In this episode of the Lucidity Insights podcast: The Perfect Pitch, we sit down with angel investor and ecosystem builder Lucy Chow, who shares hard-won truths about startup fundraising. From explaining why founders should “fire their angel” if the fit is wrong, to stressing the danger of giving away too much equity early on — Lucy doesn't hold back. She unpacks the biggest funding red flags, the different stages of capital (friends & family, angels, VCs), and how early investors often b...

Lucidity Insights wrapped up its debut The Perfect Pitch podcast season in 2024, offering actionable advice to aspiring entrepreneurs. Erika Welch shared her top 5 takeaways from conversations with the Middle East and Africa's most influential investors: not every business is VC-backable, bootstrapping can often be better than fundraising, your founding team matters more than your idea, embrace failure early, and always research your investors. This series has empowered thousands ...

In this episode of The Perfect Pitch Podcast, we sit down with Mikael Hajjar and Hisham Halbouny, Managing Partners at P1 Ventures, to uncover the secrets of scaling startups in Africa. Mika and Hisham share their unique insights into why they think Africa is the most interesting startup ecosystem today. They speak into why they prioritize authentic, resilient founders that can grow their businesses with velocity, and why having a deep connection to the problems they’re solving is critical. ...

In this episode of The Perfect Pitch Podcast, we sit down with Dr. Jonathan Doerr, Partner at Antler (Middle East), to explore the dynamics of launching and scaling startups in the region. Jonathan shares insights into why early-stage institutional investors in the region prioritize strong teams, traction, and well-defined ideas. He also delves into Antler’s unique approach, including its intensive 10-week residency program that brings together top entrepreneurial talent for co-founder matchm...

Rabih Khoury, the Managing Partner and Chief Exit Officer at Middle East Venture Partners (MEVP), shares his remarkable journey from being a structural engineer in the US to becoming a pivotal figure in the regional Private Equity and Venture Capital space. Khoury discusses the evolution of his career, the unique challenges of the VC model in the Middle East, and the importance of strategic exits. With over $1.6 billion raised for its portfolio companies, MEVP’s story highlights the balance b...

In this episode of the Lucidity Insights podcast, "The Perfect Pitch," Tarek Assaad of Algebra Ventures shares his remarkable journey from an engineer to a venture capitalist, he looks into the unique challenges and opportunities within the Egyptian startup ecosystem, reflecting on how economic turbulence can sometimes inspire exceptional growth. Tarek provides valuable insights into building sustainable value, navigating the complexities of venture capital, and the critical importance of str...

In his role as Managing Director of the government-owned Dubai Future District Fund, Nader Albastaki shares with us his views on what the difference might be for a founder coming to an evergreen Goverment fund versus a private VC fund. He also speaks into the important role all players must play - from investors to regulators and startup founders to ensure strong ecosystem development. Tune into Nader's insights on the startup fundraising journey and learn about Nader's and DFDF’s process in ...

We were thrilled to speak with Sonia Weymuller, one of Dubai’s most active investors who started her VC career by launching the largest angel investor syndicate before professionalizing the firm to become VentureSouq. Our insightful conversation with Sonia revealed her unique perspective and outlook on when startup founders should fundraise, why they startups shouldn’t take-on external funding if they don’t have to, and some of the soft-criteria that founders should be evaluating potential in...

Get ready for an intriguing conversation with Basil Moftah, General Parter at Nclude. Born and raised in the US and Trinidad and Tobago, but with roots in Egypt, Basil brings both his international perspective and years of Corporate VC experience to the investing table. He shares his pet peeves on things like celebrating successful fundraising efforts and having difficult conversations with founders. He reminds us about the responsibilities tied to capital investment, and provides insights o...

Meet Khaled Talhouni, a seasoned venture capitalist with 17 years of experience in Dubai's VC ecosystem. Khaled and his co-founding partners founded Nuwa Capital in 2020. In this insightful conversation, we dive into Khaled’s youthful Marxism ideals to venture capitalism, his experience working alongside pioneers in Dubai’s VC ecosystem, and navigating Nuwa Capital's fundraising amidst COVID-19. He emphasizes the importance of early-stage investments, regional focus, and building viable busin...

Noor Sweid, Founding Partner of Global Ventures, tells us how she went from strategy consultant, to working with her Family construction business as it expanded globally and successfully IPOed; as well as her foray into entrepreneurship when she opened Dubai's first chain of yoga studios, prior to setting up her own venture capital fund in Dubai. She speaks about the importance of combining mind and heart when developing the perfect pitch, and illustrates to us why the perfect pitch looks dif...

Sharif El-Badawi from Dubai Future District Fund reveals his take on Venture Capital in the region, and some potent advice for founders on approaching venture capital for funding, especially considering the current climate. He imparts a lot of wisdom, from what he thinks makes the perfect founding team, how to do your homework well, what characteristics he looks for in a winning founder, and the importance of embracing an existential crisis… All in the name of crafting the perfect pitch....