After a crazy mentors and student teams meetup at the Startup Speed Dating Night event, there were some mentors out of the original 60 still left at the venue and ready to give feedback about what had just taken place.I managed to talk to 3 mentors: Jaanus Sakkis, Vanessa and a 'secret mentor', and ask them about how they liked the event and what kind of problems and ideas caught their attention the most.
Jaanus Sakkis
Feks Design, disainer
How did You like the SSDN?
J: “The event was very nice and a lot of fun. It was great to see young people working on their ideas in order to come up with some results.”
What kind of mentoring did the student teams need?
J: “I think they need to have guidance on how to execute their ideas. Most of them have no strong overview of how production process should look and how much it is actually going to cost them. Some teams tested the idea with no existing prototype. I would suggest to them to engage more user interaction into the development process. Also, I would propose to them to be more openminded about their ideas and use mentors' feedback for activating new potential business opportunities for resolving the problems.”
From those teams who turned to you ,what kind of ideas held the most of your interest?
J: “I liked the idea of combining textiles with solar panels. If they could execute the system, it might be something good. “
Vanessa
Works in the IT sector, also is a teacher
How did You like the SSDN?
V:” I am grateful for these kind of events. Today I noticed students who had been working with their ideas a bit longer than a few months because you could give them advice on a higher level and in a more constructive way.”
What kind of mentoring did the student teams need?
V: “The most problematic field was defining their business model. Investors often ask about where the revenue will come from. That part was hard to understand, especially when the team was made up of students at the BA level. In some team’s there was a lack of competences such as knowledge of IT or business development. But these competences could be formed by the support of the startup ecosystem; also there is a STARTERcreative business development program. “
From those teams who turned to you what kind of idea held the most of your interest?
V:” I liked the RunMe application which was developed by 2 Turkish guys who study at TTÜ. Their application allows people to find friends with similar sports interests and to compete with them. The technical aspect was not finalized yet and they were missing a team member with a business vision. They could really make good use of some team member finding event because you may not always find the right person in your circle of family or friends. “
An interview with a 'secret mentor'
How did You like the SSDN?
"It was my 4th time here. Every time I get to meet very different teams, which is very cool. I managed to mentor about 5-6 teams during the course of the evening. A lot of teams couldn't reach me because the matchmaking process is quite random. The bell imposes some kind of queueing system, but people get carried away and keep talking further anyway, including me:). I would not say what kind of format would fit better, as this controlled chaos kind of works here. I would suggest that teams who really want to get help from a specific mentor should do some homework about the mentors and book a meeting before the event. "
From those teams who turned to you what kind of idea held the most of your interest?
"I liked the solar powered outdoor jacket idea. That was cool. But team-wise, I think it was GreenFuel, who had a chemist, engineer and business developer in their team. They seemed very mature and strong. Also, they are applying for a Governmental grant."
Kelli Turmann
Supervisor of EKA student teams
4th of April, 2018