The John D’Silva Incubator Program for mentors

Web City Properties and Bridge for Billions launch The John D'Silva Incubator

You will have the opportunity to empower immigrant entrepreneurs in the United States to develop their social or innovative business ideas through mentorship

Created by

The John D'Silva Incubator

There is an immense opportunity to support immigrant entrepreneurs in the U.S. and it is one that Jordan D’Silva, CEO of Web City Properties, knows very well.

Jordan’s father, John D’Silva, immigrated to the United States from India in the 1970s and started his own real estate investment company called Web City Properties. Through hardships, failures, perseverance, and a tireless drive to succeed, John grew Web City Properties to be a thriving, growing company in the Dallas real estate market. John D’Silva unfortunately passed away in 2020, but he left a legacy behind of giving back to others and investing in education and entrepreneurship.

In honor of John D’Silva’s legacy and the mission he left behind, Web City Properties is proud to launch a partnership with Bridge for Billions to educate and support immigrant entrepreneurs in the U.S.

Supported by

Why participate?

Mentor the project you are passionate about

Connect with the entrepreneur behind the project that interests you the most.

Learn to mentor while you do it

Our active learning model facilitates the role of the mentor by providing a clear structure and resources explained in a simple and practical way.

Training

As a mentor, you will receive training and access to the same tools as the entrepreneurs. You will put into practice skills such as active listening and effective communication.

Wherever and whenever you want

Support your project from anywhere in the world, at a time that suits you. Our program is 100% online.

Grow personally and professionally

Develop your leadership and coaching skills while leaning about innovation with the newest methodologies.

Create a more inclusive and efficient society

Guide entrepreneurs and entrepreneurs who are solving the problems that really matter.

Become the mentor you also had

Think of the mentors that have passed through your life, become that for someone who needs it.

Be part of a community

Join a group of purpose-driven professionals and connect with the other mentors in this program from all industries.

This program is perfect for you if

You are ready and have the availability to commit 1.5 hours per week for the duration of the program.
You have an interest in supporting immigrant entrepreneurs to reach their goals, and integrate into the U.S. successfully.
You commit to review and monitor your entrepreneur's work prior to mentoring meetings.
You have a passion for entrepreneurship and helping entrepreneurs succeed.
You imagine a fair, efficient and meritocratic society where innovation belongs to everyone.
You understand the challenges of supporting first generation immigrant entrepreneurs in the United Sates and have the empathy to overcome them.

Apply before the date!

Days

Hours

Minutes

1st January 202X

Timeline

Apply to the program

Until March 30th, 2023

Tell us more about you and your professional experience by applying below. Our team will assess your fit for this program

Apply now >

Announcement of selected mentors

Early April, 2023

We will review all applications and will select around 15 mentors to accompany the 15 start-ups to participate in The John D'Silva Incubator program.

Attend the onboarding session

Early April, 2023

If selected, you will be invited to an onboarding welcome call to the program where you will learn the role of the mentor, how to choose a project, use the incubation platform, its methodology and much more!

Choose the project you want to mentor

Latest April, 2023

Take part in the matching process! You will have the opportunity to meet online with different projects. Once you have met several of them, both you and the entrepreneurs will submit your rankings in order to let us know who you want to work with. Based on the rankings, we will make the best mentor-mentee pairs.

The program starts!

May to August, 2023

You will work weekly with your mentee in one-on-one mentoring sessions to review their work on the 8 business modules on the platform.
You will guide and accompany them while they cover the most important parts of their business (from refining the value proposition to generating a clear growth plan).
You will meet the other mentors in the monthly sessions, so you can share learnings, challenges, and network.

Pitch Competition

After completing the program, you will be invited to attend the Pitch Competition. In this final event, startups will present their business to a panel of judges and will be eligible for one of the program's funding awards.

The best incubation methodology

Entrepreneurship is a chaotic process by nature. That’s why Bridge for Billions’ methodology is based on a structured, hands-on learning approach. Our incubation program is based on developing a business plan from scratch while being surrounded by a supportive community: fellow mentors, entrepreneurs, and an incubation team.

Our 8 online business tools will support you and guide you during your mentorship process. In your to experiment, research and document your ideas step by step so that at the end of the program they will be able to download their own business plan in PDF and they will be confident that you are building a viable business.

Questions about the program?

What is the time commitment to the program?

Mentor applicants should show a passion for helping aspiring social entrepreneurs and should be ready to commit in order to ensure quality mentorship and a productive business relationship. Mentors can always choose when to work with a project or not, but once a commitment is made, the time requirement is approximately 1.5 hrs per week for the duration of the entrepreneur’s incubation program.

What technology will I need for the program?

You will need to be able to use a laptop or desktop computer (not tablet or smartphone) and preferably one of these browsers: Google Chrome, Safari, Firefox. We expect you to have a strong, reliable internet connection both for reviewing the mentees work on the platform and to participate in the weekly mentoring sessions via video call.

Why is this program sponsored?

Bridge for Billions and Social Ventures Foundation have partnered with the goal of bringing high-quality entrepreneurial support to social entrepreneurs in Costa Rica.
We believe that only by providing this program at no cost for these students, we are truly supporting them to unleash their potential and create solutions for all.

How will I work and communicate with my mentees?

Our platform has been built to facilitate collaboration. Once you have access to your mentor’s workspace you’ll be able to work together with them through comments on every aspect of their business plan, and you’ll also have access to your own team video room embedded in our platform, so that every week you can meet and talk as if you were in the same room, in just a few clicks.

You’ll also have one-to-one messaging with your mentee(s) available, and each team can decide (or not) to use alternative communication channels such as phone, WhatsApp, email, Slack, etc.

Lastly, you will have monthly online calls with all of the other mentors from your cohort to share articles and resources, ask questions, and overcome challenges together.

Do I get paid as a mentor?

Being a Bridge for Billions mentor is a 100% volunteer experience in which you’ll impact the life of the entrepreneurs when it’s most needed and learn top-notch entrepreneurship and innovation methodologies.

What will be my role as a mentor? On what subjects will I support the entrepreneur?

As a mentor, you will guide your entrepreneur throughout our structured program. You will be the person who can understand the ins and outs of their business and, week after week, help them to validate their strategy for each critical stage, from targeting the right customers, to building a 3-year growth plan.

You will support your entrepreneurs through virtual collaboration on the platform as well as video chats once a week. We also encourage any connection or extra resource that you can share with them. Our program is made of 8 business tools:

These tools will guide you as well as the entrepreneur in effectively covering and validating each critical aspect of the business planning process.

Do you provide help/training/material for inexperienced mentors?

Yes — once you have officially been accepted as a mentor, you will be invited to follow an onboarding training where we’ll explain our innovation-based entrepreneurship methodology and how our platform works. You’ll get the chance to meet other mentors, and of course we’ll be here to answer all of your questions! You will also join an online community of mentors to spark conversations, share extra resources, and keep learning!

Can’t find your question here?

Connect directly with Tatiana, Program Manager of the The John D’Silva Incubator program to answer them.

This program has been built by

For more information, please visit our website