OVERVIEW
Students and faculty from all disciplines at UT Dallas have ideas. The Institute serves to support and nurture those ideas as part of many educational and innovation experiences. For the students, this enhances their experience with outside mentoring, relationships, and perspectives. For mentors, this participation creates more successful innovators and innovations, exposure to capable students, and is personally rewarding and compelling. Faculty also benefits from this support as they work to commercialize technology and advance business concepts.
Roles
- Mentor – Commit time to mentor a team during one of the Institutes courses or programs
- Guest Lecturer – Provide a 30-60 minutes topical lecture based upon your expertise
- Service Provider – Commit free or discounted services to a UT Dallas startup team
- Sponsor – Commit financial support of an Institute program or UT Dallas startup team
Approach
- Advice is free – no strings attached; Institute facilitated matching of student and advisor
- Educational focus – guidance, not direction; expectation for both advisor and advisee
- Guard against possible conflicts of interest; confidentiality in keeping students’ best interest(s)
Expectations
- Institute coordinated, mutual engagement schedule during a semester or other defined and agreed period
- Weekly communication, perhaps 1-2 hours a week, or as appropriate
- Attend occasional review/class meetings, as available
Criteria
- Expertise in a functional or industry setting
- Experience and/or current position reflects a background working with start-up companies, building businesses, investing in startup ventures, or been an entrepreneur themselves
- Agree to confidentiality or administrative process in the event, required by UT Dallas
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