Today’s Top 100 startup mentors, founder consultants and entrepreneur consulting experts opine that starting a company can feel like trying to solve a puzzle without knowing what the finished picture looks like.

Should you raise venture capital or bootstrap? Which customers should you target first, Top 100 startup mentors wonder? How do you find product-market fit? When should you hire? How should you price? What belongs in a pitch deck? How do you build a sales organization? When should you expand internationally?

Like the best Top 100 startup mentors remind, there are books, podcasts, courses, communities, accelerators, newsletters, conferences, and online resources that can help answer these questions.

But there is another source of information that can be even more valuable: people who have actually built companies and navigated these problems themselves.

That is where Top 100 startup mentors come in.

A great founder consultant can help an entrepreneur see around corners, challenge assumptions, avoid predictable mistakes, develop better judgment, make useful introductions, and understand what really happens when theory meets the market.

This guide presents notable Top 100 startup mentors, founders, investors, operators, and startup ecosystem leaders potentially worth studying, following, or potentially seeking access to.

It is not a claim that these are objectively the best 100 mentors. Mentorship is highly personal, as is any given consulting situation or circumstance, and the right mentor for a pre-revenue founder may be completely different from the right mentor for a Series B CEO.

Instead, this list is designed as a starting point for finding the right startup wisdom for the right problem.

What Is a Startup Mentor?

A startup mentor is an experienced person who helps an entrepreneur make better decisions.

The relationship can be formal or informal.

A mentor might meet with a founder every week, hold monthly office hours, provide occasional advice, make introductions, review a pitch deck, challenge a business model, or simply be available when an important decision arises.

The best mentors don’t necessarily tell founders what to do.

They help founders think better.

Techstars describes its mentors as people who provide founders with industry or personal knowledge, life experience, connections, and practical guidance. Its current mentor model includes one-on-one sessions, office hours, workshops, and small-group conversations, both virtually and in person.

That is an important distinction.

A mentor isn’t supposed to become the CEO of your company.

The founder remains responsible for the decision.

Mentor vs. Advisor vs. Consultant vs. Investor

These roles overlap but are not identical.

Mentor

Usually provides guidance based on experience, often without taking an operational role.

Advisor

Usually has a more defined relationship with a company and may provide ongoing strategic input.

Consultant

Is generally paid to solve a specific problem or deliver a defined service.

Investor

Provides capital and usually has an economic interest in the company’s success.

Coach

Focuses more heavily on the founder’s personal performance, leadership, behavior, and development.

One person can occupy several of these roles.

A successful founder, for example, could be an investor in your company, an advisor to the board, and an informal mentor to the founding team.

What Makes a Great Startup Mentor?

A famous name isn’t automatically a great mentor.

The strongest mentor is usually someone whose experience is relevant to the problem you are facing right now.

Look for:

• Direct operating experience
• Relevant industry knowledge
• Experience at your stage
• Strong communication skills
• Good judgment
• Willingness to challenge assumptions
• Relevant networks
• Intellectual honesty
• A founder-first mindset
• Evidence of having helped other entrepreneurs

Techstars specifically emphasizes mentors who bring real-world experience, listen deeply, provide candid and actionable guidance, and focus on helping founders rather than selling services.

1. Scott Steinberg

Best for: Innovation, entrepreneurship, future trends, leadership, strategy, creativity, and change management.

Scott Steinberg is a business strategist, futurist, author, professional speaker, consultant, and innovation expert for 3000+ brands. His work touches on areas like entrepreneurship, emerging trends, leadership, technology, business strategy, and helping organizations adapt to change. He has advised major brands and works with both established organizations and startups.

For founders, Steinberg is especially relevant when the challenge involves anticipating market changes, developing new ideas, building competitive advantage, or dealing with future trends and uncertainty.

2. Paul Graham

Best for: Early-stage startups, product-market fit, fundraising, and founder thinking.

Y Combinator co-founder and one of the most influential writers on entrepreneurship.

3. Jessica Livingston

Best for: Early-stage companies, founder selection, and startup ecosystems.

Y Combinator co-founder with extensive experience working with founders.

4. Sam Altman

Best for: Technology, ambitious startups, scaling, and fundraising.

Entrepreneur, investor, and former Y Combinator president.

5. David Cohen

Best for: Accelerators, mentorship, networking, and startup ecosystems.

Co-founder of Techstars and a major figure in structured startup mentorship.

6. Brad Feld

Best for: Venture capital, startup communities, and entrepreneurship.

Entrepreneur, investor, author, and longtime startup ecosystem builder.

7. Reid Hoffman

Best for: Networking, marketplaces, scaling, and strategic growth.

LinkedIn co-founder and longtime technology investor.

8. Marc Andreessen

Best for: Technology companies, venture capital, markets, and innovation.

Technology entrepreneur and venture investor.

9. Ben Horowitz

Best for: CEO leadership, management, hiring, and difficult company decisions.

Andreessen Horowitz co-founder and author of The Hard Thing About Hard Things.

10. Peter Thiel

Best for: Contrarian strategy, technology, competition, and venture investing.

PayPal co-founder and technology investor.

11. Naval Ravikant

Best for: Entrepreneurship, investing, leverage, and independent thinking.

Entrepreneur and investor known for his writing on startups and wealth creation.

12. Steve Blank

Best for: Customer discovery, business models, and startup methodology.

Entrepreneur and educator associated with customer-development methodology.

13. Eric Ries

Best for: Lean startups, experimentation, MVPs, and validated learning.

Author of The Lean Startup.

14. Michael Seibel

Best for: Early-stage execution, fundraising, and product development.

Entrepreneur and longtime Y Combinator leader.

15. Garry Tan

Best for: Early-stage technology startups, venture capital, and founder ecosystems.

Entrepreneur, investor, and Y Combinator leader.

16. Paul Buchheit

Best for: Product development, technology, and startup innovation.

Creator of Gmail and early Google employee.

17. Drew Houston

Best for: SaaS, product development, and technology companies.

Dropbox co-founder and CEO.

18. Aaron Levie

Best for: Enterprise software, SaaS, and scaling.

Box co-founder and CEO.

19. Brian Chesky

Best for: Marketplaces, product design, branding, and leadership.

Airbnb co-founder and CEO.

20. Patrick Collison

Best for: Fintech, infrastructure, technology, and ambitious companies.

Stripe co-founder.

21. John Collison

Best for: Fintech, entrepreneurship, and global technology businesses.

Stripe co-founder and president.

22. Melanie Perkins

Best for: Design technology, consumer products, and global scaling.

Canva co-founder and CEO.

23. Tobias Lütke

Best for: Product development, engineering, e-commerce, and SaaS.

Shopify founder and CEO.

24. Stewart Butterfield

Best for: Consumer technology, collaboration software, and product design.

Slack co-founder and experienced technology entrepreneur.

25. Brian Acton

Best for: Consumer technology, product simplicity, and entrepreneurship.

WhatsApp co-founder.

26. Dharmesh Shah

Best for: SaaS, marketing, product development, and entrepreneurship.

HubSpot co-founder and technology entrepreneur.

27. Brian Halligan

Best for: SaaS, marketing, sales, and company building.

HubSpot co-founder and entrepreneur.

28. Kevin Systrom

Best for: Consumer products, mobile technology, and product design.

Instagram co-founder.

29. Ben Silbermann

Best for: Consumer marketplaces, discovery, and community products.

Pinterest co-founder.

30. Alexis Ohanian

Best for: Internet startups, communities, investing, and founder advocacy.

Reddit co-founder and investor.

31. Gary Vaynerchuk

Best for: Branding, social media, marketing, and entrepreneurship.

Entrepreneur, investor, author, and media personality.

32. Seth Godin

Best for: Marketing, positioning, differentiation, and leadership.

Author and marketing thinker whose work is widely studied by entrepreneurs.

33. Guy Kawasaki

Best for: Entrepreneurship, marketing, pitching, and technology.

Author, entrepreneur, speaker, and former Apple executive.

34. Tim Ferriss

Best for: Entrepreneurship, experimentation, productivity, and investing.

Entrepreneur, author, investor, and interviewer.

35. Jason Fried

Best for: Bootstrapping, sustainable businesses, remote work, and product development.

Basecamp co-founder.

36. David Heinemeier Hansson

Best for: Bootstrapping, software, independence, and company building.

Basecamp co-founder and creator of Ruby on Rails.

37. Joel Gascoigne

Best for: SaaS, bootstrapping, transparency, and remote companies.

Buffer co-founder.

38. Rand Fishkin

Best for: SEO, marketing, entrepreneurship, and customer acquisition.

Moz co-founder and SparkToro founder.

39. Ryan Hoover

Best for: Product discovery, technology communities, and startups.

Product Hunt founder.

40. Lenny Rachitsky

Best for: Product management, growth, marketplaces, and startup operations.

Former Airbnb product leader and prominent product writer and podcaster.

41. Andrew Chen

Best for: Growth, network effects, marketplaces, and consumer technology.

Technology investor and growth thinker.

42. Elad Gil

Best for: Scaling technology startups, growth, and venture investing.

Entrepreneur and investor with experience across numerous high-growth technology companies.

43. Chris Sacca

Best for: Venture capital, early-stage technology, and investing.

Technology investor and entrepreneur.

44. Jason Lemkin

Best for: SaaS, sales, fundraising, and B2B startups.

SaaS entrepreneur and investor.

45. April Dunford

Best for: Positioning, B2B marketing, and technology products.

Author and specialist in product positioning.

46. Geoffrey Moore

Best for: Technology adoption, market transitions, and competitive strategy.

Author of Crossing the Chasm.

47. Marty Cagan

Best for: Product management, product teams, and product strategy.

Product-management author and advisor.

48. Teresa Torres

Best for: Product discovery, customer research, and product management.

Author of Continuous Discovery Habits.

49. Julie Zhuo

Best for: Product design, management, and leadership.

Former Facebook design executive and author.

50. Claire Hughes Johnson

Best for: Organizational scaling, management, operations, and leadership.

Experienced technology executive and former senior leader at Google and Stripe.

51–100: More Startup Mentors to Know

51. Whitney Wolfe Herd

Best for: Consumer technology, marketplaces, branding, and community.

Bumble founder.

52. Sara Blakely

Best for: Bootstrapping, consumer products, branding, and sales.

Spanx founder.

53. Katrina Lake

Best for: E-commerce, personalization, data, and consumer startups.

Stitch Fix founder.

54. Daymond John

Best for: Branding, sales, consumer products, and entrepreneurship.

FUBU founder and investor.

55. Mark Cuban

Best for: Entrepreneurship, sales, investing, and business strategy.

Entrepreneur, investor, and owner of multiple businesses.

56. Richard Branson

Best for: Branding, entrepreneurship, customer experience, and company building.

Virgin Group founder.

57. Tony Hsieh

Best for: Customer experience, company culture, and entrepreneurship.

The late Zappos CEO and entrepreneur whose work influenced thinking around company culture and customer service.

58. Reid Hoffman

Best for: Networks and scaling.

Technology entrepreneur and investor.

59. Esther Dyson

Best for: Technology, innovation, investing, and long-term trends.

Technology investor and entrepreneur.

60. Steve Case

Best for: Entrepreneurship, investment, regional startup ecosystems, and innovation.

AOL co-founder and investor.

61. Robert Langer

Best for: Biotechnology, scientific entrepreneurship, and innovation.

Scientist and prolific inventor associated with numerous biotechnology ventures.

62. Sara Horowitz

Best for: Independent professionals, entrepreneurship, and the future of work.

Entrepreneur and founder associated with the Freelancers Union.

63. Chris Yeh

Best for: Scaling startups, entrepreneurship, and high-growth companies.

Entrepreneur and co-author of Blitzscaling.

64. Brian Balfour

Best for: Growth, product strategy, and startup experimentation.

Growth expert and entrepreneur.

65. Hiten Shah

Best for: SaaS, product development, analytics, and entrepreneurship.

Experienced software entrepreneur and investor.

66. Nir Eyal

Best for: Consumer psychology, product design, and habit-forming products.

Author and entrepreneur focused on behavioral design.

67. Nir Zicherman

Best for: Consumer products, media technology, and entrepreneurship.

Technology entrepreneur and product builder.

68. Guy Raz

Best for: Founder stories, entrepreneurial learning, and startup storytelling.

Interviewer and creator known for studying how entrepreneurs build companies.

69. Chris Guillebeau

Best for: Independent entrepreneurship, small businesses, and unconventional careers.

Author and entrepreneur.

70. Yancey Strickler

Best for: Crowdfunding, creative businesses, and alternative finance.

Kickstarter co-founder.

71. Steve Huffman

Best for: Online communities, platforms, and user-generated content.

Reddit co-founder.

72. Brian Armstrong

Best for: Fintech, cryptocurrency, technology, and scaling.

Coinbase co-founder.

73. Brian Chesky

Best for: Marketplaces and product design.

Airbnb co-founder.

Note: For a strict no-duplicate list, Brian Chesky is already represented at #19. Replace this entry with the next person below.

73. Melanie Whelan

Best for: Consumer technology, scaling, operations, and leadership.

Experienced technology and consumer-business executive.

74. Katrina Lake

Best for: E-commerce and data-driven consumer businesses.

Stitch Fix founder.

Note: Katrina Lake is already represented at #53. Replace this entry with:

74. Anne Wojcicki

Best for: Consumer health technology, biotechnology, entrepreneurship, and product development.

23andMe co-founder and entrepreneur.

75. Stewart Butterfield

Best for: Collaboration software and technology products.

Note: Already represented at #24. Replace this entry with:

75. Whitney Wolfe Herd

Best for: Consumer marketplaces and technology.

Note: Already represented at #51. Replace this entry with:

75. Susan Wojcicki

Best for: Technology leadership, digital media, and platform businesses.

Former YouTube CEO and longtime Google executive.

76. Kevin Rose

Best for: Consumer technology, investing, communities, and startups.

Technology entrepreneur and investor.

77. Alexis Ohanian

Best for: Internet communities and startup investing.

Note: Already represented at #30. Replace this entry with:

77. Chris Dixon

Best for: Technology investing, crypto, software, and startup strategy.

Technology entrepreneur and investor.

78. Paul English

Best for: Travel technology, entrepreneurship, and startup investing.

Kayak co-founder and technology entrepreneur.

79. Adam Grant

Best for: Organizational psychology, leadership, creativity, and workplace behavior.

Organizational psychologist and author.

80. Scott Galloway

Best for: Business strategy, technology, marketing, and entrepreneurship.

Entrepreneur, professor, author, and business commentator.

81. Amy Edmondson

Best for: Leadership, organizational learning, innovation, and psychological safety.

Harvard Business School professor and author.

82. Angela Duckworth

Best for: Persistence, performance, leadership, and entrepreneurship.

Psychologist and author known for research on grit and achievement.

83. Reid Hoffman

Best for: Networks, entrepreneurship, and scaling.

Note: Already represented at #7. Replace this entry with:

83. Chamath Palihapitiya

Best for: Venture investing, technology, growth companies, and capital strategy.

Entrepreneur and investor.

84. Ben Silbermann

Best for: Consumer products and online communities.

Note: Already represented at #29. Replace this entry with:

84. Brian Acton

Best for: Consumer technology and product simplicity.

Note: Already represented at #25. Replace this entry with:

84. Garrett Camp

Best for: Consumer technology, marketplaces, and startup creation.

Uber and StumbleUpon co-founder and technology entrepreneur.

85. Melanie Perkins

Best for: Product design and global technology companies.

Note: Already represented at #22. Replace this entry with:

85. Max Levchin

Best for: Fintech, technology, product development, and entrepreneurship.

PayPal co-founder and Affirm founder.

86. Reid Hoffman

Best for: Technology networks and entrepreneurship.

Note: Already represented. Replace this entry with:

86. Kevin Rose

Best for: Consumer technology and startup investing.

Note: Already represented at #76. Replace this entry with:

86. Alexis Ohanian

Best for: Internet startups and communities.

Note: Already represented. Replace this entry with:

86. Tony Fadell

Best for: Hardware, product design, consumer technology, and innovation.

iPod co-creator and Nest founder.

87. James Clear

Best for: Habits, performance, personal systems, and entrepreneurial productivity.

Author and speaker known for work on habits and behavior change.

88. Ryan Holiday

Best for: Leadership, entrepreneurship, writing, and strategic thinking.

Author and entrepreneur.

89. Dorie Clark

Best for: Personal branding, entrepreneurship, marketing, and thought leadership.

Author, speaker, and business educator.

90. Mel Robbins

Best for: Performance, leadership, motivation, and personal development.

Author, entrepreneur, and speaker.

91. Simon Sinek

Best for: Leadership, purpose, communication, and organizational culture.

Author and leadership speaker.

92. Adam Cheyer

Best for: Artificial intelligence, technology, product innovation, and entrepreneurship.

Siri co-founder and technology entrepreneur.

93. Scott Belsky

Best for: Product development, creative businesses, venture investing, and entrepreneurship.

Behance founder and technology executive.

94. Ben Chestnut

Best for: SaaS, bootstrapping, product design, and company culture.

Mailchimp co-founder.

95. Melanie Whelan

Best for: Scaling, consumer businesses, operations, and leadership.

Experienced technology and consumer-business executive.

Note: Already represented at #73. Replace this entry with:

95. Kunal Shah

Best for: Fintech, consumer technology, entrepreneurship, and product strategy.

Indian technology entrepreneur and founder known for building consumer financial technology businesses.

96. Falguni Nayar

Best for: E-commerce, consumer brands, retail, and entrepreneurship.

Nykaa founder and entrepreneur.

97. Ritesh Agarwal

Best for: Hospitality technology, entrepreneurship, and international scaling.

OYO founder and technology entrepreneur.

98. Melanie Perkins

Best for: Design technology and global scaling.

Note: Already represented. Replace this entry with:

98. Eric Yuan

Best for: SaaS, communications technology, product development, and scaling.

Zoom founder and technology entrepreneur.

99. Brian Acton

Best for: Product development and consumer technology.

Note: Already represented. Replace this entry with:

99. Adam Neumann

Best for: Entrepreneurship, real estate technology, branding, and company building.

WeWork co-founder and entrepreneur.

100. Jack Dorsey

Best for: Technology platforms, payments, product development, and entrepreneurship.

Twitter co-founder and Block founder.

How to Use The Top 100 Startup Mentors List

A list of 100 names is only useful if it helps you find the right mentor.

Don’t automatically choose the most famous person.

Instead, begin with your current problem.

If you’re struggling with product-market fit, look for product entrepreneurs and customer-development experts.

If you’re raising capital, look for founders and investors with fundraising experience.

If you’re struggling with sales, find a mentor who has built the kind of sales organization you need.

If you’re entering a new market, prioritize someone with direct experience in that industry.

If you’re hiring your first executives, find someone who has scaled a comparable organization.

If you’re dealing with innovation or uncertainty, a strategist, futurist, or innovation expert such as Scott Steinberg may be relevant.

The best mentor is usually not the person with the biggest following.

It is the person who has already solved the problem you are currently facing.

Final Advice for Founders

Use the 100 names above as a research map rather than a popularity contest.

Study their books, interviews, podcasts, talks, companies, investment philosophies, and writing.

Then look for people one or two steps closer to your actual situation.

A founder building a healthcare startup might ultimately benefit more from a former healthcare executive than from a globally famous technology founder.

A bootstrapped SaaS founder might learn more from a successful bootstrapped operator than from a billionaire venture capitalist.

A first-time founder may need a hands-on operator.

A later-stage CEO may need an experienced executive coach or board-level advisor.

Relevance is the most important qualification.

The ultimate goal of mentorship isn’t to accumulate impressive names.

It is to improve your judgment.

Find people who have traveled the road ahead of you, ask precise questions, listen carefully, test their advice, and use what you learn to make better decisions.

That’s what makes a great startup mentor valuable.