The Real Advice Mentoring Program (RAMP) is a team-based mentoring program licensed from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology by the University of South Alabama. RAMP is the first program of its kind in Alabama and along the Gulf Coast. RAMP currently provides companies with expert team-based mentoring. Teams of three to four mentors meet regularly with the companies. Mentors and mentees participate in meetings where speakers on a variety of relevant business topics and specific companies are expected to “pitch” their company at designated meetings to obtain business input. 

RAMP has had more than 30 companies rotate in and out of the program during its five-year existence. Currently, RAMP provides mentoring to many minority-led and female-led companies. Just under 40% of RAMP companies meet the definition of minority, under-represented and socially and economically disadvantaged. 

Our experience is that companies must be built from the ground up and early mistakes in financing or staffing or “growth” can be devastating. These problems must be avoided or resolved before a company can be attractive to, and benefit from, capital opportunities. Mentors from RAMP and the programs sponsored by Innovation Portal can provide this assistance. Our key goals are to assist in building the capacity of our ecosystem’s infrastructure, facilitating access to networks (both for expertise and capital) and steering companies to capital opportunities.