Imperial has launched a flagship scheme to support its innovative staff and students by linking them up with top business mentors.

The Imperial Venture Mentoring Service, launched last week, will provide Imperial innovators with unbiased advice and expertise from a pool of highly-qualified volunteer mentors, experts and investors to help their businesses succeed.

The scheme is modelled on MIT’s Venture Mentoring Service, which has been running since 2000.

Dr Paul Atherton - Imperial alumnus, serial technology entrepreneur and investor, will be the lead mentor on the programme.

The scheme was launched with two events – one at Imperial’s Enterprise Lab and Imperial White City Incubator, based in the Translation and Innovation Hub (I-HUB).

At the events, Imperial showcased some of its top entrepreneurial talent including Aventus, who recently raised $20m in an initial coin offering for their block chain-based ticketing solution, and CustoMem, winners of the 2016 Althea-Imperial programme (now called WEInnovate) who are developing membrane technology to filter hazardous micropollutants from water.

Aventus

Professor Alice Gast, President of Imperial, said: “Imperial College has very talented people who have brilliant ideas and the energy and enthusiasm to pursue them.

“The Imperial Venture Mentoring Service will provide entrepreneurs with mentors who have the essential wisdom and guidance to help them succeed. Entrepreneurs need space, funding and mentorship and it is exciting to launch this programme to invite our experienced alumni and friends to help Imperial entrepreneurs so that their ideas can flourish and benefit society.”