Scale Up! MENA Masterclass
From Idea to Exit in MENA
Scale Up MENA! From Idea to Exit is one of the world’s leading methods to accelerate a startup’s successful growth journey. The Scale Up MENA! Masterclass is designed to help founders understand how to lead through the founder’s journey, from idea to ultimate exit.
Handle early-strategy, product development, AI, SAFE notes, local accelerators, venture financing, market expansion, ARR growth, growth financing, market leadership and exit transaction – all based on real content from across the MENA region.
Online or In-Person
Can be delivered in person, or 100% online.
Different Formats
Can be delivered in two or three-day formats.
Flexible Groups
For groups of 5 to 100+ participants.
HOW WE HELP
What is Scale Up MENA!
Scale Up MENA! From Idea to Exit is an advanced learning and development program to help startup founders understand venture capital fundraising and ‘crack the code’ on their own funding journeys from idea to exit.
The participants will work in teams of 2-5, and step into the role of co-founders, competing with other teams for industry leadership.
To scale, they will need to develop a growth strategy, raise capital over multiple funding rounds, typically pre-seed (SAFE), seed (SAFE/equity), seed extension, A, B, C, D and eventually exit. Along the way, they will need to build out their product, develop a growth strategy, develop a capital strategy, secure customers, use AI to scale, drive revenue, expand across the region and tackle a lot of the challenges most start-up founders face around the world.
“I am excited about the potential for accelerating entrepreneurship across the region with Scale Up MENA.”
how we help
Experience the
Founders’ Journey across MENA
Improve the value you deliver to your start-ups and get your start-ups investor-ready in just hours, by experiencing entrepreneurship. From negotiating on SAFE notes, early PMF, setting up ESOPs, cleaning up cap tables, bringing in angels and dealing with complex term sheets; you get to experience the founders’ journey.
A Balancing Act
To win, you will need to be launch product, expand into new markets, accelerate revenue, use AI to scale, raise multiple rounds of financing and secure a highly successful exit.
Along the way, you need to make tough leadership decisions on where to allocate your resources, raise financing and scale ARR, all without going bankrupt.
Better growth strategies
During the Masterclass, you will go through the different life-stages of a startup, navigating the same challenges as a real-life founder team.
You’ll get valuable insights on how to successfully find and select the right investors, equip yourself with the skills and team you need to accelerate your growth.
Real-world lessons
Scale Up MENA! The Entrepreneurship Simulator was built based on our work with hundreds of startups and scale-ups around the world and the typical issues they all face, combined with 100’s of hours of research into entrepreneurship, deal terms and exit paths across MENA.
Learn how to build better companies across MENA with this hands-on Masterclass.
WHO IS IT FOR
Who Can Join?
The original (global) Scale Up! has been delivered to global accelerators, VC firms, business schools, innovation agencies, angel groups and ecosystems. Across the Middle East and North Africa, 100’s of founders, angel investors and accelerators have been through Scale Up! to date.
In our experience, Scale Up MENA! is highly suitable from pre-seed to late growth stage founders and ecosystem builders.
EARLY-STAGE FOUNDERS
Pre-Seed, no capital raised
Participants with zero relevant experience in startup growth enjoy the simulation, albeit they also experience a (very) steep learning curve.
For this category, we recommend pre-teaching module(s) and extensive use of breakout teaching sessions.
Most common feedback:
“We have a lot to learn, but now we see what we need!”
EARLY-STAGE
Seed or Accelerator Stage
Participants with some experience in startups and fundraising, typically seed- or accelerator stage jump into the experience, quickly grasping most key concepts and terminology.
Many thrive on the challenge and really enjoy the competitive elements of the simulation.
In this category, short teaching sessions and team exercises is sufficient to get everyone up to speed.
Most common feedback:
“Wow, this will set us up for success!”
GROWTH-STAGE
A-B-Series and Beyond
Participants with extensive experience, most likely having completed 2-4 funding rounds and dealt with real-life challenges personally, tend to do very well, often stepping into key leadership roles (and teaching roles) within their teams.
These also take the most benefit from the advanced topics, like exits, investment bankers and Superinvestors.
Most common feedback:
“Oh,l I wish we had done this earlier. Now we see all the mistakes we have done”
PROGRAM OUTLINE
3-Day Masterclass 100% MENA
We spend a significant amount of time together with clients to truly understand current situation, aspiration and strategy challenges. Scale Up MENA! is frequently used as a cornerstone of a larger accelerator or sprint program. Scale Up MENA! can be delivered both in-person or 100% digital. We recommend the full 3-day format for maximum impact; or can deliver high impact in just 2 action-packed days. The program can also be made to fit with your incubator or accelerator program.
DAY 1 (entry-level)
Introduction, early-stage, financing, SAFE notes
DAY 2 (intermediate)
Boards, strategy, value
DAY 3 (advanced)
Outcomes, exits
Introduction, welcome participants
Opening presentation: Scale Up MENA! Introduction
Coffee Break
Start Scale Up MENA! Simulation
Split into teams, 2-5 people per team. Work in teams
Lunch Break
Scale Up MENA! Simulation
Finding your first investors. Understanding valuation, term sheets and deal structures.
Coffee Break
Deep dive into strategy, investors, capital strategy.
Recap & Reflections on Day 1
Scale Up MENA! Simulation intermediate level. Work in Teams
Coffee Break
Scale Up MENA! Simulation
Deal syndication, investor negotiations, scaling strategies, business models
Lunch Break
Scale Up MENA! Simulation
Building world-class boards.
Coffee Break
Balancing the power equation in your negotiations. Working with investors.
Recap & Reflections on Day 2
Scale Up MENA! Simulation advanced level. Work in Teams
Coffee Break
Scale Up MENA! Simulation
Outcome canvas & strategy.
Developing exit strategies, IPO readiness.
Lunch Break
Scale Up MENA! Simulation
Value creation for the win.
Coffee Break
Reflection in teams; from idea to exit, personal mastery, next steps
Outcomes Day 1
- Understand different types of investors
- Understand pre- and post-money valuation
- Understand basic mini-term sheets (investor cards)
- Complete basic, simple funding rounds and maintain a correct, updated cap table
- Segment investors based on ‘Strategic Fit’ and ‘Follow on Capacity’ (the Investor Map)
- Complete 1-2 successful funding rounds
- Raise 1M – 20M in pre-seed/seed funding
- Deliver an updated cap table
- Reach 1M – 10M revenue
Outcomes Day 2
- Quickly analyze complex mini-term sheets (investor cards)
- Quickly analyze and segment 50-100 different investor cards
- Quickly complete new funding rounds
- Structure basic syndication rounds (multiple investors in one round)
- Plan 3-5 funding rounds, across multiple stages, valuations and terms. Quickly identify challenging terms
- Apply the golden rule of 3X, 10%-20% on a timeline with multiple funding rounds
- Develop a long-term capital strategy (both equity and non-dilutive funding)
- Complete 1-4 successful funding rounds
- Raise: 20M – 100M in growth stage funding, including multiple syndicates
- Understand the critical role of the board in capital strategy
- Deliver an updated cap table
- Create 10M – 100M in revenue
Outcomes Day 3
- Understand ‘value creation’ for startup
- Quickly analyze advanced Super investor term sheets (Superinvestor cards)
- Complete complex, multi-step investor syndicates (complex funding rounds)
- Successfully create between N and NNN in startup value
- Return minimum XXX investor value for early investors
- Understand how a VC firm works and how it raises its investor capital
- Develop long-term outcome scenarios for a startup
- Drive significant revenue (ARR), 100M+
- Work through multiple late-stage exit scenarios
- Successfully complete an exit transaction
oUTCOMES
What to Expect
Understand and master the entire startup journey in just hours. See how 100’s of global startups have cracked the code on investor readiness and accelerated their companies to €100M’s of valuation. Learn the nuances of scaling up in MENA.
Understand the full journey from ‘idea to exit’
Understand how to think strategically for a startup
Learn how to deal with early-stage and growth investors
Learn how to think in terms of ‘value creation’
Practice your deal making skills, closely aligned to real-life fund raising
Master new tools for real life scale up success
working with strategy canvases
Scaling-up, Investor Readiness, and Startup Strategy
Having founded, co-founded, invested in, supported, or mentored 100’s of startups, we often find that most teams have zero idea on how to think about investors, how to build a funding strategy, or how to think about their long-term value development. What are the key challenges through the founder’s journey?
How to convert a SAFE note correctly? How to negotiate a series B term sheet?
How to think value creation and exit? How to set up your cap table for success?
Founder’s Journey
Few understand the Founder’s journey, and the ups and downs to navigate. Use it to get a strategic perspective on the next 3-10 years.
Rocketship Canvas
Use the Rocketship to develop a five-stage growth strategy. A powerful and visual growth map!
Outcome Canvas
The canvas helps founders better understand how to ‘think like investors’. For many founders, this is a ‘special superpower’, often used to lock in larger financing rounds in real-life.
simulation we use
Scale Up MENA! Simulation
Scale Up MENA! The Entrepreneurship Simulator has you step right into the shoes of a startup or scale-up company in the Middle East and North Africa.
From AI startups in Riyadh, fintech startup in Cairo or boutique hotel startup in Casablanca, you select your case company. Choose from 40+ unique MENA startups, as you lead the company from idea to exit.
In the simulation, you will battle to grow your company, face obstacles typical to those of a startup and learn to strategize and scale your company against all odds. Make smart strategic choices, create revenue, balance your liquidity and try to secure as much investor capital as you can without going bankrupt.
Expect a rollercoaster ride through the life of a startup founder.
Learn More >
impact
High Impact Use Cases
Scale Up MENA! is designed for startup founders, management teams, boards, business angels, advisors, national and regional innovation agencies, accelerators, incubators and innovation ecosystem programs across the Middle East and North Africa.
Strategizing for Success: Scale Up! with Entrepreneurs’ Organization UAE
Learn More >
Empowering Female Angel Investors: How Tiye Angels & Strategy Tools are Transforming Egypt’s Investment Landscape
Learn More >
Boosting Bahrain’s
Startup Ecosystem:
Falak Innovation
x Strategy Tools
Learn More >
FAQ
Most common questions we get for planning and delivering a masterclass.
How many people is the Masterclass suitable for?
The Masterclass is designed for 10-100 people, more available on demand. The ideal group size is between 20(small) and 60 (large) groups. Frequently, we have 30-45 people attending.
What level is the Masterclass suitable for?
The Masterclass can easily be adjusted based on the level- and experience of the participants. We have successfully run the Masterclass with participants ranging from C-level, Board roles and top executive roles to young founders and bachelor-level students. The content is slightly adjusted in line with the level and experience of the group.
What is expected of the participants?
The participants will participate in a 1-hour pre-session webinar, review some light materials in advance and join the full Masterclass. The participants are expected to participate fully, work in groups and generally be active during the program.
How many experts will run the Masterclass?
The standard minimum team is 2 people to run the Masterclass. Beyond that, we bring one expert per every 20 participants, to maximize learning, facilitation and outcome for the participants.
What is the background of the facilitators (experts)?
All facilitators are global experts in their respective domains. All of them are trained and fully certified on the sim and materials. Most are also faculty at leading business schools and hold extensive experience in their fields from years of practice in the field.
What is required for room, venue, working space?
A successful Masterclass requires significant, vast workspace to accommodate for group work and breakouts. We recommend one plenary room (conference hall or lecture setup) and multiple large working rooms (classrooms or conference rooms) for group works. We plan for ca. 10-20 people per group.
get in touch
Bring Scale Up MENA! to your ecosystem
Want to bring Scale Up MENA! to your city? Want to host a Masterclass for your ecosystem? Want to take your startups through a Scale Up MENA! Masterclass?
Get in touch with us today.