EIR Manifesto
The Yale Ventures EIR community is composed of experts from a wide range of industries, reflecting the incredible diversity of technologies developed by Yale faculty. Every EIR brings deep experience, whether their backgrounds are enterprise operations, investment, or as start-up executives. While Yale excels at discovering novel insights in everything from new therapeutics to digital healthcare interventions and advanced materials to artificial intelligence, we rely upon the generosity of our growing EIR community to help guide us towards the commercial marketplace. Working with early-stage Yale startups as volunteers, our EIRs share their expertise and industry insights, often while paired with other EIRs with complementary backgrounds.
Over the past decade of engaging mentors and EIRs in the support of new Yale ventures, we share this short list of recommendations, to make both your experience, as well as the ventures you meet, as productive and fulfilling as possible.
Communication and Collaboration
- Share relevant knowledge, experiences, and resources that can contribute to the success of the commercialization projects.
- Provide honest and constructive feedback, while being mindful of the innovators' individual needs and goals.
- Be responsive and attentive to the innovators' questions, concerns, and suggestions.
Professionalism
- Uphold confidentiality and protect sensitive information shared by the innovators or Yale Ventures.
- Avoid conflicts of interest and disclose any potential conflicts that may arise during the mentoring process.
Respect and Diversity
- Respect the diversity of ideas, backgrounds, and cultures among Yale innovators, treating everyone with equality and fairness.
- Foster an inclusive and welcoming environment that values diverse perspectives and encourages innovation.
Ethical Conduct
- Adhere to high ethical standards and promote ethical conduct in all aspects of the mentoring relationship.
Continuous Learning and Improvement
- Seek feedback from the academic innovators and Yale Ventures to improve your mentoring approach.
- Strive to enhance your mentoring skills and stay up to date with Yale Ventures on programs for EIR training and engagement.
- Share your own experiences and lessons learned to facilitate the innovators' growth and development.