lessons learnt may be useful to design future mentorship programmes, while other parts may be

useful to the future mentors

Keywords:

Mentorship programme, mentor community of practice, lean canvas approach

Elisabetta Marafioti

Disclaimer: Any communication or publication related to the action, made by the beneficiaries jointly or individually in any form and using any means, shall indicate that it reflects only the author's view and that the Agency and the Commission are not responsible for any use that may be made of the information it contains.



Contents

Scope and overview of the mentoring programme ...................................................................................................................... 4

Planned teaching content and pedagogy ........................................................................................................................................... 5

Evaluation and Deliverables ................................................................................................................................................................... 6

Instructor, testimonials and visits ........................................................................................................................................................ 6

Actually delivered content ....................................................................................................................................................................... 7

Mentors participating to the training and short bios (in alphabetical order): ................................................................. 7

List of self-taught mentors ....................................................................................................................................................................... 9

Suggested Bibliography............................................................................................................................................................................. 9

Outcome and Lessons Learnt................................................................................................................................................................ 10

Appendix 1. Code of Conduct for mentors and mentees .......................................................................................................... 13



SCOPE AND OVERVIEW OF THE MENTORING PROGRAMME

Scope of the programme was to train mentors and support the formation of a community of practice.

The programme was delivered on the week of the 20th November 2017 at the University of Milano Bicocca,

starting on Monday 20th afternoon and closing on Friday 24th lunch time to spare weekend travelling to the

participants.

Five session of approx. four hours each (3,5h of teaching plus two 15-minutes breaks) were planned on

Monday afternoon, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday and Friday morning. Afternoons of Tuesday,

Wednesday and Thursday were dedicated to self-study (case analysis or business simulation), and visits to an

incubator/accelerator and to testimonials.

Participants : 10 mentors selected by the project business partners. Mentors should be selected on their

competences (a university degree or equivalent education) and experience in management, entrepreneurship

or consulting and on their availability to:

- Recruit and train another mentor (each of them is in charge of training)

- Participate to the training programme in Milan

- Sign and abide to the Mentorship code of conduct (see Appendix)

- Devote reasonable time and attention to the mentee (a couple of times per month that may be

reduced later to once per month)

- Respond to the questionnaires and provide feedback to the programme committee

Teaching material was provided in digital and print and uploaded on the Smartup platform. A follow-up

webconference was scheduled within 90 days from the completion of the programme, though it did not

happen because there was no mentorship activity in that period.



PLANNED TEACHING CONTENT AND PEDAGOGY

Session 1:

- Introduction to the SmartUp project, the Master programme and the mentorship training

- Introduction of participants and introduction to the role, experience and competences of mentors

included the limits of their work and the need to integrate it with other services (trainers,

incubators, advisors etc.)

- Presentation of the programme platform and tools (if ready)1

Session 2:

- Entrepreneurship, startups and entrepreneurs: main theories on what they need internally and

externally (business models, resources and business environment)

Session 3:

- Lean startup and Lean canvas models with practical applications and discussions of the most

common causes of failure

Session 4:

- The entrepreneurial mindset, leadership and team frameworks (Leadership Capability and

Belbin) with the application of tests - the Disciplined Entrepreneurship approach may be

included2.

Session 5: Team-based activity (case analysis)

Session 6:

- The soft skills of mentorship (and how to continuously improve them): listening, giving feedback,

nudging/inspiring.

- Helping mentees to develop their pitch

- The pitfalls of mentoring and how to avoid them

Pedagogy: lectures, discussions, readings, role play3, reflections, all in an informal and interactive setting

1 The e-learning platform and other digital learning tools were still finalised at the time of the mentoring course, and therefore were not presented during the course. 2 The disciplined entrepreneurship approach was not introduced because the Lean Startup and the Lean Canvas were enough given the purposes of the course and already well known among the mentors. 3 Role plays were in the end not used, because given the seniority of the mentors more space was given to discussions and experience sharing.



EVALUATION AND DELIVERABLES

Final evaluation: a certificate of participation signed by the project manager and the main instructor will be

awarded upon successful completion of the training and positive execution of the mentor role.

Deliverables:

this document

Code of conduct

Slides for the participants

INSTRUCTOR, TESTIMONIALS AND COMPANY VISITS4

Instructor: Michele Coletti, PhD, MBA, MSc, former entrepreneur and consultant, professor of Innovation at

the Grenoble Ecole de Management, where he coordinates the MBA specialisation in Management Consulting.

In the past, he designed and managed the APCO (Italian Association of Management Consultants)

international mentorship programme.

Testimonial: Francesco Mantegazzini, former journalist, serial entrepreneur, startup mentor, business angel,

has founded and organised the Expo of Startups and invested in a number of companies ranging from fashion

and design to IT and new technologies.

Testimonial: Alberto Fioravanti. He co-founded Digital Magics S.P.A. in 2004 and served as its Venture Partner

and Chief Information Officer. He serves as its Chief Technology Officer. He co-founded Inferentia in 1988

and served as its Chief Technology Officer. Mr. Fioravanti served as the Chief Executive Officer of e.Fluxa, a

company part of Inferentia group specializing in IT Outsourcing Services. Mr. Fioravanti is an expert in digital

new technologies and Internet based innovative services and is involved in research and academic training.

He serves as an Executive Director and Executive Chairman of The Board of Digital Magics S.P.A.

Visit: Talent Garden Calabiana. Founded in Brescia, Italy, in 2011, Talent Garden is Europe’s leading

innovation platform and coworking network for digital innovation. Spanning almost 8,500 square meters,

Talent Garden Calabiana is, as of today, the largest campus of the Talent Garden network. Located in the Porta

Romana district in Milan, right next door to Fondazione Prada, its building used to be a printing press factory

at the beginning of last century. It now hosts innovative coworking spaces, the Innovation School, Talent

Garden’s digital educational branch, geared towards both post-graduates and corporate training, the TAG

Café, a contemporary bar and bistro, as well as welcoming hundreds of events every year. The campus hosts

more than 450 coworkers daily and is a member of the Google for Entrepreneurs’ network.

4 Whereas the instructor and the testimonials provided their contribution at the premises of the University of Milano – Bicocca, the company visits involved the transfer of participants to the company’s premises.



Visit: Pirelli HangarBicocca. Pirelli HangarBicocca is a non-profit foundation, established in 2004, which has

converted a former industrial plant in Milan into an institution for producing and promoting contemporary

art. This dynamic center for experimentation and discovery covers 15,000 square meters, making it one of the

largest contiguous exhibition spaces in Europe. It presents major solo shows every year by Italian and

international artists, with each project conceived to work in close relation to the architecture of the complex,

and explored in depth through a calendar of parallel events. The complex, which once housed a locomotive

factory, includes an area for public services and educational activities, and three exhibition spaces. As well as

its exhibitions program and cultural events, Pirelli HangarBicocca also permanently houses one of Anselm

Kiefer’s most important site-specific works, The Seven Heavenly Palaces 2004-2015. This is a generator and

catalyst of ideas for artists and creative people.

ACTUALLY DELIVERED CONTENT

The delivered content was along the planned one, but given the fact that some of the mentors could not be

fully committed to the course because of the many professional duties they had to attend also during that

week, we needed to adjust it to their needs. Moreover, their vast experience made some of the proposed pieces

of theory redundant.

These were the arguments covered in class:

1. Introduction to the SmartUp project, the Master programme and the mentorship training: we had the

chance that Prof. Elisabetta Marafioti and Prof. Benedetta Trivellato were available to introduce the project

and explain how the master programme would work

2. Entrepreneurs and startups: the business and human side: this session leveraged on mentors' professional

experiences and it was very effective to exchange ideas and know-how

3. Assessing new product and service ideas: a range of methods issued from business and entrepreneurship

literature were presents, identifying strengths and weaknesses

4. Design Thinking: the design thinking approach was explained and practiced with participants because of

its user-centered nature. The main assumption here is that good ideas for startuppers are those that

understand customer needs and have a relevant value proposition

5. The soft skills of mentorship: listening, giving feedback, inspiring. This session was a wrap-up of the week

and introduced the code of conduct while discussing some of the issues mentors may face when dealing with

mentees.

The training course was completed by the signature of the Code of Conduct and the delivery of the Certificate

of participation.

MENTORS PARTICIPATING TO THE TRAINING AND SHORT BIOS (IN ALPHABETICAL ORDER):

Catalin Clement (Romania): Catalin is the Chief Commercial Officer for Direct One Group of companies

(Direct One, Netcity Telecom and Direct One New Media) since 2008. The group has developed activities in

telecommunication infrastructure services, long distance and metropolitan



optical fiber networks. Previously, Catalin was the Product Manager for Fixed Data products and Professional

Services portfolio at Vodafone Romania. He developed the fixed data and managed services portfolio along

with the associated communication, pricing and sales strategy. He also held various other roles in Vodafone’s

technical departments in the presales and IP network areas.

Matthew Caruana (Malta): Passionate, results-driven, product manager with significant work experience and

a successful track record of data analysis and e-commerce projects/products. He has experience as an analyst,

advisor, project manager and product manager of major e-business systems at Konetic, Careerpassport,

KONNEKT, and PwC and he currently manages a start-up operation running a crowdfunding platform.

Academically, he held an MSc E-commerce (Distinction) from Kingston University where he was awarded the

prize for best student. He wants to help startups (profit and non-profit) get funding and to create brand

awareness.

Roberto Cuppellaro (Italy): Accomplished business professional and Non Executive Director with proven

history guiding international and national operations to profitability. Results-oriented, decisive leader;

capable of identifying/implementing organizational improvement initiatives with comprehensive strategic

plans. Proficient in cultivating lasting relationships with clients, executives, suppliers, Boards of Directors,

union officials, and team members. Excellent communication, negotiation, and problem-solving skills; critical

change agent and skilled team leader, adept at fostering winning, growth-driven business atmosphere.

Engineer and MBA SDA Bocconi.

Anna De Robertis (Italy): Marketing Manager and Strategy consultant, she has had responsibility roles in

strategic marketing and communication in primary banks, in multinational companies in ICT as well in

consulting activities. MBA at MIP, Business School of Politecnico of Milano. Marketing and Communication

strategies in the Digital Era.

Elsa Ferreira Nunes (Portugal): Elsa is Managing Partner at IrRADIARE where she also works as a project

manager. At IrRADIARE, Elsa has been in charge of several projects in diversified fields such as creative

industries, social innovation, green and innovative procurement, among others. Her main interests are related

to communication, social media, management and education. Elsa has also worked at the Portuguese institute

that supports SME (IAPMEI) where she was in charge in two different programmes, related to young

entrepreneurship.

Ivan Nevkov (Bulgaria): Bachelor of Public Administration (BPA). Entrepreneur since 2003. Manager (and

owner) of 5 limited companies in 2017: Stagasoft, Rila Info Cluster, Bodeo, Infologistics, K&G Solutions.

Chairman of Regional Business Incubator Rila and Centre for Social Services. Project manager in 7 EU funded

projects. Interested in virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI), videoconferencing, cryptocurrencies, mining rig

hardware, web development, and other IT-related issues

Svetoslav Novkov (Bulgaria): Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Industrial Engineering and Management.

Business consultant for over a decade. Manager/ expert in more than 15 EU funded projects. Cluster manager

and incubation expert. Presenter at more than 15 international conferences,



and author of more than 15 scientific publications. Inventor of 5 utility models. Interested in Innovation &

Design Management, Smart Cities, Sustainable Development, Business Incubation, Business Clustering,

Marketing Management, Industrial and Production Engineering and Management, and IT business ventures.

Ovidiu Paraschivescu (Romania): With a technology educational background and 14+ years of experience in

telecom industry, Ovidiu is currently launching his own software start-up imagined as a hub between clients

with and especially without local technical background (NGOs, International companies entering the local

market, etc) and the vast field of solutions and providers of mobile services, applications, payment and

product management. He's designing consultancy on product strategy and identify the simplest software

solutions in today's busy and complex landscape of opportunities, a field not yet present in the Romanian

market.

Carlos Resende (Portugal): Funding Sources & Strategies for Business, Startups, Projects and and Social

Enterprises. We help found, fund, and/or personally invested and Consulting in go-to-market strategy,

innovation and marketing. Bringing Investors and Entrepreneurs, together. We connect great businesses and

ideas with people who can help them to be more efficient and lucrative. Crowdfunding enthusiast. Strong

believer that is a powerful tool that helps validate what kind of products people would want to have; to help

startups (profit and non-profit) get funding and to create brand awareness.

Lucio Valdata (Italy): Wide marketing experience in Multinational Companies operating in the Fast Moving

Consumer Goods and Semi-Durable Goods with growing responsibility at international level. Consultant of

management control and marketing. Teacher of marketing and organization. Working in competitive, goal

oriented sectors has strengthen my attitude to implement successful marketing plans, both in mature and in

growing markets. MBA at SDA Bocconi (Italy)

LIST OF SELF-TAUGHT MENTORS

(further info on each of them is available on the Smartup website at the following link:

https://www.smartupeurope.eu/smartup-ambassadors/

• Isabelle Bernard

• Rita Bonucchi

• Lilya Georgieva

• Paula Peirò Garcia

• Tony Romani

• Stoyan Yotov

SUGGESTED BIBLIOGRAPHY

Kay, David (2002) A practical guide to mentoring. How To Books. Oxford.



Maurya, Ash (2016) Scaling Lean: Mastering the Key Metrics for Startup Growth. Portfolio.

MIT Sloan Learning Edge free resources for educators

Ries, Eric (2011) The Lean Startup: How Today’s Entrepreneurs Use Continuous Innovation to Create

Radically Successful Businesses. New York: Crown Business, 2011.

Silberman M. (2001) The Consultant's Toolkit, McGrawHill.

Timmons & Spinelli (2007) New venture Creation, 7th ed., McGrawHill.

Vukotich, George (2016) Mentoring Startups: Getting the most out of mentoring in a startup environment.

Kindle Edition

OUTCOME AND LESSONS LEARNT

This section has been written building on the experience of the author(s), their observation of the facts here

described and analysed and their conversations with the mentors.

Recruitment

Both RQ and the European Crowdfunding Network (ECN) presented a good number of candidates, all of

acceptable level. Through the screening of their CV and individual interviews, it was possible to assess their

motivation and select the most suitable. Teracomm send two good CVs that were accepted. IrRadiare and

Stagasoft brought internal people already involved in the project. However, all the participants had the

seniority and competence to fulfil the role, though some of them may not be able to engage in actual

mentorship activities because of their increased work commitments.

The second bunch of mentors has been selected with a less structured process, though this does not imply a

lesser quality, on the contrary in some cases, the lack of obligation to attend the training was a winning factor

to attract talent.

It must be said that the mentors were selected without knowing the projects that students were willing ti

pursue. Therefore, the criterion adopted was to cover a wide range of industries to ensure diversity and the

possibility to respond to students requests. Some of the mentors seemed to be looking for new professional

opportunities and though the course has possibly been useful for them to reflect upon potential business

options, in the short term their ability to deliver good advice to mentees could be limited.

Scheduling

For project planning reasons (training scheduled before the start of the master), there was no interaction

between mentors and potential mentees and knowing how much mentorship-mentee relationships are based

on personal interaction, this is a critical issue. Moreover, it was difficult to find dates that do not conflict with

other engagements for each of the mentors.

It is clearly challenging for accomplished professionals to find a week for unpaid training on a voluntary job.

Therefore, there is a risk of selecting all those that are relatively free in that period and then they may be much

busier when the actual mentorship activities happen.

Training



The support given by University of Milan Bicocca was excellent and the logistics flawless.

The course content was meant to cover all the essentials of an entrepreneurship programme, and while this

was positive to amalgamate the group (but also the highlight the different backgrounds of the mentors) it was

also time-consuming.

At the time of the training (and for several months afterward), most tools and webinars that could have been

useful to the mentors were not yet ready. Therefore, we lost the opportunity to test and validate them.

However, the training went well, with a real learning experience and a creation of a nice teaching environment,

and above all, a common vision and approach between the mentors

Unfortunately there was little or no relation between the residentially trained mentors and the other ones, in

other words, the idea that mentors would train other mentors didn't work, though little was done or none was

done to put the ones in touch with the others.

Moreover, there is little control on how much the self-taught ones actually used the learning resources of the

project, especially given the lack of inputs n what they had actually to do.

Conclusions

The residential programme was a good opportunity to test content and format and we believe it was a well

organised and useful course, however, a week of face-to-face training for a role that is not paid may put off

potential mentors. Also those that were present had to attend other activities and could not give their full

attention to the courses.

This is not a big issue because of the competences of the participants, but it must be said that during the course

could test mainly their competences on entrepreneurship rather than their ability to create a bond with the

mentees and actually mentor them.

The investment on recruiting and training was substantial, but at the moment of writing (July 2018), there is

little evidence that it was necessary both because mentoring has yet to happen and that we don't know whether

it will work thanks to the preparatory activities. For this reason, an assessment at a later stage is advisable.

Recommendations

An effective recruitment campaign may need to screen candidate mentors not only on their professional

experience and willingness to mentor, but also on knowledge of entrepreneurship theories. This can be easily

done with a test or an essay to allow not only a more accurate selection process of mentors, but also a training

more focused on the mentorship process.

A key element of a mentorship programme is to allow mentors to meet and discuss with mentees, in order to

make the best matching emerge and create bonds of trust that will be useful during the mentorship process.

This was not possible in our case, therefore a suitable schedule that allows mentors and mentees to meet

should be put in place, otherwise the risk of "cold" interactions will be very high.

If webinars are an effective way to transfer content as the Smartup project has showed, they can be good also

to train mentors ot at least to pass them the standard knowledge that they need about entrepreneurship. The

training sessions that have been recorded during the mentorship training could be edited to become a webinar.

Attendance of this webinar could be an obligation for new mentors candidates and those that pass this stage



could then go to the most relevant campus to meet students and faculty. In person-training could be focused

on the interpersonal skills needed for mentoring and customised according to the local culture of the campus.

With such an organization, only the most committed and capable mentor candidates would be actually

involved in mentoring, and their time (but also the time of faculty and students) would be spent more

efficiently. Moreover, all mentors would get the same training and resources.

More generally, given the efforts invested in the current mentors, it is advisable to keep them and leverage

their expertise and their availability as much as possible, also for the next intakes. They would learn more

about the programme, the platform and the resources available. Inviting them to key events, they would start

to know some of the faculty members and be involved in successful cases that could be shared afterwards.

They could also use their network to improve the chances of success not only of their direct mentees but of all

the students. This would allow also their growth in this role and the development of a stronger and attractive

mentor community. As a first step, it is recommended to invite them to join the Smartup master social media

platforms (if existing and active).



APPENDIX 1. CODE OF CONDUCT FOR MENTORS AND MENTEES

General Information and Benefits for Participants

Through the Smartup mentoring scheme, we establish strong links between expert business people and aspiring

entrepreneurs. Participating mentors advise students on improving their skills on a one-to-one basis to support

students' career or project goals.

The present Codes of Conduct govern the behavior of a Mentor and a Mentee during the course of their mentorship.

They include Code of Conduct for Mentors and the Code of Conduct for Mentees.

The primary purpose of the Smartup mentorship programme is for a Mentor to help Mentees to achieve business

success. Since the academic and professional life of the Mentee cannot be isolated from her personal life, the

mentorship will possibly address personal issues as well as academic and professional issues.

Benefits to Mentors:

raise your professional and company profile among Smartup students, business partners and faculty

and become part of a community of likeminded mentors

have early access to good ideas and the strong candidates to implement thep

develop skills in leadership, management and communication.

Benefits to Mentees:

discuss personal and professional issues with businesspeople with vast experience in a structured and

protected environment

when possible leverage on their knowledge and network in order to increase the speed of development

of the business idea

develop skills in communication and time management

Guiding Principle for Mentors

The Mentor shall always strive to act in the best interests of the Mentee. In practice, any course of action will

usually present specific advantages and specific disadvantages, and the optimum course of action will often not be

clearly defined. Under no circumstances, however, shall the Mentor further other interests by intentionally

advising the Mentee to follow a course of action that is clearly detrimental to the best interests of the Mentee.

Guiding Principle for Mentees

The Mentee is ultimately responsible for the Mentee’s own actions. The Mentor provides guidance for pursuing a

specific course of action. This guidance will be based on the Mentor’s specific knowledge, experience and

preferences. In practice, any course of action will usually present specific advantages and specific disadvantages,

and the optimum course of action will often not be clearly defined. The responsibility for choosing a specific course

of action belongs to the Mentee, not to the Mentor.

Code of Conduct for Mentors



As a participating Mentor in the Smartup Program, I agree to abide by the present Code of Conduct. I agree that if

I violate any rule of the Code of Conduct for Mentors, the Programme Direction may suspend or terminate my

participation as a Mentor.

I agree to participate to the mentor training and to respond to surveys and interviews required by the Programme

Direction.

I shall not disclose to any third party any personal details of my communications with my Mentee without prior

permission of my Mentee, unless she violates the Code of Conduct for Mentees. In that case I shall report the

violations to the Programme Direction.

I shall be available for a minimum of two hours a month to communicate via any media with my Mentee. If I will

be temporarily unavailable, I will inform the Mentee in advance. If I feel that I cannot commit sufficient time to

fulfill the Mentee’s needs, I will notify the Programme Direction so that they can try to match the Mentee with

another Mentor.

In my communications with my Mentee, I shall not use offensive language, or transmit offensive images. If my

Mentee expresses unwillingness, reluctance, or discomfort in discussing any topic that I have raised, I shall

promptly cease pursuing that topic. I shall not pursue a romantic or sexual relationship with my Mentee.If my

Mentee does not wish to meet in person, I shall not insist on a meeting.

I shall provide advice only on topics in which I have knowledge. I shall not provide medical, mental-health, or legal

advice to my Mentee. In those cases, I will advise the Mentee to seek the assistance of another qualified

professional.

I shall not charge my Mentee any fees during the period of our mentorship.>

I shall not pursue a business relationship with my Mentee in which my Mentee derives no benefit from the business

relationship. I can offer an internship to a Mentee only if it is paid or if it provides valuable experience or new

skills.



Code of Conduct for Mentees

As a participating Mentee in the Smartup Programme, I agree to abide by the Code of Conduct for Mentees. I agree

that if I violate of any rule of this code, the Programme Direction may suspend or terminate my participation as a

Mentee.

Except if my Mentor violates the Code of Conduct for Mentors, I shall not disclose to any third party any personal

details of my communications with my Mentor without her prior permission. I shall report the code violations to

the Programme Direction.

I shall be available for a minimum of two hours per month to communicate with my Mentor. If I will be temporarily

unavailable for a short period, I will notify my Mentor in advance.

In my communications with my Mentor, I shall not use offensive language or transmit offensive images. If my

Mentor expresses unwillingness, reluctance, or discomfort in discussing any topic that I have raised, I shall

promptly cease pursuing that topic. If my Mentor does not wish to meet in person, I shall not insist on a meeting. I

shall not pursue a romantic or sexual relationship with my Mentor.

I shall not seek medical, mental-health, or legal advice from my Mentor. I shall not ask my Mentor for money. I

shall not expect my Mentor to find me a job.

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