Ventures

What We Do

Where other programs support the business, VMSA is focussed on the individual entrepreneur; helping build the leadership capacity required to build a great business.

What it is

VMSA provides a board of consciousness; a safe environment with accountability, where you can be open and honest, and have the difficult conversations that you can’t always have with others in your network. VMSA is not here to tell you how to run your business. VMSA Mentors will coach, challenge, share perspective, and enable you with the tools you need to overcome your growth challenges.

The VMSA commitment requires transparency, and the willingness to open up, be vulnerable, listen, and learn.

“As entrepreneurs we try to always look impressive to the outside world. Whether it's for our investors, employees, or stakeholders. VMSA creates a space where you can sit down for some much needed "entrepreneurial therapy" and open up about founder challenges that happen in the background. The coaches are experienced entrepreneurs who have been there and done that. They are also trained to guide these sessions in a way that helps uncover what might be holding you back as a leader. It's uncomfortable, and it's awesome.“

— Derek Rucki, CEO of inspiredgo

“I’ve been with VMSA for just over one year, it has been our biggest growth year ever, yet I feel more stable, confident and supported than ever. The longer I work with my Mentors the more value I find in these relationships. I wish I had found this program earlier. ”
— Andrew Renaux, CEO of Leaf Ninjas
“The value gained from speaking regularly with experienced professionals who have built and scaled their own companies is incredible. I feel confident knowing that my advisors are guiding me in a way that builds my own, personal competency as a leader.”
— Jenna Galloway, CEO of Fledge

How it works

VMSA is based on the MIT VMS Model; each entrepreneur is matched with a team of three Mentors.

The Mentor team will be curated based on an entrepreneur’s individual needs and the stage of business. Mentees are responsible for creating meeting agendas around their challenges and opportunities and meet with their Mentors every 4-6 weeks.

VMSA is a free program for entrepreneurs, but requires a time commitment and active engagement with the Mentorship team.

VMSA adheres to a strict code of ethics, providing unbiased, conflict-free, and confidential coaching to entrepreneurs in Alberta.

Why apply

Mentees need to be comfortable opening up to their Mentors to deal with the real issues they are facing. Apply if:

  • You are moving out of the day-to-day operations and seeking guidance as you move to a true CEO role

  • You have business advisory support (incubators, boards, investors), but are needing individual support

  • You are in need of a sounding board that can challenge the way you are approaching issues

  • You are trying to establish your leadership style, but are facing barriers

Criteria

VMSA supports entrepreneurs in the scale-up stage of their business. Ventures typically fit the following criteria:

• Scalable - A scalable business model and a desire for fast growth.

• Validation - Companies entering VMSA are typically above $1M in annual revenue

• Growing Team - Entrepreneur is leading employees and actively in the process of building out their team. (VMSA ventures typically join with 8+ employees)

• Coachable - Are ready to learn, be vulnerable, and have a willingness to be challenged.

Unsure if you fit our criteria? Reach out and let’s discuss. Even if VMSA is not a fit we can help direct you to other resources.

Venture FAQ

  • VMSA is a free program for entrepreneurs, but requires a time commitment and active engagement with the Mentorship team.

  • VMSA Teams typically meet for 90. minutes every 4-6 weeks with some additional time required for preparation and post meeting reporting.

  • VMSA is for entrepreneurs actively in the scale-up stage. See our Criteria for more information.

  • To develop their leadership capacity and build themselves to be better leaders for their venture. VMSA Mentorship teams provide mentees with an unbiased, conflict-free, sounding board where they can candidly discuss their challenges and opportunities, and receive coaching from business leaders who have been there before.

  • VMSA Mentors are business leaders who have deep leadership, growth, and strategy expertise. Many are entrepreneurs who have gone through growing and scaling companies or they are c-suite executives who have built and managed corporate teams.

  • VMSA is based on the MIT VMS Model, where each entrepreneur is matched with a team of three mentors providing access to a breadth of perspective, experience, and expertise. Teams meet collectively on a regular basis.

Our Mentees