Musings on Mentorship at TecTonic Night Summit
There’s an old saying that’s stuck with me:
“If you’re the smartest person in the room, you’re in the wrong room.”
Entrepreneurship teaches you that quickly. No matter how experienced or capable you are, there’s always someone who’s seen the problem differently, solved it faster, or fallen harder, and learned more because of it. This is an insight that can both dishearten or empower, depending on which lens you see it through.
Over the years, I’ve realised the real magic in the entrepreneurial journey doesn’t come from the grind alone. It comes from proximity, access and honesty about where you’re at and what you need.
It comes from being in rooms full of people who challenge your thinking, broaden your horizons, and openly share the lessons they learned the hard way.
The ‘TecTonic’ name celebrates the movement and overlap of people and ideas. Perhaps the most important thing about our events is creating spaces where those collisions happen with intention. Our Mentorship Initiative connects founders, freelancers, and creatives with mentors and expert advisors who’ve been through the highs, lows, pivots, and plateaus that shape every venture.
Because the truth is, innovation doesn’t happen in isolation. It happens in conversation.
It happens when we share what we know. Any TecTonic attendee can get free access to 1:1 conversations with experts across startups, tech, product, marketing, fundraising, and advisory. These sessions are about real talk, lived experience, and open exchange.
If you’re serious about growing, as a leader, a creative, in your career, or a contributor to Scotland’s innovation ecosystem, make sure you’re in the right rooms!
You’ll find one of them at TecTonic Night Summit on 10 December, Dockyard Social, Glasgow. Save your spot now!
Our Mentorship initiative is supported by Barclays Eagle Labs, CodeBase, Johnston Carmichael, Digital Boost and Shepherd & Wedderburn.
See our Year-End Exchange Mentor roster and book your spot here.
Amy Kelly (SAAS Marketing – Go-To-Marketing – Positioning)
Robin Knox (Growth – Product Design – Commercialisation)
Liza Sutherland (Fundraising – Startups – Investment)
Andy Robinson (Product – Strategy – Growth)
Nhamo Mtetwa (AL & ML – Education & Training – Financial Services)
Nathalie Cutting (Maximise Cash-Flow – Funding Options)
Ceri Shaw (AI & ML – Financial Services – Education & Training)
Daniel Grant (Product Engineering – Software – Zero-to-One)
Neil Wilson (Fundraising – Tax – Business Advisory)
Sooz Young (Digital Skills – AI & Automation – Innovation)
Jason Wagner (Arts, Media, Games & Creative – Consumer Goods)
Sid Kathirvel (Any Industry – Growth Marketing – Growth Strategy)
Michael Heins (Brand – Design – Go-To-Market)
Josh Robertson (Tech Careers – Mechanical Engineering – Project Management)
Kirsty Jagielko (Fractional CMO – Sales Strategy – B2B Growth Strategy)
Greg Zienkiewicz (Video Production – Content Creation – Startup & Founder Storytelling)
Chris Noble (AI & ML – Product Development – International Expansion)
Ian Henderson (Fractional CTO – AI & Product Strategy – App & SAAS Development)
Jenn Sillars (GTM – Positioning – Product Marketing)
Gary Crawford (AI & ML – Climate & Nature Innovation – Product Development & Design)
Callum Stuart (AI & ML – B2B & B2C SAAS – Strategy & Growth)
Laura Griffin (Brand – Strategy – Social Media)
Sam Eccles (Creative Industries – Strategy & Leadership – Operations)
Marcus Fields (SaaS – Product – Growth)
Izzy Linton (Startup Legals – Employment Law – HR & Compliance)
Fraser Merrifield (Tech Teams – Recruitment – Tech Career Coaching)
Keshan Sharp (AI Tools – Building with AI – Sales)