01
Tell us your stage
Share where you are — idea, MVP, early revenue, scaling, or established — and what the next year is supposed to look like. Quick intake.
§ Pillar 03 · Talent · Founder mentorship · In Design
A hand from those who came before.
The mentorship program is in the design phase. We’re shaping a way to pair first-time Itsekiri founders with proven operators — cadence, term length, and matching workflow still being finalized. Zero cost to member founders is the design intent.
DesignPhase
0Active mentors
FormingCharter mentors
TBDFirst cycle
§ 01 · Proposed pairing flow
Stage. Match. Meet.
Workflow · in design
02
Committee match
A Talent committee will pair you with an Itsekiri operator by industry, stage, and Region. Committee composition and matching cadence are being finalized.
03
Meet on a cadence
Term length and meeting cadence are being designed with charter mentors. The intent is regular sessions across a full cycle, with outcome reviews along the way.
§ 02 · Mentor focus tracks
Six tracks. One operator each.
Where do you fit?
Tech & Startup
Software, platform, SaaS, fintech, healthtech founders — operators who've raised, launched, and shipped at U.S. tech companies.
Retail & E-commerce
Brick-and-mortar retail, Shopify and Amazon merchants, fashion lines, beauty brands, consumer-goods founders.
Restaurant & Hospitality
Restaurateurs, food trucks, catering, lounges, hospitality operators — diaspora food entrepreneurs serving Itsekiri and Pan-African cuisine.
Real Estate
Multi-family, commercial, short-term rental, brokerage, developer operators across U.S. metros and Lagos/Warri property markets.
Healthcare & Clinical
Physicians and allied-health professionals running practices, pharmacies, home-health agencies, telehealth platforms, or surgical centers.
Professional Services
Attorneys, CPAs, financial advisors, consultants, agency principals — operators of services firms in the U.S. and Nigeria.
§ 03 · Founder stages
Where are you in the journey?
Mentorship adapts to your stage
You have a thesis.
No revenue yet. You're testing the problem, talking to potential customers, and trying to decide whether to commit. Mentorship focus: validation, market sizing, founder-fit.
Something is live.
First product or pilot is in the wild. You're learning what works, hiring your first contractor, and figuring out pricing. Mentorship focus: positioning, first hires, early-stage capital options.
Money is moving.
Customers are paying. You're past the MVP and into the messy middle — repeatability, channel choice, when to hire, when to wait. Mentorship focus: unit economics, GTM, founder mental health.
Growth is the question.
$1M+ in revenue and choosing what to break next. Hiring leaders, deciding on geographic expansion, talking to capital. Mentorship focus: org design, capital strategy, exit thinking.
§ 04 · Code of conduct
Both sides sign the same covenant.
Mentor + founder commitments
§ Mentor commitments
As a mentor, I will:
- Show up on time, prepared, with your camera on.
- Hold what's shared in confidence — no founder details to other operators or third parties.
- Be candid about what you don't know; refer the founder to someone who does.
- Keep no equity, no fees, no quid-pro-quo expectations from the engagement.
- Log your hours in the Talent registry so the program can audit impact and you can claim pro-bono volunteer hours.
§ Founder commitments
As a founder, I will:
- Show up to every scheduled session — or reschedule with at least 24 hours notice.
- Bring a written agenda — three things you want to discuss, in priority order.
- Tell the truth about your numbers and your team; mentorship without honesty is just performance.
- Do the homework between sessions; mentorship is not a substitute for the work.
- Pay it forward — if you reach Stage 04, return as a mentor for the next cohort.
§ 05 · Charter mentors
Charter mentors forming.
No mentors enrolled yet
No mentors enrolled yet.
The mentor roster will appear here as charter mentors enroll and the Talent committee onboards them. If you’re an Itsekiri operator who wants to mentor, express interest below.
§ 06 · Two ways in
Find a mentor. Be a mentor.
Founders + operators · express interest
§ Founders · request a mentor
Tell us what you're building.
Quick intake. Pick your stage, industry, and the one thing you’d like to solve. We’ll be in touch as charter mentors onboard.
- Free for Region member founders (planned)
- Term length and cadence TBD
- Rematch policy in design
- Pitch-night intros with the Investment Club (planned)
§ Operators · volunteer as a mentor
Share the path you carved.
Charter mentors are forming now. We’re sketching onboarding, scheduling, and rematch policy with the first cohort. Bring the conversations you wish someone had started with you.
- Mentor onboarding (in design)
- Pro-bono documentation for tax purposes
- Seat on the Pillar 03 Talent committee (planned)
- Convention 2026 mentor delegate invite
§ 07 · Connected programs
Mentorship doesn’t stand alone. Pillar 03 builds together.
All in design
Designing
Business Network · Directory
Itsekiri-owned businesses in the U.S. and Nigeria — searchable, member-discounted.
Open program →DesigningBuy Itsekiri
Drive diaspora-to-Delta commerce — Itsekiri-made goods sold across Region marketplaces.
Open program →DesigningInvestment Club
Member-funded cooperative pooling diaspora capital toward Niger Delta ventures and U.S. real estate. Convention 2026 launch.
Open program →DesigningIwere Academy · Founder Coach track
12-week founder cohorts inside the Academy — for members earlier than the mentorship pairing program.
Open program →§ 08 · Frequently asked
What you’re likely about to ask.
Cost · cadence · confidentiality · cohort
How much does mentorship cost the founder?
Free for Region members in good standing. The program design intent is zero cost to the mentee — funded by donor support and mentor pro-bono hours.
How long is a mentorship cycle?
TBD — being designed with charter mentors. Working assumption: a 6-month default cycle with monthly hour-long sessions, with the option to renew for another cycle if both sides choose.
What if my mentor and I aren't a fit?
A no-fault rematch policy is being drafted into the program. Either side can request a rematch through the Talent committee — no awkward conversations required.
Do mentors get paid or take equity?
No. Charter mentors volunteer pro-bono. The program logs hours so mentors can claim them as charitable volunteer hours and get an INC-USA volunteer letter at year-end. No equity is taken in any founder business by the program.
Is this only for U.S.-based founders?
Initial design priority is INC-USA Region members in the U.S. Once the program is running, we plan to extend to Itsekiri founders in Nigeria, the UK, and Canada — coordinated with the Investment Club and Region partners.
Will it be confidential?
Yes. Mentor and founder both sign a brief confidentiality acknowledgment at intake. Aggregate program data (count of pairings, hours logged, satisfaction scores) is reported publicly; individual founder/mentor details are not.
Can I work with multiple mentors?
Default is one primary mentor per founder. Pitch-night intros and topical office hours (planned with the Investment Club and Region committees) will give founders broader exposure beyond their primary.
When does the first cohort open?
Charter mentors are forming through the months ahead of Convention 2026. The first founder cohort is targeted to open immediately after Convention 2026 — exact dates published as the design firms up.
§ 09 · Roadmap to Convention 2026
Charter through cohort, phase by phase.
May 2026 · → · Sept 2026 · → · Q4 2026
Itsekiri operators express interest. Talent committee reviews, onboards, and confirms charter cohort.
In progressCadence, term length, rematch policy, intake form, and registry signed off by the Pillar 03 Talent committee.
Program publicly unveiled at INC-USA Convention 2026 in the SF Bay Area. Charter mentors recognized; founder applications open.
Talent committee pairs the first founder cohort with charter mentors. Cycle begins. Public hour-count reporting starts.
§ Mentorship · in design
Help us design the pairing program.
No mentors enrolled yet. Cadence, term length, and matching workflow are still being shaped. Express interest as a founder or as an operator and we’ll be in touch.