During our Beyond Borders: Unlocking Startup Opportunities webinar, Dr. Mustafa Hasan Marhama, Founding Partner at Valu.VC, and Mohamed Rached Jomni, CEO of Medsirat , discussed practical questions facing founders at the pre-seed and early stages.
From building with AI to finding the right investors, several key lessons emerged.
1. AI can help founders build faster
AI is giving early-stage teams access to capabilities that previously required larger teams and specialised resources.
Founders can use AI to build and improve MVPs, support multiple languages, channels and currencies, optimise websites and accelerate customer acquisition.
However, AI should remain a tool. Investor materials need to reflect the founder's own thinking, strategy and understanding.
As Dr. Mustafa highlighted, relying entirely on AI-generated documents can undermine credibility.
2. An MVP needs customer validation
A product alone is rarely enough to convince investors.
Early traction can take different forms:
- Trial users
- Pre-orders
- Pilot customers
- Customer testing
- Paying customers
- Free-to-paid conversions
Free users can demonstrate interest, but conversion is critical. Investors want evidence that customers see enough value to eventually pay.
3. Investors look for the fundamentals and a “winning ticket”
Investors typically assess startups through a checklist covering the team, market, product, business model, traction and financials.
But founders also need to identify their “winning ticket”: the element that makes their startup particularly compelling.
This could be strong traction, a government contract, proprietary technology, a strategic partnership, previous founder exits or another significant competitive advantage.
4. Fundraising is a continuous process
A rejection is not necessarily a failure. It can help founders identify gaps and improve before approaching the next investor.
Founders should therefore think beyond VCs and explore angels, accelerators, incubators, venture studios, family offices and corporate investors, depending on their stage and needs.
The process is simple:
Build → Validate → Improve → Approach → Learn → Repeat.
5. Target the right investors
Investor outreach should focus on fit rather than volume.
Founders should consider:
- Investment stage
- Sector
- Geography
- Ticket size
- Investment thesis
Platforms such as Crunchbase, as well as events including LEAP, GITEX, Money20/20 and Web Summit, can help founders identify relevant investors and build relationships.
For startups targeting the GCC, Saudi Arabia remains an important source of venture capital and structured investment.
6. Build relationships and visibility before fundraising
Investors are increasingly looking for startups themselves rather than simply waiting for inbound pitches.
Founders should therefore make their progress visible through customer wins, partnerships, product developments, events, communities and relevant media.
Trusted introductions from founders, investors, accelerators and industry experts can also make investor conversations more effective.
Useful Resources
A few resources mentioned during the webinar:
- Crunchbase : investor and funding research
- LEAP : Saudi technology and startup ecosystem
- GITEX : technology, startups and investors
- Money20/20 : fintech and financial services
- Web Summit : nternational startup and investor networking
- Hussein Al-Attar / Tech Invest Com : Saudi investment platform focused on MENA growth-stage technology startups and private equity
The main takeaway
The discussion highlighted a simple principle:
AI can help you build faster. Traction proves demand. Preparation builds confidence. Relationships open doors.
Fundraising is not simply about finding an investor. It is about becoming ready for the right investor.
A successful fundraising journey starts long before the pitch.