Startup Mentorship Programwith a Mentor Who Reviews Your Work
Most founders do not need more advice. They need one experienced operator who looks at their specific idea every week, asks the uncomfortable question, and holds them to a deadline. LVL1 Startup School gives you exactly that: four live 1:1 sessions a month for three months, on evenings and weekends, with no equity taken.
30 seats per cohort · ₹499 to be reviewed · ₹12,000/month for 3 months, only if accepted · no equity
What good startup mentorship actually looks like
A coffee with a successful founder is inspiring. It rarely changes what you do on Monday. The mentorship that moves a startup forward has three things in common.
It is about your idea, not startups in general
Your mentor reads what you did this week, your customer notes, your landing page, your numbers, and responds to that. Generic frameworks are in the library; the sessions are for your decisions.
It is honest
An operator who has built and sold companies will tell you when the reasoning is weak or the market is too small. Friends and family rarely will. Hearing it in week three is far cheaper than in year two.
It comes with a deadline
Each phase of the twelve-week curriculum has work due on a date, signed off by your mentor, not by you. That is what turns good intentions into customer conversations, a product and a first paying customer.
Free mentor networks vs a mentorship program
Free mentor networks, college incubators and startup events are valuable and we encourage founders to use them. They solve a different problem.
| Free mentor networks and events | LVL1 Startup School | |
|---|---|---|
| Who you talk to | Whoever is available that week | The same operator every week, who knows your history |
| How often | Occasional, when you can get time | Four live 1:1 sessions a month, booked from your portal |
| Accountability | None, you set your own pace | A twelve-week curriculum with deadlines your mentor signs off |
| Timing | Business hours, in person | Online, evenings and weekends included |
| Cost | Free | ₹12,000 a month for three months, no equity |
What the three months include
Three phases across twelve weeks: validate the problem, build the smallest useful version, and launch to a paying customer.
- Four live 1:1 sessions a month with operators who have built and sold companies
- A twelve-week curriculum with deadlines that a mentor signs off, not you
- Sessions booked from your portal, evenings and weekends included
- Recorded library, templates, a cohort community and partner perks
- A closing review with your mentor: keep going, change direction, or stop, decided on evidence
- No equity taken. You pay a monthly fee and keep 100% of your company
Some of the operators you will work with
Abhishek Praharaj
Hexagon
Presales, Value Selling
Anandan Kumaran
Tiny Magiq
Sales, Technology Leadership, Product
Balaji Prasad P S
Shell
Program Management, Retail Technology, Enterprise Delivery, PMO
Gowtham Dakshina Murthy
Lifestyle Retail Malaysia
Retail Technology, Enterprise IT, Digital Transformation
Gowthaman I
Updater Services
HR Strategy, Talent Management, Org Development, Hiring
R. Seenivasan
TATA Steel
Manufacturing, Technology
Ramkumar Arumugam
Swiggy
Product Management, GenAI, Consumer Tech, Marketplaces, Startup Advisory
Sakthi Priya Balaji Rangan
JIX Reality & JIX R&D Lab
Interaction Design, UI/UX, XR (VR/AR/MR)
Startup mentorship: questions
How do I find a startup mentor in India?
Start with people who have built a company in your space, through events, LinkedIn and your college or company alumni network. If you want structured, recurring mentorship rather than occasional advice, a mentorship program like LVL1 Startup School pairs you with an operator who reviews your work every week for three months.
Who are the mentors?
Operators who have built, scaled or sold companies, drawn from the LVL1 mentor network that has supported accelerator cohorts from Chennai. You can see some of them on this page and on the Startup School page.
Is the mentorship online?
Yes. All sessions are live over video and booked from your portal at times that suit a working week or a college timetable, so founders anywhere in India get the same programme.
How much does the mentorship program cost?
A one-time ₹499 review fee when you apply, then ₹12,000 per month for three months, charged only if you are accepted. After that an optional alumni membership of ₹3,000 per month keeps your sessions and library access. You can cancel anytime.
Do you take equity for mentorship?
No. Startup School is a paid program and takes no equity and no success fee. You keep 100% of your company.
Do I need a company or a product to join?
No. Idea stage is fine. The first phase of the curriculum is about testing whether the problem is real, before you build anything.
Not sure the problem is real yet? Validate it for free first.