Village Talks Ep. 15 - Shawn Mintz of Mentor City with "Mentorship Beyond Borders"

Village Talks Episode 15: Mentorship Beyond Borders

Featuring Shawn Mintz, Founder of MentorCity

What happens when you believe in an idea so deeply… that you max out every credit card, cold call 500 companies, get rejected daily—and still refuse to quit?

That’s the heart of Episode 15 of Village Talks.

This conversation with Shawn Mintz, Founder of MentorCity, is about more than mentoring software. It’s about faith. Perseverance. Vision. And the kind of belief that carries you through when nothing around you says “keep going.”

From Speed Mentoring to a Global Platform

Shawn’s journey started in 2006, working in the nonprofit sector helping newcomers to Canada land their first jobs. He created rapid-fire mentoring events—ten-minute conversations that rotated throughout the room. And he would sneak into the back just to watch.

He saw lightbulbs go off.
He saw confidence spark.
He saw one man find “the right one”—a connection that led to a banking job within a week.

That moment changed everything.

By 2011, MentorCity was born—a SaaS mentoring platform now used across Canada, the U.S., the U.K., Singapore, India, and beyond. What started as an idea evolved into a customizable mentoring ecosystem where organizations can:

• Match mentors and mentees using intelligent algorithms

• Facilitate goal-setting and structured mentoring conversations

• Host video calls within a secure environment

• Build safe, intentional community spaces

But the road from idea to impact was not smooth.

Confidence, Faith, and 500 Rejections

Shawn shared something powerful: he has struggled with confidence his whole life.

And yet—when it came to MentorCity—he had unshakable faith in the vision.

Within six months of writing his business plan, he quit his full-time job. Two young kids. No savings. Maxed-out credit lines. And a belief that this would work.

That first year? The hardest of his life.

He cold called 500 companies. Rejection after rejection. Three years before profitability. But he stayed with it. He leaned into mentors. He sought wisdom from those who had built tech companies before him. He submitted himself to guidance.

And when MentorCity finally turned a profit?

He bought himself a new suit to celebrate.

That’s not just entrepreneurship. That’s perseverance rooted in mentorship.

Mentorship Is Not Just for Youth

One of the most refreshing parts of our conversation was this: mentorship is not segmented to age.

Shawn mentors a 15-year-old student who splits time between Saudi Arabia and Pakistan—and he says he learns just as much from her as she learns from him. Her global vision for emergency care reform inspires him.

A seven-year-old once wrote in a peer mentoring program that she had “made her best friend.”

A corporate initiative at Walmart helped women connect across retail leadership pathways.

Mentorship works at 7 years old.
At 15 years old.
At 40.
At 70.

Village is not age-bound. Growth is lifelong.

Community in the Age of AI

As technology accelerates and AI reshapes our world, Shawn is asking deeper questions:

How do we use technology thoughtfully—without losing our humanity?
How do we build digital spaces that are safe, intentional, and relationship-driven?

MentorCity integrates the best elements of social platforms—but within protected, organization-specific ecosystems. No trolling. No racism. No inappropriate content. Just structured connection.

Mentors can even create “spaces” within the platform—micro-communities focused on topics like confidence-building or career growth.

It’s not about consumption.

It’s about participation.

And that distinction matters.

The Magic Wand Moment

When I handed Shawn the “magic wand” question—what would you change in the world?—his answer was simple and profound:

More people in mentoring relationships.

Because mentoring changes perceptions.
It reduces isolation.
It bridges differences.
It builds understanding.

From poverty to racism to violence—connection shifts outcomes.

Mentorship is not the only solution.
But it may be one of the most scalable ones.

A Two-Way Street

Shawn left us with something beautiful:

Mentorship is beyond AI.
It’s beyond algorithms.
It’s about inspiration flowing both ways.

You are never too young to mentor.
You are never too old to be mentored.

And if you want to build something meaningful in this world, don’t neglect the power of submitting yourself to guidance.

Because sometimes the thing that keeps you going…
is someone else saying, “I always knew you could do it.”

Village is not just a noun.
It’s a verb.
And mentorship is one of the clearest ways we activate it.