How to Be a Great Startup Mentor with Permjot Valia & Ross Webb

In this episode of the Startup Junkies Podcast, host Caleb Talley sits down with Permjot Valia, founder of Mentor Camp, and Ross Webb, a longtime AI product manager and returning Mentor Camp mentor, to unpack the philosophy behind one of the most unusual mentorship models in the startup world.This is a masterclass for founders on how to actually get value out of mentorship, and for mentors on how to build relationships that last well beyond a single conversation.In this episode:✅ The origin story of Mentor Camp✅ How to build genuine trust and social capital as a mentor or founder✅ The question that ruins a mentoring session ✅ Advice Permjot and Ross would give their younger selves⏱️ CHAPTERS0:24 – Welcome & Meet the Guests1:09 – Permjot Valia's Sales Background 2:24 – Ross Webb: From Cape Town to AI Product Management 3:06 – Building an AI Product That Hit $50M in Revenue 4:18 – The Origin Story of Mentor Camp 5:19 – Why the Mentor Is the Client, Not the Startup 6:35 – Creating a White-Glove Mentor Experience (and Why Top Mentors Keep Coming Back)10:25 – Real Relationships vs. One-Way Mentoring 13:29 – Fixing Transactional Mentorship in the Fuel Accelerator 13:52 – Social Capital: Why Mentors Shouldn't Hand Over Contacts Right Away 15:55 – Ross Webb's Charity "Gating System" for Mentoring Requests 19:19 – Spotting an Uncoachable Mentee (and the #1 Advice for Every Mentee) 22:10 – Asking for Insights, Not Opinions, in a Mentoring Session 24:29 – Advice to Their Younger Selves & the Shoelace Story That Changed Lives—Connect with Permjot Valia & Ross Webb🔗 https://mentorcampnwa.com/🔗 https://www.linkedin.com/in/permjotvalia/🔗 https://www.linkedin.com/in/rosswebb/—🎧 Follow the Startup Junkies Podcast on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts. 👍 If you enjoyed this episode, like, subscribe, and share it with a friend.The Startup Junkies Podcast is brought to you in part by RISE, helping Arkansas tech and tech-enabled startups grow with no-cost coaching, capital navigation, and expert connections. Learn more at RiseArkansas.org.