Mentor for entrepreneurs

Are you the CEO of an innovative startup? The right mentor can give you access to expertise and networks to help you succeed. We offer 30 hours of one-to-one mentoring.
Kvinnelig mentor som snakker med mann
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Type of service
Grant
Target audience
Innovative startups
Application deadline
Ongoing

Innovative startups that qualify for startup grants or startup loans from us. Apply for a mentor when you apply for a startup grant or loan.

Your business must recognise the value of working with an external mentor and acting on their advice.

  • We cover the cost of 30 hours of mentoring. The grant excludes VAT.
  • The mentor will provide strategic guidance and one-to-one support for the CEO over a period of 2–6 months. The maximum project duration is 9 months.

Other information

  • The mentor must not take on operational tasks for the company.
  • The grant does not cover travel costs or travel time.

  • You do not need to find a mentor yourself. Your needs will be assessed and you will be matched with a suitable mentor by Connect Vest.
  • You must contact Connect Vest yourself once we have offered you a mentor.
  • Your business and the mentor enter into an agreement. We are not a party to this agreement.
  • The mentor invoices your business, and you submit a request for payment via Min side and upload the invoice as documentation. Your business must request payment by the deadline stated in the offer letter. Otherwise, the grant will be cancelled.

1. Start with Single point of entry

If you are a new customer or want to know which services are right for your project, start with Single point of entry. Answer a few questions and receive recommendations within 1–2 days on what could be relevant to you. These may include services from us or other organisations in Norway.

2. Start your application and speak to an advisor

To apply for funding from us, log in to My page and go to 'Start an application'. Choose the application type that meets your needs. You can use the 'Talk to an advisor' button if you have questions or would like input before submitting your application.

3. Assessment

We process applications on an ongoing basis, and several people assess each application. We take a close look at your company and the plans you have outlined, and assess your project. In addition to our standard assessment criteria, you will find specific criteria for each service on this page.

4. Decision and signing

Once we have processed your application, we will notify you by email. You can find the decision on My page. If you receive an offer of funding, make sure you understand the terms and conditions and how payments are made. Remember to sign the offer by the deadline, otherwise it may lapse.

See our funding guides

Key requirements for funding

To receive services from us, your business must uphold the principles of responsible business conduct and understand its own sustainability risks. Read more about sustainability and responsible business conduct.

State aid rules

Our funding must comply with State aid rules. Five general conditions for State aid must be met.

The General Block Exemption Regulation (GBER) forms part of the State aid rules. It contains a set of articles that provide the legal basis for us to support businesses in different circumstances. One or more articles may apply in each case. Read more about GBER.

Legal basis for the scheme

Our funding schemes have been notified to the EFTA Surveillance Authority (ESA). The legal basis for these notifications is available on the National Legal Basis page.

Other public funding

You must state in your application whether you have applied or plan to apply for other public funding for the project. We also base the amount of funding we award on an overall assessment of how much public funding is needed for the project to go ahead.

When determining the grant amount, we therefore assume that you will receive no public funding, including SkatteFUNN, other than that stated in your application. This applies to funding for the project costs on which we have based our grant calculation (eligible costs). If you receive other public funding, including SkatteFUNN, for the same costs after we have made our offer, we may reduce our grant accordingly or withdraw it.

This does not prevent your business from receiving other public support for project costs other than those used to calculate our grant.

Log in
Go to My page to start or continue your application.
Frequently asked questions and answers
General information about the application process, how we assess applications, project details and the types of ideas we do not support.