Congrats, 2020 Mentors and Advisors

If you are a Village member, a frequent visitor of Kula Coffee Co, or find yourself hanging out in the Village lobby, you probably have noticed the buzz in our Community Center each Friday morning.  What you are hearing are the conversations of highly esteemed, successful entrepreneurs and businessmen/women who have gifted their time to help our startups.  We refer to these amazing people as the Mentors and Advisors of the Village.

When a startup comes to the Village, we promise to provide them with the resources to give them every chance to succeed; one of those resources is our Mentor and Advisor Program. 70% of companies who are mentored last longer than 5 years.  Those are pretty good statistics in a world that gives you a 10% chance off the cuff.

So, without further adieu, I proudly announce the 2020 list of Village Mentors and Advisors.

Mentors

A highly curated group of accomplished men and women who have  incredible experience in the business and startup world. They have “been there, done that,” and are invested in the opportunity to help the next generation of entrepreneurs succeed. We consider it a long-term, authentic relationship that walks the startup journey alongside Founders in a blend of a personal and professional relationship.

Aaron Hurst
Alan W. Urech
Andrew Shannon
Andrew Steinberg
Angela Culver
Charlie Paparelli
Dave Payne
David Hardwick
Geoff Wilson
Gregory Morrison
Jacqui Chew
Katharine Mobley
Kelli Ertel
Kim Wilson
Mike Burke
Musaddeq Khan
Shila Nieves Burney
Steve Helsing
Tami McQueen

Advisors

A highly curated group of businessmen/women who are successful subject matter experts. They are sales wizards, senior developers, lawyers, accountants, SEO experts, marketing gurus, and VCs who are committed to offering support and free advice to our community. These relationships are considered short-term connections with specific subject matter needs and requests. After meeting with one of our Advisors, our members are able to walk away with goals and direction to better serve their startup and team.

A.T. Gimbel
Andrew Tabit
Asia Matos
Benjamin Rudolph
Carl Johnston
David Kurkjian
Derick Jaros
Derrick DeCarlo
Dr. DeYonne Parker
Don Pottinger
Eric Levitan
Erica Stanley
James Scott
Jermaine Brown
Ken MacMurray
Kerry Tracy
Kim Seals
Mike Gomez
Morgan J. Lopes
Nandu Shah
Nick Foreste
Patrick M. Terry
Patrick Wiseman
Priscila Mattingly
Ricky Smith
Scott Lopano
Stefanie Diaz
Steve Bachman
Theia Smith
Tim Dorr
Wayt King
Yuri Eliezer

If you are a technology startup and you are wondering where you should call home, this list should be your answer.  If you are a Villager, do yourself a favor and contact one of these incredible people.  The new crew will start advising on January 17th and all of their profiles will be found on the Member Dashboard to book appointments. They have been there, done it, succeeded, and desire to help you achieve your dreams.