Give back. Stay close to what's next.
Operators and experts who shape our founders — sharing playbooks, opening doors, and seeing emerging companies before anyone else.
- 5,300+
- mentors in the network
- 27
- programs run
- 7
- countries
Why 2080 for mentors
Our programs run on operators who have done the specific thing a founder is stuck on. It is a real commitment and a narrow one: a handful of sessions inside a cohort, on the topic you actually know, with founders who have been screened before they reach you. In exchange you see companies in markets most deal networks never surface.
What you get
- 01
Scoped sessions
You mentor inside a defined cohort window on a defined topic, not an open-ended promise.
- 02
Screened founders
Teams are filtered before they reach your calendar, so the hour is spent on the problem rather than the pitch.
- 03
Deal access
Mentors see the cohort early and can participate in the syndicate where it fits.
- 04
A global bench
Operators across Korea, Japan, the Gulf, the Caucasus and Southeast Asia — you meet them too.
Where the bench comes from
Operators from the programmes and funds below have mentored inside our cohorts. 5,300+ mentors in the network.
From the newsletter
Handshake says it pays companies $100K to $4M to license their internal work data for AI. That decision can look like a CEO's call. I think it belongs to the board.
A startup threatened to sue us over an idea we'd pitched in public for years. One question tells theft from arriving second.
Builder.ai was questioned in public in 2019 and raised $350 million after. What the word AI does to diligence, and what I ask instead.
Open right now
Reading
Compare open calls and targeted startup sourcing for corporate innovation. Learn when to use each, how to qualify startups, and how to measure pilot progress.
Read more about Kooky founder Hami Kim and the company's approach to international K-pop fan engagement, partnerships and opportunities for startup growth.
Explore key how open innovation can support product development, including external partnerships and the practical work required to shorten time to market.