25 de junio de 2026

MentorCamp regresa al noroeste de Arkansas por primera vez en más de una década, atrayendo a inversores y operadores globales a Bentonville.

World-renowned mentorship program — last held in Arkansas in 2015 — brings seven international mentors from the UK and Canada together with regional powerhouses to work directly with a hand-picked cohort of NWA’s most promising AI-driven startups.

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (June 25, 2026) — MentorCamp NWA 2026 kicks off today in Bentonville, hosted by Startup Junkie y su Acelerador de combustible program — marking the first MentorCamp held in Northwest Arkansas since 2015. The invite-only program runs through June 27 across Bentonville and the broader region, pairing a curated cohort of high-growth NWA founders with a roster of world-class mentors flying in from London, Halifax, Calgary, and the Yukon.

Founded by globally recognized startup coach Permjot Valia in Halifax in 2011, MentorCamp has been staged in cities across Canada, the UK, South Africa, Turkey, and the United States. Valia — named by TechCrunch as “one of the best mentors to startups in Europe” and “one of the very best pitch trainers in the world” — has personally invested in more than 50 companies globally, including several in Arkansas, previously served as a Mentor-in-Residence at the University of Arkansas Sam M. Walton College of Business, and also serves as an advisor to the Fuel Accelerator program.

“MentorCamp’s return to Northwest Arkansas is a long time coming, and the caliber of mentors making the trip says everything about the program Permjot has built up and how this region is being represented on the global stage,” said Caleb Talley, Executive Director of Startup Junkie. “These are operators and investors who could be anywhere in the world this week, and we’re so grateful that they’ve chosen to be here with us, experiencing Northwest Arkansas and engaging with our founders.”

MentorCamp NWA 2026 is made possible with the support of EY, Surgir, Synapse Communications Consulting, y Chambers Bank, and in collaboration with the University of Arkansas Office of Entrepreneurship and Innovation.

A Global Bench of Mentors

This year’s program features seven international mentors representing two countries and four distinct innovation hubs — London, England; Halifax, Nova Scotia; Calgary, Alberta; and Whitehorse, Yukon — alongside a deep bench of regional mentors and consultants drawn from across Arkansas.

Visiting international mentors include:

  • Permjot Valia (London / Halifax) — Founder & CEO, MentorCamp; Co-founder, Nava Develop; longtime Arkansas goodwill ambassador
  • Ross Webb (London, UK) — Principal Product Manager and platform AI leader, Mindway Media
  • Randy “R Stewart” Thompson (Calgary, Alberta) — Chairman & CEO, Valhalla Private Capital; pioneer of Canada’s “Dragon’s Den” investing model, with more than $80 million deployed across 100+ early-stage companies and a portfolio spanning six countries
  • Dawn Umlah (Halifax, Nova Scotia) — Strategic Decision Partner to Founders & VCs; former CEO of npm, Inc. (acquired by GitHub); Fellows Mentor at Breakthrough Energy; Entrepreneur-in-Residence at Innovacorp; Board Member at 3D BioFibR
  • Sreejata Chatterjee (Halifax, Nova Scotia) — Co-Founder, HiVanya; AI product and engineering leader
  • Jon McGinley (Halifax, Nova Scotia) — President, CLIMB Marketing, Sales & Advisory Services; fractional growth leader for scaling companies
  • Kory Henn (Halifax, Nova Scotia) — Royal Bank of Canada (RBC)
  • Ceara Crawford (Whitehorse, Yukon) — Yukon Venture Angels, representing one of Canada’s most northern and active angel networks

They will be joined by a deep bench of Arkansas-based mentors — founders, operators, investors, and ecosystem leaders representing some of the region’s most active companies and institutions.

A Front-Row Seat for NWA’s Next Generation of AI-Driven Companies

The 2026 cohort is built around a thesis of horizontal AI — companies applying AI across industries from cybersecurity and healthtech to retail, supply chain, and government technology. Participating startups include:

A Region That Punches Above Its Weight

MentorCamp NWA 2026 is hosted by Startup Junkie and its Fuel Accelerator program, with the support of EY, ARise, Synapse, and Chambers Bank, and in collaboration with the University of Arkansas Office of Entrepreneurship and Innovation. Programming is hosted at The Collaborative in Bentonville and venues across Benton and Washington counties.

Beyond the working sessions, the program is intentionally designed to immerse visiting mentors in the NWA experience — with a curated corporate campus visit, a guided tour of the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art and its contemporary sister space, The Momentary, and an authentic Arkansas rodeo on the itinerary.

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About the Partners

Acerca de Startup Junkie: Startup Junkie is a Fayetteville-based nonprofit empowering innovators and entrepreneurs across Arkansas and the broader region through no-cost consulting, programming, and ecosystem-building.

About Fuel Accelerator: Fuel Accelerator is Northwest Arkansas’ premier accelerator program, connecting high-growth startups with strategic corporate partners and the region’s leading investors.

About ARise: ARise is a statewide initiative funded by the Arkansas Economic Development Commission supporting Arkansas’ tech and tech-enabled founders through consulting, events, and access to resources and subject matter experts.

About EY, Synapse, and Chambers Bank: EY, Synapse, and Chambers Bank are supporting partners of MentorCamp NWA 2026, providing the resources and regional commitment that make a program of this caliber possible in Northwest Arkansas.

About the University of Arkansas OEI: The University of Arkansas Office of Entrepreneurship and Innovation (OEI) is a collaborating partner, anchoring MentorCamp NWA’s connection to the Sam M. Walton College of Business and the university’s broader entrepreneurship ecosystem. As part of the collaboration, students from OEI’s Student Business Incubator summer cohort will have a dedicated opportunity to engage with and pitch their ventures directly to MentorCamp’s international and regional mentors.

About MentorCamp: MentorCamp, founded in 2011 by Permjot Valia, brings together the most promising startups in emerging ecosystems with a hand-selected bench of world-class mentors — operators, investors, and advisors — for high-intensity working sessions that accelerate company growth and deepen each region’s connection to the global startup community.

Contacto con los medios

Caleb Talley, Director Ejecutivo, Fundación Startup Junkie
caleb@startupjunkie.org | 479-879-7997

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