The Value of Mentorship

Entrepreneurs have a unique set of challenges in their quest to create, sell, and scale their startup. From blending your personal/professional life to managing your finances, and even making your first hire- Mentors are people who have walked in your shoes and want to help you. They understand the ins and outs of entrepreneurship and know that in order to succeed, you need to have people walk with you in the midst of it.

The Village has over 30 highly curated Mentors and Advisors available to Villagers, but they can also be found all around the startup community. The best mentor relationships happen when both parties are actively engaged and adding value. Mentor relationships take time and effort in order to be the most valuable. Join the discussion to learn how to get connected to the right person and make the most out of a mentor relationship!

On February 17th, come join us for a delicious lunch and hear from people who have been on both sides of the coin. The panel will consist of David Cummings (Founder of Pardot and Atlanta Tech Village), Kyle Porter (CEO of SalesLoft), Guillermo Sohnlein (Village Mentor), and Carey Bongard (Village Mentor). The panel will be moderated by Anand Thaker (Village Advisor). Come hear about their experiences, learn from their expertise, and receive some encouragement to keep on keeping on.

About the Moderator

Anand Thaker recently founded IntelliPhi, delivering marketers with insightful intelligence and decision support solutions. Before IntellPhi, he founded NeoMarketing, a marketing operations consulting firm, and worked at Silverpop, APX, and NewEnergy Associates. He has 15 years of experience in marketing technology, sales enablement, growth strategy, data analytics, and intelligent systems. His experience spans startup, consulting, and enterprise organizations. In addition to marketing technology, he has deep experience in energy and finance. He's passionate about elevating the metro Atlanta startup space, has a knack for matchmaking talent and serves as a MarTech SME and liaison for enterprise, VC and PE firms.

REGISTER AND BUY YOUR TICKET (including lunch) HERE!

About the PanelistsDavid Cummings co-founded Pardot, which was recognized by Inc. magazine as the 172nd fastest growing company in 2012, and shortly thereafter Pardot was acquired by ExactTarget and then Salesforce.com. David was subsequently named the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year winner in the deal category. Most recently, David founded the Atlanta Tech Village, which at 103,000 sq ft is the largest technology entrepreneur center in the Southeast.Kyle Porter is the CEO and Co-Founder of SalesLoft, the world’s #1 prospecting and appointment setting software. Kyle has led SalesLoft to serve over 1200 clients and 30,000 business professionals while boosting revenue over 2000% in 2014. In 2015, SalesLoft was recognized for their organizational health receiving Atlanta's #1 best place to work in a survey by Atlanta Business Chronicle. SalesLoft grew from 4 employees at the beginning of 2014 to over 85 in 2015.Guillermo Sohnlein is an entrepreneur, consultant, advisor, and mentor focused on ocean exploration, space commercialization, and technology innovation. He spent 15 years in tech startups in Silicon Valley, D.C., and Seattle. He is passionate about space and ocean exploration, entrepreneur mentorship, and development.Carey Bongard has 20 years of experience in human resources, leadership and executive development, and communication with a master's degree in executive coaching. She is a member of the Advisory Board for the Professional Women’s Alliance with Kennesaw State University Women's Leadership Center. She is also on the Dean's Advisory Board for the Wisconsin School of Business, her alma mater. She loves helping people become more effective in and more engaged in what they do.