Mentor Corner: Meet Kyle Cheriton

Mentor Corner is a monthly feature highlighting the incredible contributions made by our mentor network to our venture community.

At entrepreneurship@UBC, we are privileged to work with a pool of 250+ mentors throughout 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 ventures across industries, our mentor network is fundamental to what we do here and we are excited to introduce you to them in our new monthly feature, Mentor Corner!

First up, meet Kyle Cheriton

Kyle has mentored with entrepreneurship@UBC since 2017, working with teams including Hubly, Barrelwise, Aqua Intelligent, Susgrainable, GUD and Skylab. He held leadership positions in global brands including Four Seasons Hotels & Resorts, The Walt Disney Company, United Airlines and Rakuten. Kyle has also been part of early-stage startup teams including Arista Networks and MartiniBurger. Always either an intrapreneur or an entrepreneur… and always with a focus on the customer. In addition to his mentoring duties with entrepreneurship@UBC, Kyle is currently an advisor with several of the teams he works with and a volunteer “urban farmer” at the UBC Farm.

Learn more about how Kyle 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 involved with mentorship? What brought you here? What keeps you coming back?

I retired and moved from Tokyo to Vancouver in 2015, choosing to live and love life on the UBC Campus. Great decision! Professor Darren Dahl at the Sauder Business School introduced me to the (then) recently launched entrepreneurship@UBC program.

I taught Tourism & Hospitality Management at a university in Tokyo and found it very rewarding. The opportunity to mentor young entrepreneurs and participate in their growth was exactly what I was seeking post-retirement. As French moralist and essayist Joseph Joubert said, “To teach is to learn twice”

Being a part of budding entrepreneurs’ learning and growth at such a critical point in their lives keeps me coming back for more. Best of all, I am motivated to continue my own learning, growth and exploration of knowledge. Proof? This summer I am enrolled in a UBC American Sign Language course in order to fulfill a long time curiosity.

Being a part of budding entrepreneurs’ learning and growth at such a critical point in their lives keeps me coming back for more. Best of all, I am motivated to continue my own learning, growth and exploration of knowledge.

Kyle Cheriton 

What is the most important lesson you’ve learned in your mentorship career? 

As a mentor, it is critical not just to guide and challenge the venture’s vision, technology and marketplace but also to understand the founder(s) as individuals. It is people who build successful organizations. 

Take the time to get to know and empathize with people you are mentoring. Be keenly aware (from your own time doing it) that the startup experience can be filled with stress and uncertainties. Be there with them to light up the dark corners and celebrate the conquests.

When 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? 

We look for founders who are open to learning, respect the process and show the courage to be curious. Founders with these qualities constantly remind me to be the same. As a mentor, I still have so much to learn. I make it a rule to work with teams with technology, ideas and within industries in which I have limited experience.  

Since joining e@UBC as a mentor, I have learned so much about investment advisors, winemaking, water purification, upcycling, competitive athletes, robotics and even women’s fashion from our founders. The more I learn, the more I am able to support future teams.

If you could impart one piece of sage advice for our community, what would it be? 

Storytelling. It is a fundamental human experience that unites people and drives stronger, deeper connections. Whether you are making a presentation, pitching an idea, sharing experiences as a mentor or just being curious… tell a story. It is how entrepreneurs communicate, educate, share, and connect. 

All of us love hearing stories and we are natural storytellers. Elevate your vision, your brand and your team through your story. Remember, every great story includes the villain (the problem/obstacle), the hero (your solution) and of course, a happy ending.

What... book are you reading / playlist are you listening to / app can you not quit?

The Power of Moments, Chip Heath, Brad Mehldau Trio and Evernote.

What else would you like our community to know?

We often hear from teams with comments about receiving varied and conflicting counselling from mentors. “Who is right and whose advice should we take?”.

Embrace all of it! Each and every mentor comes with a different background, experiences and outlook on what creates, influences and shapes successful startup ventures. We all share a common position, however, and that is allowing you to make the decisions about your venture. You won’t learn if you aren’t in control.

Listen and engage with your mentors. Look at issues, opinions and options with a 360° viewpoint. Don’t be afraid to challenge others’ viewpoints. Being a mentor makes us experienced. Not perfect. And remember to ask mentors about their failures as well as their successes. I can honestly say I have learned so much more from my mistakes than almost any of my home runs.

Remember to ask mentors about their failures as well as their successes. I can honestly say I have learned so much more from my mistakes than almost any of my home runs.

Kyle Cheriton 

Thank you Kyle for your expert insights and continued impact on our community! 

Are you interested in joining our mentor network? Learn more here.