An engineering mentor. If a session doesn't help, you don't pay.
Not a coach reading it off a slide. ELC mentors are operators who have already done your job: 3,662+ unique sessions with 317 engineering and product leaders across 17+ countries. Rate a session below 8 out of 10 and it's free.
Or register through your AI assistantStep 1
Pick your scope.
Choose what you want to get better at. Pick more than one if that is the truth.
Step 2
Six mentors on the bench.
CEO @ Visionvolve
Michal Ličko
AI transformation & scaling eng orgs 100+
Field CTO @ Keboola
Vojta Tůma
Data platform architecture & strategy
Strategy builder
Jan Fried
Strategic planning & product ops transformation
Nobody on the bench covers that combination yet. Describe it anyway and Marian will match you by hand.
Ask for an intro.
Three short steps. Marian reads every one of these himself and comes back with a name and a time, usually within two working days.
Request in. Marian has it.
You will get a name and a proposed time, usually within two working days. Check your inbox for the confirmation in the next minute or two.
Register through your AI.
Free · no account needed
ELC runs AI-first, so mentoring does too. Connect the Claude or ChatGPT you already use to Marian's mentoring server. It asks what is stuck and what success looks like, proposes a program, and emails you a formal offer. This route books Marian himself; for another mentor from the bench, use the form above.
Server address
https://www.marian.coach/mcp/mentoringPaste it into your AI's connector settings. Step-by-step setup for Claude, ChatGPT and Cursor.
Three steps. No retainer.
Say what's stuck.
A hiring fire, a board deck, a team that stopped shipping. Two minutes to describe it.
Get matched.
An operator mentor for engineering leaders who ran your stage and scale, with the scars to show for it. Matching runs through MentoringHub, the mentoring bench built on the ELC network.
The guarantee
3Pay only when it helps.
You rate every session. Below 8 out of 10, that session is free. The bar sits with you, not us.
Whatever seat you are in.
Engineering leaders
CTO, VP of Engineering, Director. Board answers, org design, a hiring plan that holds.
1:1 with MarianEngineering managers
First leadership seat, delivery pressure, the team you inherited.
See the manager trackTech leads and staff engineers
Influence without authority. Architecture calls that stick.
See the staff trackSoftware developers stepping up
The IC to lead jump, without dropping your technical edge.
See the career trackProduct managers and product builders
Roadmaps that survive contact with stakeholders.
See the product trackLeaders in the AI era
Rewiring how your team builds with AI, guided by someone shipping with it this week.
Find your mentorSenior engineer choosing the staff road over management? 144 is a 12-week circle of twelve engineers and twelve CTOs, first circle November 2026.
The room these mentors come out of.
Every mentor on this bench stands on an ELC stage, sits in a circle, or argues in the bar afterwards. 40+ meetups held so far, 120+ registrations each time.
Not mentors flexing on LinkedIn. They’ve been through the s**t.
They have done the job you are doing. Marian mentors and evaluates each one personally before they get into the ELC mentor group.
Mentees, in their words.
"Marian was part of helping scale up our technical teams from 35 to 100 people during his time with Mews. One of his key successes was around creating visibility on engineering output and ensuring we were able to more effectively reach our goals."
"In my new role, after just four months, I had to let go of a significant number of people who were also my friends. Marian provided invaluable guidance. I was able to part ways with everyone on good terms."
"He helped me with my vector, shape my story, and sharpen my elevator pitch. … His feedback was always direct and specific, never generic, and every session gave me something I could apply right away."
Where mentees come from.
Engineering leaders at scale-ups, banks, and global product companies. Czech, Slovak, EU, US.
Live data
The numbers behind the bench.
Pulled live from the mentoring log. Staff engineers to CTOs, 17+ countries, CEE to San Francisco. Rated 9.79/10 on average across 300+ reviews.
- People mentored since 2019287+
- Sessions delivered3,317+
- Last mentoring atThis week
Role distribution
Active mentees, last 12 months
Marian caps his own 1:1s at 14 in parallel. Hollow dots are open seats. Grab one →
This is the same network that runs 12 meetups a year with 120+ registrations each and a 400+ attendee conference with speakers from Netflix and Stripe.
Pay for value, not time spent.
Marian founded ELC and mentors engineering and product leaders 1:1. His prices are public, without VAT, and the same when your company pays.
Pay for the value.
Rate a session under 8/10 and you don’t pay for it. Rated 9.79/10 on average across 317+ reviews.
Direct. No bullshit.
Marian is not a generic coach with a feel-good framework. He has sat in your seat. You get his opinion, the trade-off, and what he would do on Monday.
Homework every session.
This is not for people who only want to talk. Strict KPIs are set in session 1, and a small homework after each session moves you toward them.
Single session
Sleep well today
395 EUR
One 60-minute session. One problem, one clear next step.
- Something burns this week and you want a second opinion before you decide.
- Send the context before, so all 60 minutes go to the problem.
- Continue within 30 days and it counts toward a quarter.
- ★ Most mentees start here
Quarterly
One quarter
1,975 EUR
6 sessions over 3 months, 5 paid + 1 free. 329 EUR per session.
- You know the problem and how complex it is. Get strong in the role in 90 days.
- Priority scheduling, guaranteed slot.
Book a free introIncluded
- Strict KPIs set in session 1, and a small homework after every session to move you forward.
- Phone or WhatsApp between sessions when your current problem can’t wait.
- A booked seat at ELC meetups and at the ELC Conference.
- Your mentee dashboard: goals, topics, homework, session summaries.
Ongoing
Continuous sparring partner
790 EUR
per month. 2 sessions + phone/WhatsApp between them.
- You can’t define the problem yet, or you want a stabilization buddy on the call when it burns. Cancel monthly after month 3.
- Most mentees continue here after their first quarter.
Book a free introIncluded
- Strict KPIs set in session 1, and a small homework after every session to move you forward.
- Phone or WhatsApp between sessions when your current problem can’t wait.
- A booked seat at ELC meetups and at the ELC Conference.
- Your mentee dashboard: goals, topics, homework, session summaries.
Mentee dashboard
Your progress, on one page.
Goals, topics, homework, session summaries and your rating of every session, on one page you and Marian both see. Progress is measured against the KPIs set in session 1.
Every One quarter and sparring mentee gets one. The picture is an example mentee.
Martin K. Example
🎯 Goal
Stop being the bottleneck. Two EMs hired and releases shipping without my sign-off by 31 Dec.
📈 KPIs set in session 1
- Releases shipped without my sign-off6 of 10
- EM hires closed1 of 2
- Hours a week firefighting14 → 7, target 4
🗓️ Sessions
| # | Date | Topic | Homework | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 6 Oct | Where my week goes | Tag every meeting for one week | 9/10 |
| 2 | 20 Oct | What to delegate first | Hand release sign-off to the tech leads | 10/10 |
| 3 | 3 Nov | Hiring the first EM | Run 3 interviews with the new scorecard | 9/10 |
| 4 | 17 Nov | The hard 1:1 with a senior | Hold the talk, write down what was agreed | to rate |
▾ Summary · session 3
Scorecard cut to 4 must-haves. Two candidates passed, one offer out by Friday. Next: the senior who wanted the EM role.
Want to know how this works?
Not ready to name a problem yet, or you are sorting out terms for a whole team. Rates, invoicing, how matching is done, what happens when a mentor is not the right fit. Marian answers all of it himself.
Mentor or coach?
A coach asks you questions. An operator mentor has run your job, at your scale, and tells you what worked, what failed and what it cost. You leave with a decision, not a reflection exercise.
| Operator mentor | Coach | |
|---|---|---|
| Has done your job | Yes, at your stage and scale | Not required |
| You leave with | A decision, and what it cost them | Questions to reflect on |
| How you pay | Per session 395 EUR, or 1,975 EUR a quarter | Usually a monthly retainer |
| If a session does not help | Rate it below 8 out of 10 and it is free | The retainer bills either way |
Questions leaders ask
How much does an engineering mentor cost?
A session runs 395 EUR, or a quarter of 6 sessions for 1,975 EUR (5 paid + 1 free). The price is the same for everyone, ELC members included. Sessions you rate below 8 out of 10 are free, so the downside of a bad match is zero.
What is the difference between a mentor and a coach?
A coach asks you questions. An operator mentor has run your job, at your scale, and tells you what worked, what failed and what it cost. You leave with a decision, not a reflection exercise.
How do I find an engineering mentor in Central Europe?
Start at MentoringHub, the mentoring bench built on the ELC network of 3,600+ engineering leaders across Prague, Brno, Bratislava and Kraków. Describe what is stuck and get matched with a mentor who has run your stage.
Can my company pay for my mentoring?
Yes. Most mentees have their company pay. The invoice goes to your employer against a PO, at the same per-session rate you see here. Companies growing several leaders at once start on the for companies page.
What happens if a session is not worth it?
You rate it. Below 8 out of 10, you owe nothing for that session. No form, no argument.
