Investor Office Hour: Raising Capital and Scaling in the MENA Market
Building a great startup is only the beginning. Raising capital and scaling in MENA requires strong positioning, regional traction, strategic relationships, and a clear understanding of local investor expectations.
Join this exclusive Investor Office Hour with Walied Albasheer, Founder and Managing Partner of Intuitio Ventures, for practical insights into fundraising, market entry, and startup growth across the MENA region.
The session begins with a panel discussion on raising capital and scaling in MENA, followed by selected startup pitches and live investor feedback. Selected founders will present their startups, share their current challenges, and receive direct feedback on positioning, traction, market entry, fundraising readiness, and investor fit.
Attendance is limited to approved startups only. Registration does not guarantee admission, and joining information will be shared with approved participants.
Agenda
Welcome and Introduction
Panel Discussion: Raising Capital and Scaling in MENA
Selected Startup Pitches
Private Investor Office Hours and Feedback
Startup Q&A
Closing Remarks
Featured Investor
Walied Albasheer is the Founder and Managing Partner of Intuitio Ventures. He is a Dubai-based venture investor, serial entrepreneur, technology executive, and board advisor with extensive experience across technology, venture building, digital transformation, and startup acceleration.
His work focuses on helping founders develop commercially relevant technologies, understand regional market dynamics, establish strategic relationships, and prepare for sustainable growth and investment.
Moderator
Erdinc Ekinci is the Co-Founder & CEO of Openfor.co, Founder & CEO of Co-Capital, and Managing Director of Founder Institute Japan, Korea & Taiwan. He is an entrepreneur, ecosystem builder, and startup mentor supporting founders with GTM, sales, partnerships, international expansion, and investment readiness.
What You Can Expect
Insights into the MENA investment landscape
What regional investors evaluate in startups and founders
Guidance on fundraising readiness and investor positioning
Practical considerations for entering and scaling in MENA
Strategies for developing regional customer and partner traction
Selected startup pitches and direct investor feedback
Q&A on fundraising, traction, market entry, and regional expansion
Who Should Apply
Pre-Seed to Series A startups
Founders exploring expansion into MENA
Startups preparing to approach regional investors
Founders seeking customers or strategic partners in the region
Startup teams working on GTM, partnerships, expansion, or fundraising
Want to Pitch and Receive Direct Feedback?
⚠️ Pitching is available only to selected startups and eligible community members.
Selected founders will pitch their startups and receive personalized investor feedback in private breakout rooms. Feedback may cover:
Positioning and business model
MENA market entry and regional GTM
Customer and partner traction
Fundraising readiness
Stage, raise, and investor fit
Next steps for regional expansion
Continue Your Founder Journey
Openfor.co Incubator
Looking to strengthen your GTM and create more opportunities?
Our flexible, month-to-month incubator helps founders strengthen their GTM strategy, increase visibility, build customer and partner traction, create sales opportunities, and improve investment readiness.
Members receive 1-to-1 mentorship, weekly group office hours, practical GTM-focused deliverables and resources, expert sessions, Network Amplification, AI workflows, and access to opportunities across our 30K+ global B2B network.
No equity. No lock-in. Enroll anytime.
Enroll Now: https://www.openfor.co/
Founder Institute Accelerator 2.0
Applications are now open for the Founder Institute Japan, Korea & Taiwan Fall 2026 Programs, a three-month accelerator designed to help founders build scalable, venture capital-ready companies.
Build faster with AI-native founder support, personalized execution, and earlier access to investors through the world’s largest startup ecosystem, spanning 200+ cities, 45,000+ mentors, 9,000+ portfolio companies, $20B+ in portfolio value, and 750,000+ founders trained.
Early Application Deadline: August 19, 2026
🇯🇵 Japan | 🇰🇷 Korea | 🇹🇼 Taiwan
Co-Capital
Looking to raise investment globally?
Co-Capital connects promising venture-scale startups with Decile Group’s network of 1,000+ VC funds worldwide, creating opportunities to connect with potential global investors.
Submit Your Company: https://cocapital.decilehub.com/submit_your_company
This Investor Office Hour is organized by Openfor.co in collaboration with Co-Capital and Founder Institute Japan, Korea & Taiwan.
This session is for educational and informational purposes only. It does not constitute investment advice, an offer, a solicitation, or a guarantee of funding, introductions, or investment opportunities.