The Chernihiv Polytechnic National University implemented the mentoring programme ‘Mentoring in Business and Startups’ as part of the PROMENT project, which lasted 8 weeks and brought together about 24 participants – higher education seekers, innovators, and startuppers from Chernihiv and the region.

The aim of the mentoring programme is to promote the sustainable development of innovative entrepreneurship in the Chernihiv region by transferring practical experience, knowledge and skills from experienced mentors and practitioners to young innovators and start-up founders, with the aim of accelerating their professional growth, effective decision-making, avoiding typical mistakes and building viable business models within the framework of start-up activities in the context of digital innovation.

The circle of mentors included scientific and pedagogical workers of the Chernihiv Polytechnic National University, founders of start-ups, representatives of the business sector and public organisations, project managers, representatives of the IT cluster, who shared their practical knowledge and skills in the field of start-up creation, development of digital innovative products and innovative entrepreneurship. The coordinator of the piloting of the ‘Mentoring in Business and Startups’ scheme within the PROMENT project was Kateryna Hnedina, PhD in Economics, Associate Professor of the Department of Accounting, Taxation and Audit, Coordinator of Startup Development, Innovation and Project Learning at Chernihiv Polytechnic National University.

During the mentoring sessions, participants discussed how to form a start-up from scratch, what strategies allow for the creation of an effective project presentation, how university innovation centres function, what digital tools should be used for teamwork and presentations, how the life cycle of a start-up proceeds – from idea to implementation, the secrets of effective business management, and approaches to personal data protection in the digital environment. In addition, the programme included an excursion for participants to the Centre for the Creation and Development of Startups at Chernihiv Polytechnic National University, where participants learned about the support infrastructure and features of implementing innovative projects at the university.