WASHINGTON, D.C. (CitizenWire) — Today the U.S. Department of State announced the expansion of E-Mentor Corps, a Web-based platform to match mentors in the U.S. business community with aspiring entrepreneurs from developing countries around the world. During his speech in Cairo, the President emphasized strengthening ties on issues like entrepreneurship and connecting people in the U.S. with people around the world, including through online platforms.
On April 27, at the Presidential Summit on Entrepreneurship, Secretary Clinton outlined the structure of the E-Mentor Corps to fulfill these objectives. This initiative to promote the Web-based platform by U.S. Embassies and partners aims to expand the number of users – both mentors and entrepreneurs – from hundreds to thousands.
E-Mentees will be recruited through the U.S. Department of State’s existing network of thousands of alumni from exchange programs focusing on entrepreneurship, and others who express serious interest in entrepreneurial guidance. E-Mentors have been initially solicited from among participants in the Presidential Summit on Entrepreneurship, and the U.S. Department of State has already received Statements of Intent from leading U.S. organizations signifying their commitment to provide E-Mentors.
These include: Accenture, AMIDEAST, Babson College, Business for Diplomatic Action, Ernst & Young, Endeavor, Financial Services Volunteer Corps, Global Business School Network, IBM, Intel, The Kauffman Foundation-Global Entrepreneurship Week and TechWadi.
Through the E-Mentor Corps platform, mentors are able to request connection to mentees, while mentees can also reach out to potential mentors. This networking platform is currently available in English and Arabic, but is meant to serve entrepreneurs in developing countries worldwide.
E-Mentor Corps can be reached at http://www.imagine-network.org/about/e-mentor-corps.
It is directed by the U.S. Department of State’s Global Entrepreneurship Program (GEP) and managed through a partnership with ImagineNations Network.