CED Venture Mentoring Service (VMS)
The Council for Entrepreneurial Development (CED) was formed in 1984 by a group of business leaders wanting to empower the successful creation and growth of entrepreneurial companies in the North Carolina region.
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nAs one the largest and longest-running entrepreneurial network in the nation, CED acts as the connective center for startup companies in the Triangle and beyond. Through its high-touch support, educational workshops, access to capital, and resource connections, CED provides entrepreneurs with the resources needed to make a new venture a success.
About CED VMS
Having a mentor to guide and advise a new startup venture is invaluable for entrepreneurs–and often a key to successful commercialization. The CED Venture Mentoring Service (VMS) is a free program that assists startups in scaling their businesses. VMS pairs companies with a team of experienced mentors to expand business agility, learn important tactics, and create a model for success.
The CED Venture Mentor Service (VMS) team-based mentoring approach is based off of a framework developed by MIT and provides startups with an initial “advisory team” to assist the startup with challenges such as commercialization strategies, market validation, fund raising, and recruiting.
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How We Partner
NC State partnered with CED in 2015 to offer select NC State startup companies with access to CED’s diverse network of mentors.
Startups that apply to the VMS program are invited to pitch at the VMS monthly meetings for a mentor team. If accepted, the startup will be matched with a team comprised of three to four mentors and will meet with the mentors every four to six weeks to work through the challenges specific to the startup. Startups will typically work with the mentor team over a span of three to nine months.