Insights & Perspectives
How Startup Boards Evolve
Written by Chris Rangen, advisor, faculty, investor. Big thanks to Tiffany Bain , Dubai Future District Fund and Nitin Reen , Nuwa Capital for valuable discussion on the topic. Your board isn't static. It evolves as your company does. Most founders get this wrong....
Founder? These are the six decks you need
Just flying back from a week with founders in Dubai, one of the most common questions we received, “what should I put in my pitch deck?”. Our answer: “you are asking the wrong question. You need to develop all six decks” By: Christian Rangen, global advisor to VCs,...
Fundraising in MENA 101 – Your first funding round
Startup founder. Looking to raise your first round of capital? Check out our field notes from a week in Dubai. By: Chris Rangen, global advisor to VCs, FoF’s & ecosystem builders. Faculty, advisor, investor Sanjana Raheja, advisor to early-stage founders,...
The Top Ten Questions I Ask Founders Raising Capital Right Now
Are you a founder raising capital? These are the top ten questions I ask founders. I just got off a call. Great founder. Raising a strong Series A. Except, maybe not. The momentum was not quite there. The investor prospects were starting to dry up. Christmas was...
Who Buys Scale Up!?
A few weeks ago we published "Who attends Scale Up!?" It hit 5,000 views across our platforms in days. Then someone asked: "Great, but who actually buys Scale Up!?" Good question. Here's Part II. Start With Problems, Not Products First, the harsh truth: nobody cares...
How a VC Invests: The Venture Investment Process
The journey from first contact to final investment is a structured, rigorous process that separates exceptional opportunities from the merely good. Here's how leading venture capital firms navigate the path to investment. The venture capital investment process isn't a...
Scale Up MENA! the angel e-mail
Angel e-mail (written for Scale Up MENA! Masterclasses) From: Mohammed, local angel mentor To: The new startup team Re: Congrats on your new startup Hi team, Congratulations on your latest startup. I am super excited to see talent such as yourselves spending...
Can you run MedAssist’s Cap Table?
Are you heading into one of our upcoming Scale Up MENA! Masterclasses? In that case, you might want to explore the wonders of cap table management first. Think about this as a soft warm-up exercise. Cap tables matter Cap tables are the backbone of any successful...
The Four Cap Tables in Scale Up!
What is a 'good cap table'? How have we trained 4,000+ participants on cap tables to date and how can new trainers become masters of cap tables? Over the coming 12 months we expect to train and certify 30-60 Scale Up Train-the-trainers. These range from accelerator...