Mentor for entrepreneurs

Are you the CEO of an innovative startup? The right mentor can give you access to expertise and networks, helping you build a stronger foundation for success. You will receive 30 hours of one-to-one mentoring.
Kvinnelig mentor som snakker med mann
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Type of service
Grants
Target audience
Innovative start-ups
Application deadline
Ongoing

Innovative start-ups that qualify for a Startup grant or innovation loan from us. Your company must recognise the value of working with an external mentor and act 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 period is 9 months.

Otherwise:

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

  • You apply for a mentor at the same time as your company applies to us for a startup grant or loan.
  • We will offer your company a mentor, and you must accept the offer by the deadline stated in the offer letter. If you do not accept by the deadline, we will cancel the offer without further notice.
  • You do not need to find a mentor yourself. Connect Vest will assess your needs and match you with a suitable mentor.
  • You must contact Connect Vest directly when we offer you a mentor.
  • You and the mentor enter into an agreement. We are not a party to the agreement.
  • The mentor invoices your company. You submit a request for payment via My page/Online banking and upload the invoice as supporting documentation. You must request payment by the deadline stated in the offer letter. Otherwise, we will cancel the grant.
Key eligibility criteria for funding

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

State aid rules

Funding from Innovation Norway must comply with State aid rules. There are five general conditions for State aid that must be met.

The General Block Exemption Regulation (GBER) is part of the State aid rules. It contains provisions that allow us to provide support to companies in various circumstances. One or more provisions may apply to 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

The application must state whether other public funding has been or will be sought for the project. The amount of funding we provide is also based 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 not receive any other public funding, including SkatteFUNN, beyond what is stated in the application. This applies to funding for the project costs on which we have based our grant calculation (eligible costs). If you nevertheless receive other public funding, including SkatteFUNN, after we have made our offer, and it covers the same costs, we may reduce our grant accordingly or withdraw it entirely.

This does not prevent the company from receiving other public funding for project costs other than those on which we have based our assessment.

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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.