What is the MSU Catalyst Mentor Program?

MSU Catalyst Mentor program pairs innovators and aspiring entrepreneurs with teams of experienced mentors who provide practical, day-to-day advice and coaching. Mentors are chosen for their expertise, advisory skills, and commitment to giving back, representing diverse industries and roles—founders, executives, and specialists in finance, law, marketing, product development, and more. They bring broad networks and make a sustained time commitment.

All mentors follow a strict code of ethics, sign a Statement of Principles to prevent conflicts of interest, and agree to confidentiality via a non-disclosure agreement. They may not solicit or invest in ventures they mentor.

Mentor-mentee relationships are formed based on the mentee’s needs and may evolve over time. Mentors advise, but mentees do the work.

Once a mentor has joined our community, they receive weekly/monthly emails that include

  • Descriptions of businesses and entrepreneurs looking for mentors
  • Opportunities to be a guest lecturer in a MSU class
  • Opportunities to engage with the MSU community as a judge or coach for an entrepreneurial competition

The time commitment for being a mentor varies based on the projects you choose to mentor.

 

Apply to be a Mentor

 

 

Who can participate as a mentee?

Eligible innovators must have a connection to MSU. They may be:

  • Students (graduate or undergraduate)
  • Faculty
  • Alumni
  • Employees
  • Startup Incubator Members

 

Apply to be a Mentee

 

 

Why a collective mentoring structure?

Mentoring has been widely recognized as a key factor in skills development, psychosocial support, and career advancement (Montgomery, 2017). Research shows that limited access to networks contributes to lower engagement and reduced success among academic innovators (Rosser, 2009; Owen-Smith & Powell, 2001). This program aims to address that gap by using mentoring to expand participants’ networks and accelerate their path to success through structured engagement opportunities.

Mentoring networks that include peer and group mentoring yield the greatest impact (Higgins & Kram, 2001; Rockquemore, 2013; Sorcinelli & Yun, 2007; Sorcinelli & Yun, 2009)—a model that has also proven effective in startup accelerators (Hallen & Cohen, 2020). Accordingly, the program will connect each mentee with multiple mentors and rely on those mentors to contribute their own networks and resources. The overarching goal is to support participants holistically, including their intersecting identities and professional aspirations.