Mentoring is a very old form of learning. In Homer's Odyssey, Odysseus entrusts his son to Mentor, a childhood friend, before embarking on his journey. Mentor acts as a guide and adviser to Odysseus' son during his long absence.

Today, mentoring is focused on issues of professional integration and perseverance, for example:  for professions with low retention rates of new employees.

The need to be supported in these first moments of work mainly affects the commitment of the “mentee”. The development of self-confidence, through the appropriation of knowledge, advice and support, will be an outcome that will promote the retention of the “mentee”. Among the beneficial effects of professional mentoring for the mentee, we have access to the mentor's social and professional network, acquisition of knowledge and know-how, increased chances of promotion and obtaining a role model.  

There are also benefits to the mentor: a sense of selfless service to the organization, professional recognition, a sense of usefulness, and a sense of accomplishment in the face of the protégé's successes. Overall, for both partners, an increase in productivity, a better understanding of evaluation mechanisms, the discovery of hidden talents, the refinement of leadership qualities and a better rate of recruitment and retention of highly qualified personnel stand out.

Entrepreneurship mentoring can be included as a form of professional mentoring. More than 63% of bankruptcy cases occur during the first five years of operation. New entrepreneurs often lack experience and management skills, which contributes to the high level of business failure. New entrepreneurs feel isolated and lacking in management experience and often need to talk to someone who can help them take a neutral, detached look at the business.

Mentoring is therefore a relationship that is established informally or formally (as part of a formal program) between two people. On the other hand, in the organization, formal relationships are found more often in organizations than in informal relationships. This is possibly due to the need for organizations to ensure that the organization's culture is perpetuated. The lack of structure in informal matchmaking does not seem to produce the number of mentors and proteges to meet organizational needs.

Generally, the mentor is older and more experienced, while the “mentee” begins his career. The mentor's goal is to share his knowledge, his experience, his achievements, the wisdom of his experience with the less experienced person. Mentoring is also useful when a “mentee” aims to develop their skills for a management position. This “mentee” can be experienced in a certain field, but will need the input of a mentor to develop skills related to the managerial career.

What distinguishes entrepreneurial mentoring from professional organizational mentoring is that the mentor is almost always a person who has no business connection with the “mentee” business.

In formal mentoring programs, the objective is career development, their professional integration and the development of useful skills for the performance of their duties. All of this must be done in a flexible framework that gives latitude to the relationship between the two people.

In the context of mentoring entrepreneurs, the learning required by the mentee may be "related to attitudes and behaviors (self-confidence, concerns, decision making, etc.), to the business itself (action plan, marketing, performance, etc.) or commercial relationships (networking, access to information, etc.).