Timeline for Applicants (Spring 2022 Cohort)

  • Ongoing: Social Entrepreneurs considering applying for an upcoming cohort should let us know you intend to participate via this form.
  • Until January 24th, 2022: Social Entrepreneurs who are interested in learning more about, or working with the Mentor Capital Network in 2022 can schedule a 30 minute zoom call with executive director Ian Fisk via calendly.com/ian-fisk.
  • January 31th: Applicants should submit a business plan to the Mentor Capital Network on or before this date via email to network@mentorcapitalnet.org. While the most important thing is that you send us a plan that you’ll actually use for yourself, this page covers what your plan should include. 
  • February 14th: Semi-finalists for the 2022 Spring Cohort will be announced.
  • February 15th – March 4th: Semi-finalists will be interviewed by members of the MCN community to identify if their participation in our 2022 Spring Cohort will be mutually beneficial to the companies and the MCN community.
  • March 9th: 2022 Spring acceptances are announced.
  • March 14th: Business plans are distributed to reviewers, clarification calls begin to be scheduled, and other formal programming begins.

What We Offer

  • Detailed and constructive feedback on your business plan from a team of 10-15 individuals who have been carefully curated to provide a diversity of experience in addressing the challenges you are facing. 
  • Connections to mentors where you choose each other. We carefully curate teams who provide written and video-call feedback on your ideas. Then you decide who you want to be your mentor, based on how useful you found their feedback.
  • Opportunities to connect with leaders who are addressing the same challenges that you are.
  • We do NOT offer funding.

Who Should Apply and what the program entails

  • Entrepreneurs who have a significant role in building a for-profit company that has built your social and/or environmental values into how the business makes money. If you’re just diverting a portion to charity, that doesn’t count. We’re looking for companies that integrate their values into their operations.
  • Entrepreneurs who are open to feedback on your business model. Most of our applicants tend to be at the prototype / seeking their first professional investment stage, we can work with earlier and later stage companies as long as you are open to feedback on your business model.
  • Entrepreneurs who can commit to the following actions if selected for our program:
    • 4 phone/video calls – 2 with MCN team, 2 with prospective mentors. (A partial list of our mentors is here.)
    • Submitting a business plan in English, Spanish, or French. (At least one member of your team must be able to exchange emails with the MCN team in English.)
    • Reviewing the 20-30 pages of feedback we provide on your plan
    • Following up with all of your reviewers — either with a simple thank you for their time, or to begin a mentoring relationship with those you found particularly helpful.

What Happens If you are Accepted

  • If accepted, plans are distributed to teams of reviewers who are carefully curated to have different perspectives from which they provide constructive comments. We specialize in reviewers who have or are addressing similar challenges, but are not competing for the same customers.
  • During the review period, we schedule at least two clarification calls to give your reviewers a chance to engage with you directly.
  • After the review period, you get the feedback (an average of 20-30 pages total), and we work with you to identify the mentors who are a best fit for you. The main goal of our program is to create situations where the entrepreneurs and the mentors chose each other.

Our Results (The 32% Difference)

Companies that we work with, as opposed to companies we almost worked with (that were qualified, and we would have worked with if not for space, timing, etc.) are 32% more likely to be in business when compared year-by-year. Read what our alumni have to say about the program.

MCN alumni are addressing some of the most important challenges in the world, such as: