How Mentors and Growth Acceleration Programs Shaped RVmagnetics’ Journey

At our 10-year anniversary, it feels like the right time to look back and recap the most important lessons we’ve learned from the mentors we’ve had the privilege of working with. We truly can’t express enough gratitude for their guidance, hoping that one day we’ll also be in a position to pass on some of this wisdom — along with a few elegant “short-cuts” — to those open to listening.

Some programs may follow a fixed curriculum, covering topics you might already know. Still, it’s always worth seeking advice on how to get the most out of each experience — you might be surprised how often your feedback and initiative are heard. When you find yourself in a tough spot, needing a second opinion or a healthy dose of constructive criticism, it’s good to belong to a “family.” Sometimes that means receiving tough love — realizing much later how helpful (and even pivotal) that push truly was.

Importance of Mentors for Growth

Mentorship plays a crucial role in shaping the journey of any entrepreneur or professional striving for growth. A mentor’s experience serves as a valuable compass, guiding others through the complexities of building and scaling a business. Having already navigated the entrepreneurial landscape, mentors share insights gained from both triumphs and setbacks, helping new founders avoid common and costly mistakes.

Their objective feedback provides clarity when emotional attachment clouds judgment, ensuring decisions are grounded in reality rather than passion alone. Through strategic guidance, mentors help refine business models, set achievable goals, and develop essential skills such as leadership, negotiation, and financial management — forming a solid foundation for sustainable success.

Beyond strategy and skills, the value of mentorship extends to connection and emotional support. Mentors often open doors to influential networks of investors, partners, and industry experts, providing opportunities that can fast-track growth and credibility. Just as importantly, they serve as a steady source of encouragement during the inevitable highs and lows of the entrepreneurial journey.

This combination of wisdom, objectivity, and emotional backing accelerates learning and resilience, empowering founders to grow faster, make better decisions, and stay motivated in the face of challenges.

What Is an Acceleration Program?

Acceleration programs are structured initiatives designed to fast-track the growth of startups by providing them with mentorship, funding access, networking opportunities, and hands-on support. Typically lasting from a few weeks to several months, these programs connect early-stage companies with experienced entrepreneurs, investors, and corporate partners.

Best Acceleration Programs for Tech Startups

For deeptech startups, some of the most notable examples include:

• Y Combinator,
• Techstars DeepTech,
• Plug and Play Tech Center,
• Hello Tomorrow Global Challenge,
• EIT Manufacturing.

Each program follows its own model, but all share a common mission — to help founders validate their technology, refine their business strategy, and scale efficiently while gaining visibility in global innovation ecosystems.

While definitions and structured programs provide the framework, the real magic of mentorship often unfolds in unexpected, very human moments. Beyond the official sessions and polished presentations, it’s the spontaneous advice, the candid conversations, and even the funny misunderstandings that shape how lessons truly sink in. What follows are some of the more memorable — and occasionally humorous — stories from our own experience working with mentors, each carrying its own insight and lasting impact.

Billion Dollar Company

One of the more memorable — and at times humorous — parts of our mentorship journey was the recurring question: “So, how do you plan to become a billion-dollar company?” It is almost an equal of “Where do you see yourself in 5 years from now?” in HR world. One of our mentors had faced the same question a decade earlier. What started as curiosity turned into a deep dive into industry data and strategy.

The conclusion, delivered almost with a smile, was that there’s currently no sensing company generating a billion dollars in annual revenue. As shocking as that seemed, it also led to key realizations about the sensing industry: that major R\&D breakthroughs happen in 10–20 year cycles, and that while growth averages around 5 % annually, the sector remains remarkably resilient to economic crises. Something worth explaining to potential investors. Showing you not only have an answer ready, but a complex in-depth understanding of the industry.

Get Paid for the Value, Not the Volume

This lesson first appeared in one of our curriculum sessions. At the time, it sounded intriguing but abstract — until real life offered a moment to apply it. During a supplier-client negotiation, we recalled that session, revisited our notes, and reached out to our mentor to discuss the opportunity. That dialogue reshaped our approach. It taught us that relationships and preparation matter just as much as expertise.

“Get paid for the value, not the volume” became a guiding mantra. Delivering value is essential, but being the value — as a trusted, knowledgeable, and adaptable partner — is an intangible asset that strengthens every relationship. Working with mentors, we realized, is never a one-way street. We in fact ended up ordering industry research services to prepare us for the negotiation.

Navigating the Complexity of US vs EU Patent Positions

This topic surfaced in a client case involving a U.S.-based partner eager to file a provisional patent. What began as excitement quickly turned into confusion with another US client a week later, especially upon encountering terms like “Congressional mandate.” It was a true Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? “Phone a Friend” moment — and thankfully, we had the right contact to guide us through the intricacies of U.S. patent and IP law. This experience reinforced the importance of mentorship and networks, especially when entering unfamiliar regulatory environments.

Kanban, Agile, Six Sigma — or Just Good Old-Fashioned Management

When Nicole Noack joined our Advisory board, her mentorship soon evolved into hands-on collaboration. With her experience as a seasoned interim executive, she helped us transition from what we believed was an “organic” management style to a fully Agile approach — complete with Kanban boards, daily standups, retrospectives, and continuous feedback loops. The process took almost nine months to settle in, but the transformation was profound.

We often joke about how we pitched the idea to Nicole: “We’re like a soccer team with 11 players all trying to score their own goals. We need one game plan, one strategy, and a team mindset.” Nicole not only understood but helped us build that system. We’re deeply grateful for her guidance and partnership.

Ladies and Gentlemen — The Pitch!

One recurring theme across all mentorship programs is mastering the pitch. In 2019, RVmagnetics was introducing its technology through 60-minute presentations (yes! 60 minutes and we were proud of it). Engaging? Maybe, but far too long. The golden rule of any sales conversation is balance, and ours was clearly off.

Through repeated mentorship and feedback, we learned to distill our story into concise, impactful formats: 7 minutes, then 5, and eventually just 3. It took nearly a year to achieve a version we were truly proud of. We refined different versions for investors, technical partners, and even public funding consortia — each serving its own purpose.

At some point, every acceleration program began to feel like another pitch-centered practice, and that’s perfectly fine. The key is to stay receptive while remaining in the driver’s seat. When you’ve mastered your pitch, try to use your mentor's time to explore other “itching points” — those areas that still challenge you.

Now We Know Everything… What’s Next?

Of course, we don’t. While spending our weekly rounds at DASA / NATO DIANA offices at Imperial College London, we often opened up about the pain points we faced. One discussion about implementing a reward system for R\&D staff turned into a three-hour deep dive — complete with theory, examples, and a few humbling insights. The mistake we made was an honest one, and hurt many relationships in the company, but one take-away we were lacking was understanding why. Our mentor stayed late, even rebooked a train, just to ensure we understood where we’d gone wrong. Just what we needed.

Sometimes you learn by asking, sometimes by failing — and sometimes you need a mentor to help you understand your own failure. Stay curious. Even mentors have their own mentors and peers they learn from.

Growth Acceleration Programs and Notable Mentors RVmagnetics Worked With

This is our heartfelt shout-out to the exceptional individuals and programs that helped shape our path:

Sustainable AeroLab

• Nicole Noack
• Nicholas Burgwin
• Bjorn Fehrm
• George Likourezos

NATO DIANA

• Jane Buglear Osborne
• Sami Moughrabie
• David Plant
• Adrian Kirk
• Bryan Sergeant

Other Acceleration Programs and Networks

• 6th Sense by Hexagon (participated between September 2023 – January 2024)
• BIND 4.0 (participated ​​between February 2023 – July 2023)
• EIT Manufacturing
• Combient Foundry
• Plug n Play

Other notable Mentors we had a privilege of working with

• Guy Kawasaki
• Peter Vesterbacka

Conclusion: What We Learnt from Acceleration Programs

A decade into our journey, the greatest lesson we’ve learned is that mentorship is not just guidance — it’s growth in motion. Every mentor, every session, and every piece of advice has left an imprint on how we think, lead, and build. Acceleration programs and mentors have challenged us to aim higher, adapt faster, and think deeper. Most of all, they’ve shown us that success is never achieved alone.

As RVmagnetics continues to evolve, we carry forward not just the knowledge we’ve gained, but also the responsibility to share it — helping the next generation of innovators find their own mentors, networks, and “phone-a-friend” moments along the way.

There’s one more thing to remember: not all experience is transferable. In other words, no mentor can, or should, solve everything for you. Mistakes are inevitable, and in many ways, essential. They’re the moments that test what you’ve learned and help you internalize it. So, don’t shy away from them. Embrace your mistakes — they’re just as vital to your growth as the guidance of great mentors.