  This study proposes a framework for matchmaking a mentor and mentee by
exploring intentions of entrepreneurs towards mentoring. The framework based on
Theory of Planned Behaviour, Institutional Theory and Social Exchange Theory
were applied to explore factors that influenced intentions of IT-Entrepreneurs
in Malaysia towards mentoring. It was applied at three different phases to
understand how selection of mentor changes from one phase to another, and
identify type of mentoring support that entrepreneurs need during each phase.
Qualitative data were collected from entrepreneurs through semi-structured
interviews and analysed using NVivo10. Findings showed that entrepreneurs need
different mentoring support and skills when they go through each phase of their
entrepreneurial career. The conception phase is the most important phase
because entrepreneurs are still in the process of developing their product and
want a mentor to help them to evaluate the viability of their product.
Entrepreneurs at this phase are also more concerned about the surface level
characteristics of mentor such as age, gender, race and language than the other
phases. At the start-up phase, entrepreneurs want a mentor who can provide them
networking support and help them in decision making. Besides that, the IT
entrepreneurs think that mentoring services provided in the incubators are very
generic and not helpful. On the contrary, entrepreneurs at the growth phase
want a mentor whom they see as a role model and is more experienced and
successful. Entrepreneurs at this phase do not care much about factors such as
gender, race and religion of the mentor.
