Mentor Code of Conduct

Protect What People Share

Participants come into BŪP spaces with ideas they are still building: business concepts, prototypes, pitches, strategies. Some of it is raw. All of it is theirs.

• —What you hear in a BŪP program, event, or Slack channel stays there. It is not yours to share, reference, or repackage.
• —Do not take a participant's idea and build it, pitch it, or pass it along, even with good intentions.
• —Do not discuss specific participants, their ideas, or their business details with anyone outside of the BŪP community.

Keep It Off Social Media

We know you are proud to be part of this community and we want you to say so. But there is a line between celebrating the work and putting people's business in the street.

• —Do not post about specific participant ideas, pitches, struggles, or conversations without their explicit permission.
• —Do not share screenshots, recordings, or summaries of private Slack conversations or closed event sessions.
• —If you want to share something publicly, ask first. A quick "mind if I share this?" is all it takes.
• —You may identify yourself as a BŪP Innovation mentor and share your own experience. Just keep other people's stories as their own.

Show Up with Integrity

Mentors set the tone. Participants are watching how you engage, how you respond, and how you treat people when the stakes feel high.

• —Be honest. If you do not know something, say so. Bad advice delivered with confidence does more damage than no advice at all.
• —Be respectful of different backgrounds, different business models, and different levels of experience. Everyone in the room has something valid.
• —Do not push your own products, services, or agenda on participants. You are here to support them, not recruit them.
• —If a conflict of interest comes up, flag it to the BŪP team before engaging.

Be Reliable

Showing up halfway is worse than not showing up at all for someone who was counting on your feedback.

• —If you commit to an event, a session, or a Slack window, honor it. If something comes up, give notice as early as possible.
• —Respond to messages and questions within a reasonable time during your stated available hours.
• —If you need to step back from mentoring for any reason, let the BŪP team know. There is no shame in that.

Compensation

Mentoring through BŪP Innovation is a volunteer role. You are here because you want to give back. If there is ever a paid facilitation opportunity, it will be discussed and agreed upon separately in writing before any engagement begins.