StartupVisa isn’t the only endeavor that Juan Lopez Salaberry is busying himself with. Just yesterday, he announced online that he’s also expanding to include mentorship to his startup model with his new venture, MentorDay.
With the main goal of “increas[ing] access to opportunities, enabling more people to unleash their full potential”, Salaberry is hoping to launch MentorDay later this month. Though this initiative differs from the work he’s doing with immigration reform over at StartupVisa, Salaberry hopes that it supports the overall mission.
Launching April 15th, MentorDay is a platform to give one-on-one mentorship from community leaders to upcoming “innovators, entrepreneurs, and changemakers”. It embraces pay-it-forward culture, taking place in different venues across the city every third Friday of the month. Access is also something taken into consideration; all of the mentors are volunteers and the mentees can register for free.
In his online post, Salaberry elaborates more behind his message for MentorDay:
“The vast majority of the world does not look like Silicon Valley, but most importantly… it doesn’t need to. Trying to replicate the ‘Startup Mecca’ is pointless; what we can do is learn from it. Mentorship is one of those things that need to transcend the Valley, but as simple of a concept as it is, it is a rare practice worldwide.”
It’s always exciting to see how tech can provide creative solutions to some of society’s most pervasive issues. Hopefully, this will lead to more companies finding the value in incorporating these issues to their foundation to lead to more creative problem-solving and inclusivity for tech’s future.