When you’re launching a new business in an industry as complex as pharmaceuticals, advice based on experience can be valuable.

“They help you avoid common mistakes that don’t seem obvious, but they’ve experienced them and have avoided them,” said Matt Stahl, CEO and founder of North Liberty-based Steel Therapeutics. Stahl connected with those advisers through the new Venture Mentor Service, or VMS, at the University of Iowa’s John Pappajohn Entrepreneurial Center.