Whether through a formal mentoring program such as the VMS or ICAN (below), or informally through your own examples and advice, entrepreneurs who have been out in the field are some of the best teachers and mentors for our aspiring entrepreneurs.

We hope you will consider:

• Emailing your bio and picture to be included in our People Profiles.
• Offering advice and tips learned from your own experience.
• Sharing your entrepreneurial success stories with us by email.

MIT VENTURE MENTORING SERVICE (VMS)
VMS supports innovation and entrepreneurial activity throughout the MIT community by matching prospective entrepreneurs with volunteer mentors who can boost the probability of a start-up’s success.

MIT's Venture Mentoring Service has attracted a dynamic group of volunteer mentors whose careers represent a wide range of experience as founders, chairmen, CEOs, chief technical officers, or directors of successful corporations and partnerships. The team also includes faculty and staff from MIT and other universities, who bring technical or business expertise to the program.

After volunteering with VMS, many advisors go on to establish an ongoing professional relationship with their advisees' ventures. By contributing their experience and expertise to MIT entrepreneurs, mentors play a critical role in helping us achieve our mission of supporting entrepreneurial activity and education at MIT.

MIT INSTITUTE CAREER ASSISTANCE NETWORK (ICAN)
MIT's Institute Career Assistance Network (ICAN) is a powerful online networking system for MIT alumni, providing a Web-searchable database of alumni who volunteer their time as career advisors. These fellow alumni, representing varying industries, occupations, and interests, offer:

• Career management advice for those seeking a new position, or career advancement strategies within your present job or company
• Contact via email, phone, or face-to-face informational interviews
• The exchange of information about open positions worldwide

With the MIT alumni population in Boston/Cambridge growing each year, we would like to ensure that there are enough ICAN career advisors to respond to the anticipated need, form both current students and alumni alike. Participating as an ICAN career advisor is a simple, easy way to volunteer and connect with current MIT students and fellow alumni alike. The average alumni volunteer can expect about two to three contacts per month.