Mentoring a Student Startup? Never Again (Unless They Get Their Act Together) *Rant*

So, I thought I was doing something cool by mentoring a group of DU students working on a startup. They seemed ambitious, passionate, and genuinely excited about their idea, so I decided, "Sure, let me help them out." Big mistake.

Here’s the deal: if you’re starting a company and asking someone for mentorship, respect their time. Simple, right? Apparently not. Let me break down my experience so far:

  1. Communication is a Mess: Their messages are all over the place. Half the time, it feels like they’re typing with their elbows no structure, no clarity, just vibes. And getting a response? Might as well send a carrier pigeon because that would probably be faster.
  2. No Preparation, No Progress: Every meeting feels like Groundhog Day. Same half-baked ideas, no updates, and absolutely no signs of execution. Like, if you’re not going to work on the stuff we discussed last time, why even call another meeting?
  3. Time Management = Nonexistent: If I say the meeting is at 4 PM, showing up at 4:55 with "Sorry, bro, I got caught up" is NOT okay. Worse, sometimes they just ghost completely. I can’t tell if they’re running a startup or practicing for a situationship.
  4. Excuse Central: The amount of excuses I’ve heard could fill a book. Internet issues, exams, forgot the time you name it. Listen, I get life happens, but if this is how you’re running your startup, I promise you, investors, partners, or clients won’t care. You’re wasting their time and mine.

Look, I’m Gen Z too, so I get how chaotic life can be. But here’s the thing: if you want someone to take you seriously, act like it. Being a founder is about taking ownership. Nobody’s expecting perfection, but at least:
Reply to emails/messages like a functional human being.

  • Prepare for meetings. Google stuff, draft plans something.
  • Show up on time.
  • Stop with the excuses. If you don’t have time for your own startup, how are you going to make anyone else care?

To anyone starting out: Mentors aren’t here to drag you to the finish line or babysit your ideas. We’re here to guide you, but you’ve got to show up, put in the work, and take this seriously.

End of rant lol. I’m genuinely rooting for them, but it’s hard to stay invested when they don’t seem to care. If you’re in a startup and reading this, please learn from this and don’t make the same mistakes.