MCN Update: 15 December 2015

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312 applied from around the world. 38 were invited.

MCN is proud to announce our 2016 Spring Cohort consisting of 38 companies. We are excited to work with entrepreneurs from Syria, Afghanistan, DC, and all over the world. 

Applications still open for companies in the greater Washington, DC area!

The MCN is honored to continue our work supporting local social enterprises in partnership with Bethesda Green. The application deadline for this program is January 4th, 2016. 

Companies that are accepted into this program will receive all the benefits of our usual business plan collaboration program, as well as a series of trainings and networking events designed to prepare you for investment. Top companies will be given the chance to pitch to local investors.

Bethesda Green, a nonprofit sustainability organization, has a business incubator that provides space and services to accelerate the growth of early stage companies. Bethesda Green’s partnership with MCN seeks to leverage the resources of MCN to support both its incubator companies as well as other social impact businesses in the DMV area, who are invited to become part of Bethesda Green’s regional business hub.

What kind of entrepreneurs should apply

  • You must be starting or growing a for-profit company that has an environmental mission.
  • You must be interested in working with mentors who can provide meaningful, actionable feedback on your business plan.
  • You must be interested in building a relationship with a mentor, not just having a quick one-time conversation.
  • You must be interested in building peer relationships and participating in education and finance-related programs.

Farewells and Hellos

Rachel Andersen, after a year and a half of supporting start-ups with the MCN has moved on to work directly with a start up in Austin, Texas, We thank her for her great work and wish her well in her future. She shared with us the following note:

“I am writing to say farewell to the Mentor Capital Network. I have accepted a new job and will be joining a talented team at a Financial Tech startup in Austin, Texas starting next month. It was such a pleasure and an incredible learning experience to work with our network of determined entrepreneurs and the passionate mentors who support them. It was always a dream of mine to work for a company like the ones I’ve been supporting this past year and a half. Even though I will miss my colleagues and MCN, I am very much looking forward to this next chapter of my career. Thank you for this wonderful experience, my job wouldn’t have existed without you all and the work you do.”

And as much as we’ll miss Rachel, we’re pleased to welcome Patty Simonton to the team. Patty brings with her years of experience working with social entrepreneurs and changemakers as the Director of Support at StartSomeGood (one of MCN’s past finalists), and will be supporting MCN in the areas of community-building with our alumni, fundraising, storytelling, and event planning.

“I’m thrilled to join the team at Mentor Capital Network and continue my service to the world’s best social entrepreneurs. I look forward to connecting with all of you to strengthen our community, and build on the increasingly diverse and expansive network of mentors, entrepreneurs, and investors that make MCN the special organization it is.”


Matching Grant – Approaching Deadline

Thanks to your generous support, we’ve raised 78% of the funds we need to raise by year’s end in order to meet our $10,000 matching grant. Let’s end the year with a bang! Please help us reach our goal today. 

Companies invited to our 2016 Spring Cohort