Mentor Corner is a monthly feature highlighting the incredible contributions made by our mentor network to our venture community.
At Innovation UBC, we are privileged to work with a pool of 250+ mentors across the Vancouver and BC innovation ecosystem who invest their time, expertise, and insights into growing the early-stage ventures of tomorrow. From entrepreneurial leadership development to scaling venture creation, our mentor network is fundamental to what we do here, and we are excited to introduce you to them in our monthly feature, Mentor Corner!
Meet Jen Chitty
Jen is a 30-year veteran of the tech community here in the Lower Mainland who has been active at all levels of product development, including product and UX design, software construction, team leadership, business modelling, sales support, customer training and support, and community building. He has worked in all sizes of companies and in diverse problem domains, including Autonomous Robotic Submersibles, Telecoms, Consumer Electronics, Building Automation Controls, and the IoT. Jen joined as a mentor part way through the Fall cohort in 2021. He took 2022 off, and rejoined for the full Cohort 45 in both Lab2Launch and CORE.
Learn more about how Jen works with ventures as a mentor, what advice he’d give to our community, and the most important lessons he’s learned along the way.
How did you get into mentorship? What brought you here?
I got into mentorship in general as a natural part of my career progression, but I was introduced to Innovation UBC by Kari LaMotte with whom I had crossed paths at a crazy broken startup way back in the dot-com days (sorry to date us like that, Kari!). I was looking for a new challenge, she responded with this, and I remain grateful!
What is the most important lesson you’ve learned in your mentorship career?
Tough question! One thing I’ve learned recently is that the Vancouver startup scene today is so much more open and supportive than I had expected. But, in general I’ve found that I love empowering others and watching the amazing, unexpected things they do with that power and seeing the happiness they derive from their own accomplishments (even if there’s no resulting tangible gain for me). So, I’ve learned that mentorship is a path to my own happiness through the empowerment and happiness of others.
Working with early-stage startups, you have the opportunity to make a huge impact on the founders you are working with. What impacts have founders made on you?
Founders are constantly inspiring me with their creative energy, perseverance, and can-do attitudes. I want to be just like them when I grow up.
If you could impart one piece of sage advice to our community, what would it be?
Another tough question! So many things are important. I guess I’ll say this: Commit to personal growth (changing yourself for the better) for the rest of your life. All too often people decide they’ve got it all figured out and stop looking for evidence they’re wrong or for new tools and ideas that could level them up even more. It’s hard to change old habits, but it’s worth the effort.
“Commit to personal growth (changing yourself for the better) for the rest of your life.”
- Jen Chitty
What book are you reading? What playlist are you listening to?
“Drive” by Daniel Pink. This is a must-read for anyone in any size of business.
Thank you Jen for your expert insights and continued impact on our community
