FAQs

 

VaanGuard is seeking young companies with the potential to become high growth businesses

Mentors ... “the best education money can’t buy.” This is what Brian Scudamore, Founder and CEO of 1-800-GOT-JUNK? believes. Seasoned entrepreneurs who have benefited from mentoring relationships would agree. They also recognize that an entrepreneur alone – which is all too often the case – is an entrepreneur at risk.

Committed to mitigating the risk and increasing the success rate of emerging businesses in this region,

VaanGuard, the new network of advanced mentors, is accepting promising young companies with high growth potential to participate in the VaanGuard Network.

VaanGuard is operated by C-Cap, Cincinnati’s Angel Capital Hub, in cooperation with the Queen City Angels group of angel investors. Since 2000 C-Cap and QCA have been helping new high growth companies find seed stage capital and get the help they need to become successful. Queen City Angels has funded 30 companies, but many entrepreneurs go unfunded or fail because they lack the network and the skills to build high growth companies. We have created the new VaanGuard mentoring program to fill that gap. VaanGuard recruits seasoned businesspersons of all ages who have the experience needed by young growth companies.

Qualifications

You are eligible to participate in VaanGuard if:

  • You are a business that is headquartered in Ohio
  • You are an entrepreneurial company with a high growth potential
  • You have a management team that can execute and persevere, or a willingness to recruit such a team
  • You are a company with an innovative product or service
  • You are an entrepreneur who will listen to advice and work with advisors openly and honestly

Roles

There are a several ways in which advisors can work with you within VaanGuard. They include:

  1. Advisory Board: Entrepreneurs that build advisory boards are looking for help guiding their company through the complexities of growth and with specific problem solving. This group will typically consist of 3 people who each have a senior level of functional-area expertise, have held senior level positions within their industry, and/or are seasoned entrepreneurs.
  2. Expert Advisor: These advisors have a deep level of expertise in a particular functional or industry specialty. These volunteers offer input in a variety of settings on an as-needed basis.
  3. Mentor: A mentor working individually with an entrepreneur can act as an objective executive advisor offering insights, accountability and support. The entrepreneur can have candid conversations with the mentor about business issues, life balance concerns and their own leadership development.

VaanGuard is looking for young companies that, with help, have a good chance of building a high growth business. Not all companies will qualify. But for those that do, VaanGuard provides a tailored approach designed to find the company the best available advisors to address the company’s pressing needs in an effective way. The company and mentors control the pace and scope of the arrangement. The VaanGuard Director is available for further guidance and assignment of new or additional mentors when appropriate. An orientation will be provided for both the entrepreneur and the mentor before beginning the program.

Our Partners

C-Cap and QCA are partnering with the Hamilton County Business Center and BioStart incubators and with CincyTechUSA to make VaanGuard and the entire Third Frontier initiative a success.

Interested in participating or learning more? Email the VaanGuard manager, Dave Lima, at mentor@thecircuit.net.