The Investor's View: Does Attending Ecosystem Events Improve Chances Of Investment Walid Tahabsem, founder and CEO of ITG, and co-founder and board member of Oasis500 on the importance of events for entrepreneurs.
By Walid Tahabsem •
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How many ecosystem events have you attended this year as an entrepreneur hoping to meet a potential investor? Startups tell us that one of the primary reasons they choose to go to MENA region events is to improve their chances of funding. We asked investors based in the Middle East, from angels to VCs, to talk back and give us their views on whether startups attending events were better positioned to garner investor interest.
THE Q When assessing startups for potential investment, do you consider how often they attend events in the ecosystem?
"What is important [for investors] is the quality of the entrepreneurs and their ability to drive their ideas forward to achieve success. Part of that is their knowledge and ability to understand and work within the ecosystem, which is very important in evaluating any startup. Attending events and being part of places like ArabNet, STEP, RiseUp, MITEF etc. is one way of getting that knowledge. That said, we have to remember that some entrepreneurs have it by instinct -but those are not many- and therefore each and every entrepreneur should evaluate themselves honestly to decide how much of that knowledge they lack, and accordingly decide on how much they need to be involved in such places. Mentors should play a big role in the evaluation and selection process."
Related: The Investor's View: Does Attending Ecosystem Events Improve Chances Of Investment
