MIT VMS Immersion Training Program

The Immersion Training Program is a two and a half day course delivered at MIT by the Venture Mentoring Service Outreach Program. It is built for the leadership team of an organization that wants to start and operate an entrepreneur mentoring program based on the MIT VMS Model, which uses teams of volunteer mentors and a code of ethics called the Guiding Principles. MIT reports that more than 120 organizations worldwide, including universities, economic development bodies, incubators and accelerators, have been trained through the program.

The curriculum covers the Guiding Principles, the Team Mentoring methodology, mentor selection, training and retention, entrepreneur and venture eligibility and onboarding, program evaluation and metrics, and staffing and operational requirements. Participants also sit in on live MIT VMS activities with mentors, mentees and program staff, and work through a strategy discussion focused on their own organization's context.

The program is delivered to one organization at a time under an agreement with MIT and comes with a non-exclusive license to use the MIT VMS methodology and materials for a one time fee. Optional follow-on programs include on-site Mentor Training and a Stakeholder Program, and adopters receive ongoing support through office hours, check-in calls, an annual status survey and a community of adopting organizations.

• Apply the MIT VMS Guiding Principles, the code of ethics for conflict-free, confidential mentoring
• Run the Team Mentoring methodology, in which groups of mentors work with one venture
• Select, train and retain volunteer mentors
• Set entrepreneur and venture eligibility, selection and onboarding rules
• Evaluate a mentoring program with metrics and manage its staffing and operations
• Identify and address the strategic issues of implementing the model in your own organization