Mentoring for money?

CollegeVine, a Cambridge MA startup has just raised 3.1 million dollars to recruit college students to serve as mentors and admissions coaches to high school students on a fee paid basis.

While mentoring in the startup world is generally done on a volunteer basis through incubators, accelerators, and university entrepreneur programs, there’s nothing in the dictionary definition that connotes it must be free.

Simple Definition of mentor

: someone who teaches or gives help and advice to a less experienced and often younger person

Source: Merriam-Webster’s Learner’s Dictionary

But here’s another definition that gives me pause.

men·tor

ˈmenˌtôr,ˈmenˌtər/

noun

1. an experienced and trusted adviser.

“he was her friend and mentor until his death in 1915”

synonyms: adviser, guide, guru, counselor, consultant; confidant(e)

Can you be “trusted” if you are a hired gun?

Perhaps these students should be called “coaches” since coaches are often paid, especially college sports coaches.

Author: Mentorphile

Mentor, coach, and advisor to entrepreneurs, small businesses, and non-profit organizations. General manager with significant experience in both for-profit and non-profit organizations. Focus on media and information. On founding team of four venture-backed companies. Currently Chairman of Popsleuth, Inc., maker of the Endorfyn app for keeping fans updated on new stuff from their favorite artists. View all posts by Mentorphile