Flame Mentors

Igniting innovation worldwide, Flame Mentors links startups with expert mentors to provide valuable guidance and foster growth.

What mentorship program aims to address?

Market Understanding

Access to foreign networks

Mentors will offer insights on how to enter international markets, cultural nuances, and business landscapes.

Anchor 1

Introductions to the world's key players, potential partners, investors, and other essential contacts.

Global Business Development

Assist in refining business models, strategies, and growth plans for expanding internationally.

Localisation

Provide insights into cultural norms and business etiquette and help startups tailor their strategies to specific cultural contexts.

Funding and Investment

Assist in navigating the fundraising landscape, connecting startups with potential investors, and advising on negotiation with potential investors.

Diversity and Inclusion

Share a personal experience about running a business abroad. Contribute to promoting diversity and inclusion by joining the startup ecosystem.

We offer structured 1-week sprints and continuous feedback to help founders achieve investment and growth milestones.

Depending on the founders ' business stage, mentors will focus on the Launch or Live phases.

Design Thinking

Launch phase

Craft a concise “one-minute” verbal pitch for where you showcase your startup to mentors in the Feedback Sessions. (based on our template)

Customer Persona - Utilize our guidelines to create or enhance the initial customer persona for your ideal target audience.

Initial Interview - Using our templates, conduct interviews with a minimum of 10 individuals who possess insights into customer problems or could potentially be customers themselves.

Live phase

Initial Interview - Using our templates, conduct interviews with a minimum of 10 individuals who possess insights into customer problems or could potentially be customers themselves.

Uncover Unknowns / Problem definition - Create a comprehensive understanding of the primary customer problem, addressing gaps in your knowledge about the customer.

Customer Persona - Utilize our guidelines to create or enhance the initial customer persona for your ideal target audience.

Kick-off the Program

Launch phase

Familiarize yourself with the nine components of the Business Model Canvas, defining customer segments, value propositions, channels, customer relationships, revenue streams, key resources, key activities, key partnerships, and cost structure.

Market Analysis - Employ our market research template to gather precise and readily available information about the customer issues under examination.

Co-Founders Search - If in search of a Co-Founder, generate a brief description outlining the qualities you seek, and this information will be shared with the entire cohort.

Live phase

Performance Metrics - Define the Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) currently employed for tracking success. Assess the relevance of these metrics and devise a strategy to share updated metrics and progress with your Local Managers on a weekly basis throughout the program.

Craft a concise “one-minute” verbal pitch for where you showcase your startup to mentors in the Feedback Sessions. (based on our template)

Design Thinking

Launch phase

Craft a concise “one-minute” verbal pitch for where you showcase your startup to mentors in the Feedback Sessions. (based on our template)

Customer Persona - Utilize our guidelines to create or enhance the initial customer persona for your ideal target audience.

Initial Interview - Using our templates, conduct interviews with a minimum of 10 individuals who possess insights into customer problems or could potentially be customers themselves.

Live phase

Initial Interview - Using our templates, conduct interviews with a minimum of 10 individuals who possess insights into customer problems or could potentially be customers themselves.

Uncover Unknowns / Problem definition - Create a comprehensive understanding of the primary customer problem, addressing gaps in your knowledge about the customer.

Customer Persona - Utilize our guidelines to create or enhance the initial customer persona for your ideal target audience.

Customer Development

Launch phase

Customer Interviews - Expand your customer interview questions, drawing from initial interviews and critical assumptions. Create at least ten open-ended questions for each identified customer problem.

Tailored Landing Pages - Enhance or create professional landing pages for remaining customer problems, catering to your initial customer archetype. Swiftly build a mailing list for gathering customer feedback.

Live phase

Revenue Interview - Engage customers in discussions about the pricing of your revenue model, exploring three distinct models/pricing structures. Validate your existing model or opt for a new one based on insights from these interviews.

Competitor Customer Interviews - Identify customers using competing products or solutions and persuade them to consider your solution, ideally obtaining a Letter of Intent (LOI) or establishing an ongoing relationship for feedback.

Revenue & Business Models

Launch phase

Targeted Customer Challenge - From your research, choose a customer problem for focus during the program with the highest potential for substantial revenue generation.

Revenue Strategies - Refine that problem into three possible revenue models and comprehensively assess the merits and drawbacks of each model.

Refined Pitch Presentation - Utilize our templates to craft a polished three-minute pitch deck, incorporating feedback, concepts, and a cohesive flow derived from your "one-minute" pitches.

Live phase

Experts Consultations - Consult with three financial experts experienced in an industry related to your customer problem, seeking their insights and opinions on the scalability of your revenue model.

Solution Development - Restructure your plans to prioritize launching a solution that generates initial customer revenue, validating your riskiest assumptions.

Pitch Mastery

Launch phase

Build your Pitch Script - Practice makes perfect, especially with an early version of your pitch. The average 3-minute pitch consists of 450 words at normal talking speed. Create the written version of your script and get feedback from your peers.

Idea Review Pitch Deck - Finalize your 3-minute pitch deck for the Mentor Idea Review using our templates and guidelines. Practice the pitch at least five times with your peers, and revise it based on feedback. Create a final video.

Immediately update your 3-minute pitch deck and video based on the feedback from the Mentor Idea Review, and develop a new and updated executive summary using our template.

Live phase

Broaden Customer Base - Synthesize insights from interviews to expand your customer list, aiming for at least 5 Customer Interviews weekly to gather feedback on your problem, revenue model, solution, and pitch.

Drive Sales Closure - Follow up on previous sales efforts, tracking time, conversion rates, financial expenditures, and other metrics for each activity. Strive to secure new sales or demonstrate measurable traction before the Mentor Review.

Pitch Deck Refinement - Finalize your 3-minute pitch deck for the Mentor Review using our templates and guidelines. Rehearse the pitch at least five times with peers, refining it based on feedback.

Mentor review

Launch phase

Business Presentations - Promptly revise your 3-minute pitch deck and video incorporating feedback from the Mentor Idea Review. Create a fresh Executive Summary using our template.

Advisory Board Formation - In the next 5 weeks, establish or complete your Advisory Board. Develop a target list of potential advisors based on identified needs and gaps in knowledge/connections.

Live phase

Progress in Sales - Continue boosting sales or revenue commitments, focusing on month-over-month growth. For B2B, secure contracts or letters of intent, and B2C, aggressively increase revenue. Document lessons learned.

Financial Model - Develop or refine your economic model, emphasizing expenses ("burn") for cash needs. Create a revenue forecast for 12-18 months, factoring in timing from sales efforts.

Legal Preparations - Identify short to medium-term legal needs. If you lack a law firm, find at least two local candidates experienced with startups. Begin vetting using our guidelines.

Go-to-market strategy & Scale

Launch phase

Exploration of Alternatives - Identify and assess two alternative models or markets for your go-to-market solution to uncover the most profitable opportunity. Conduct interviews with a minimum of two customers for each alternative.

Evaluate Marketing Messaging - Generate a minimum of three distinct marketing messages for your solution, and conduct A/B testing by deploying landing pages with a minimum of 50 engagements each.

Live phase

Customer Acquisition Channels - Identify a minimum of three new primary marketing channels suitable for acquiring customers for your solution.
Conversion Rate Testing - Initiate tests on at least three newly identified customer acquisition channels, channeling substantial traffic to assess their respective conversion rates.
Economic Analysis - Investigate industry and segment-specific data on standard Cost of Customer Acquisition (CAC) and standard Lifetime Value (LTV). Compare and analyze this information against the metrics you have gathered to date.

Product Development

Launch phase

Intellectual Property Protection - Safeguard and secure intellectual property for all completed work. Assess the necessity for patents, if relevant, by our guidelines.

Solution Objectives - Assess the current status of your solution and delineate three goals for the upcoming product release aimed at addressing critical challenges for your target customers within the following year.

Team Formation - If not done already, structure the skills and roles essential for achieving your solution goals, whether by leveraging existing team members or augmenting through recruitment or outsourcing.

Live phase

Product Roadmap - Create an initial or revised product roadmap, following our guidelines, to align with your solution goals in collaboration with your project team.

Planning - Streamline the release schedule in your product roadmap to simplify testing each business hypothesis, adhering to our guidelines.

Progress Presentation - Craft a concise five-minute pitch for the Mentor Progress Review, ensuring it provides adequate information for Mentors to assess your progress and plans.

Progress Review

Launch phase

Investor Presentation Enhancement - Develop a comprehensive 12-slide pitch deck, incorporating feedback from the Mentor Progress Review, utilizing our templates for a refined investor pitch.

Progress Evaluation in Growth - Advance toward your growth objectives and assess or refine the effectiveness of your strategy and accountability system.

Product Development Update - Advance your next product release and identify and resolve any setbacks encountered with your project team.

Live phase

Team Evaluation - Assess the performance of each project team member, including yourself, using a 1 to 10 scale. Develop improvement plans for those facing challenges.

Advisory Board Establishment - Finalize your advisory board by incorporating startup, industry, technology, or marketing advisors. Schedule a one-hour conference call for your inaugural quarterly advisory board meeting.

Financial Model Review - Examine and update your financial model based on progress. Modify revenue projections considering your current growth and assess the necessity and prerequisites for external funding.

Co-Founder & Teams

Launch phase

Talent Acquisition - Explore potential hires, including Co-Founders, by tapping into your network or leveraging our network to identify suitable candidates for the key roles you don't intend to outsource.

Recruitment Procedures - Formulate a hiring and onboarding process based on our guidelines to seamlessly integrate new team members into your organization and initiate the implementation of this process.

Skills Assessment Initiatives - Design at least one test project for each crucial role, offering credible candidates the chance to showcase their skills and suitability for the position.

Live phase

Advisory Consultation - Schedule a meeting or call with at least one advisor to review your hiring initiatives. Share your progress and integrate their feedback into your planning.

Time Management - Strategically plan your "founder's schedule" by allocating dedicated weekly blocks to focus on core business activities, ensuring uninterrupted work on each task.

Fundraising - If capital is insufficient for the coming months, utilize our guides to prepare documentation and research for a potential fundraising round.

Growth

Launch phase

Update Growth Strategy - Evaluate the effectiveness of your growth objectives and refine your growth plan to enhance performance and accountability.

Revenue Generation - Set ambitious targets to secure new revenue or users through signups, payments, contracts, pre-payments, or signed letters of intent.

Strategic Growth Initiatives - Collaborate with your working group to generate ten innovative ideas to expand your funnel's top, and present a concise, bulleted list of these Growth Tactics.

Live phase

Pivot - Contemplate a pivot if growth, sales, product, or hiring targets are unmet. If a pivot is chosen, arrange calls with Local Managers and advisors to discuss the proposed changes.

Recruitment Source Analysis - Evaluate candidates from diverse recruiting channels and activities, identifying the most productive ones.

Continued Engagement - Explore our post-program resources and collaborate with your cohort to establish a monthly meeting schedule for ongoing updates, progress sharing, and mutual learning.

Funding

Launch phase

Success Milestone Definition - Collaborate with Local Managers to define the "Minimum Victory Condition" to accomplish before the "Impact Deadline" (three months post-program) and incorporate it into your business calendar.

Advisory Alignment - Schedule individual calls with your advisors to discuss your "Victory Condition," funding strategy, hiring plan, sales strategy, and product roadmap.

Financial Projection Refinement - Assess the financial requirements of the business and extend your financial model to forecast revenues and expenses for the upcoming 24 months.

Live phase

Investor Pitch Deck - Update and refine your investor presentation, incorporating all current work. Test it with peers and Directors, then upload it for Mentors' site review.

Deal Room - Develop an investor resource hub with essential files for potential investors, including company documents, legal info, pitch deck, team bios, financials, etc.

Investor Target List - Identify local Angel Investors and Seed Accelerators, excluding VCs and Seed Funds. Use guidelines to list at least 50 local angels and 15 regional and 10 global seed accelerators.

During the weekly Feedback and one-on-one Sessions, founders will present their progress to mentors, getting feedback and gaining valuable tips and insights on the week's topic.

Meet the Team

A few of our superb mentors with a diverse backgrounds.

Product Team Lead @ Adjust

Fariz Bashirov

Serial Entrepreneur. Mentor. Strategic director in AppLovin Inc.

Senior Product Manager @ Qt Group

Nail Valiyev

Serial Entrepreneur. Public speaker. AI evangelist. Head of innovation in Qt Group.

Director of Network Operations @ Adjust

Rashid Isayev

Tech enthusiast. New networking solutions inventor. Wrote several books on this topic.

Principal Product Manager @ Google

Azer Aliyev

Founded several Startups. Experienced in EU and US markets. Mentor.

Engineering Manager @ Entain

Ilkin Alibayli

Runs vlog about Technologies and Startups. Serial Entrepreneur.

Senior Product Analyst @ AppsGroup

Alexander Volosha

Data Scientist. Serial Entrepreneur. Founded over five businesses and startups.

Flame Mentors

What mentorship program aims to address?

Market Understanding

Access to foreign networks

Global Business Development

Localisation

Funding and Investment

Diversity and Inclusion

We offer structured 1-week sprints and continuous feedback to help founders achieve investment and growth milestones.

Depending on the founders ' business stage, mentors will focus on the Launch or Live phases.

Kick-off the Program

During the weekly Feedback and one-on-one Sessions, founders will present their progress to mentors, getting feedback and gaining valuable tips and insights on the week's topic.

Meet the Team

Interested in the program, or want to join our mentors team? Contact Us

Interested in the program, or want to join our mentors team?

Contact Us