They say that a friend tells you what you want to hear and a mentor tells you what you need to hear. In that case, VilCap entrepreneurs are hearing a lot of what they need to hear lately.
On February 20th, over 30 entrepreneurs and mentors gathered at the Kathmandu Grill to meet and mingle. As a key focus area of the VilCap program, entreprenuers are encouraged to connect to other business people as well as resources that may help them navigate their own businesses. Realtors, accountants, marketers, supply chain experts are all people who program members may meet during the course of the program.
One week later, entrepreneurs, their mentors, and community members gathered again. But this time, it was about sharing feedback. Each VilCap entrepreneur had the opportunity to pitch their products and services to potential customers. The room was filled with over 50 people sharing comments on pricing, marketing, and packaging. Entrepreneurs were taking lots of notes and asking great follow-up questions.
These entrepreneurs have grown significantly in their short weeks in the program, but the contacts they have made will last well beyond 14 weeks.