Whether you’re a self-taught dev, a university student, or a career switcher, ConnecMent helps you grow through real projects, real teams, and real guidance. After a brief pause, we’re back, refreshed and ready to continue building.
ConnecMent thrives on experimentation. We adapt to feedback from mentors and mentees, trying to understand what works and what doesn’t. It’s a process, and we’re always evolving.
Across three eras, we’ve learned a lot. Here’s how it all came together:
1. Era 1 – Inception
We gathered a small group of mentors and mentees, worked together, built the Platform project in a single day, and ate pizza (or maybe just salad). The focus was on Frontend and Backend development. A chaotic but rewarding start.
We tried incorporating blockchain incentives and tokenomics, but it was too soon. The era didn’t take off, and we learned a valuable lesson: the idea was ahead of its time.
We built tbot and Arbit, both solid projects. We also created a bank of real-world tasks that helped mentees learn by doing. This was a massive win, with tangible products that are still growing today.
We’re excited to reignite the program with fresh ideas and some key changes, based on what we’ve learned from past experiences and feedback.
1. A More Strict Shortlisting is Back
We’re being more selective. We want mentees who are active, clear on their goals, and can commit time.
The new application process includes the following steps:
- You apply through the application portal.
- We evaluate all applications, and select ones will be notified. You will have a higher chance if:
- Have a relevant past experience
- Clarify the reason for your application, your goal, and why you think ConnecMent is a good fit program for your goal
- Your time commitment is above the minimum of 10 hours per week
- You will have a chat with the team. We accept mentees that:
- Their words reflect their application
- Show courage, self-confidence, and learning passion
- Show responsibility for doing the program tasks, sharing updates, etc.
- Show to be a team player
- Shortlisted mentees will get a comprehensive task that need to be done, showing their coding abilities, learning speed, and self-organization.
- Each mentee presents his/her output, and select mentees will enter the program. The acceptance criteria may differ per task, and will be demonstrated later
2. Project Structure
We still welcome your project proposals, but we’re also offering predefined projects. If you don’t have an idea, you can pick one of these to work on.
- Orphos protocol: Arbit project from the previous era will be broken into some other projects
- Orphos Core: Contains the core graph logic of Arbit.
- Orphos Arbit: A specific app on top of Core, for displaying arbitrages
- Orphos landing page: The landing page for Orphos protocol
- Mnemonify: A vocab learning app, powered by AI
- ConnecMent landing page: The landing page for ConnecMent itself
- ErgoFlash protocol: A project trying to bring flash loans to Ergo blockchain
We may add more projects to the list before starting the program.
3. Longer Timeline
The Reignite Era will allow for a longer build-up. We’ll give you more time to learn and adapt before diving deep into the projects. The full process, including the acceptance phase and the program itself, will take around 3–4 months in total (but is subject to change).
4. Advisor-Only Mentors
Other than regular mentors, you’ll also have access to advisor-only mentors — domain experts who don’t actively participate but are available by request for focused guidance.
5. Mentee Rewards
Mentees may earn a reward, whether it’s a badge, NFT, or physical good.
6. English-First Communication
We’ll communicate in English for official ConnecMent meetings, with meetings hosted on Google Meet. Teams can set their own internal rules of the communication medium, frequency, language, etc.
7. AMA Calls
We’ll host casual Q&A sessions where mentees can ask mentors anything — ranging from career paths, CV checks, irrelevant technical questions, book suggestions, etc.
8. Clear Entry Requirements
For software projects, we expect mentees to have a solid understanding of programming and a strong willingness to learn quickly. No need for niche knowledge, but confidence is key. We expect you to be comfortable with at least one language, version control, basic debugging, and data structures.
9. Smart AI Use
In previous eras, we discouraged AI tools. This time, we encourage them — but only once you’ve learned the basics. AI can boost productivity when used right.
10. Emphasis on Responsibility
We expect mentees to take responsibility for their work. Research on your own, ask thoughtful questions, and come prepared. Mentors are here to guide, but you should be self-sufficient. Think of mentors as nitro for the project, not its steering wheels.
- You know exactly what you want from ConnecMent and can clearly express it in your application.
- You’re confident in learning new technologies, languages, or concepts — without fear of diving into the unknown.
- You’re a previous mentee who wants to come back and level up.
- You have relevant experience that fits with the current projects.
- You take responsibility for your work and ask for help only when you’ve already done your research.
Learn the necessary skills. Understand each project’s purpose. You may also submit your own proposal during this phase.
Choose the projects you’re most excited about. Deepen your skills and start contributing.
We work both sync and async. For async work, you’ll need to provide regular updates on Discord, Telegram, or whatever platform we use.
Weekly or bi-weekly sync sessions. All mentees are expected to attend and share progress updates.
Projects have fixed deadlines. As deadlines approach, expect sync calls, pair programming, and team discussions.
All teams will demo their product on the demo day.
Q: I’m interested, but my time is limited. Can I still join?
A: It depends on you. If you’re quick to learn and build, you can absolutely keep up. However, we recommend a minimum of 10 hours per week commitment.
Q: I’m not confident yet, should I apply?
A: Yes — if you’re willing to put in the work. We’re looking for learning speed, not perfection.
Q: I don't know what I want to learn. But I want to try. Should I apply?
A: Absolutely. Figuring out what works for you and what doesn’t is a valid goal. You’re welcome to apply, and mentors will support you in exploring different paths.
Want to apply or have questions? Join our Waitlist Telegram Group