The CrowdSolve Mentor Who Has Coached 3 Pitch Event Winners (so far)
Let's talk about something important: mentors. They're often the secret sauce for startup success, and it's a fact that's been proven time and time again in the journeys of countless founders. That's why at CrowdSolve, mentors are involved in every stage of programming - giving feedback on business plans, prepping for pitch contests, and making important connections for founders.
Abraham Mathew is one mentor who's been making waves lately. With a solid background in five different startups at various stages, he understands the unique and complicated journey startup founders face each day. Abraham joined as a mentor after meeting the CrowdSolve team at Denver Startup Week in 2022. When asked about why he chose to join, Abraham said, "Once I realized the passion in the CrowdSolve team and understood their mission, I wanted to contribute."
CrowdSolve is an online, early-incubation platform that gives climate founders a boost in launching their innovation. In the past year, Abraham has been hands-on with startups all over the world like SWAP and Clauseph BioFuels. These startups are not just creating solutions to climate change—they're solving real problems faced by their founders. During a conversation with Granny Lesiamang, the Founder of Clauseph, Abraham learned that her experience lugging firewood to school for cooking as a young child was what led her to start a business focused on creating clean biofuels.
You can feel Abraham's passion for these founders and their climate solutions. "I am excited to be involved in this space where I can implement positive, real, and impactful change that is needed," he added.
For anyone thinking about mentoring early-stage climate innovators, Abraham has a nugget of wisdom:
"Get what the company is about instead of pushing your own agenda… have an appreciation of the founder’s solution. Next figure out who they are pitching to; VCs, government labs, incubators, etc. all have different requirements. Finally work with the founders to help them convey their message to the audience they are pitching to.”
One example of this comes from a recent experience Abraham had coaching Salman Chishtie, founder of SWAP, for a pitch event. In his presentation, Salman shared that he needed 10 sq km to pilot his solution for swappable electric batteries for motorcycles in his hometown of Lahore, Pakistan. “I stated that 10 sq km of Lahore has a customer base of 8 million people. Then I conveyed to him that the whole state of Colorado doesn't even come close to that population… And so I asked him to explain in his presentation, why 10 sq km is all he needed to initially launch his company and that electric motorcycle delivery can be real and impactful in Asia.”
Abraham Mathew's journey as a mentor at CrowdSolve shows just how much of a game-changer a seasoned guide can be for early-stage climate innovators. His knack for connecting with founders on a personal level, along with his priceless insights, has been a game-changer for their pitches and business plans. In a time where ClimateTech is evolving quickly, mentors like Abraham are the guiding voices creating pathways for founders to succeed.
To learn more about mentorship at CrowdSolve, visit https://www.crowdsolve.eco/mentoring