The Perfect Pitch Podcast by Lucidity Insights

What has really changed in crypto after the collapse of FTX and Luna—and what hasn’t? In this episode, we speak with Vineet Budki , a seasoned Web3 investor with experience across 300+ blockchain and crypto investments, to unpack the current state of the market and where it is heading next. This conversation goes beyond headlines and hype cycles. We explore how crypto venture capital has evolved,...

In this episode, Vijay Tirathrai, General Partner & Chairman at Silkbridge Ventures , shares expert insights into venture capital, startup investing, and how investors evaluate high-growth startups in today’s competitive landscape. We dive deep into how venture capitalists identify investable startups, what goes beyond a traditional pitch deck, and the key factors that influence startup fundin...

Since 2024, The Perfect Pitch has interviewed over a dozen of the most influential venture capital investors backing startups across the Middle East and Africa . In this special compilation episode, we’ve pulled together the most powerful fundraising advice, investor insights, and pitch strategies shared across all those conversations. This is not a new interview — it’s a curated masterclass featu...

In this episode, we go inside the UAE HealthTech ecosystem with Florian Krueger-Herbert , Co-Founder & CEO 10FT Ventures and Strategic Partner of VU Venture Partners to unpack what it really takes to build, fund, and scale healthtech startups in the region. Florian shares his personal journey into healthcare and explains how the HealthTech landscape in the UAE differs from other markets. We br...

In this episode, we sit down with Muhammed Yesilhark, Chief Investment Officer at NOIA Capital, to unpack how top investors think about capital, risk, and the future of money . Muhammed shares his journey through the world of hedge funds, including insights from working with Steve Cohen, and explains what it really takes to operate at the highest level of global finance. We dive into the moment wh...

This special Startup Spotlights episode was filmed live at Expand North Star (ENS) 2025, the world’s largest startup and investor event (October 2025). In this exclusive conversation, Michael Maylahn — Startup Founder and Investor at Plug and Play UAE — shares the lessons, mindset shifts, and practical frameworks behind building ventures, raising capital, and now backing the next wave of founders...

From Startup Scaling at Careem to Venture Capital at Shorooq — Omer Zabit shares his insights and lessons on this episode of The Perfect Pitch Podcast by Lucidity Insights. Host and Founder of Lucidity Insights, Erika Welch sits down with Omer to unpack these lessons from being part of building one of the Middle East’s biggest unicorns and now backing the next generation of founders at Shorooq. Om...

In this episode of the Lucidity Insights podcast: The Perfect Pitch , we sit down with angel investor and ecosystem builder Lucy Chow, who shares hard-won truths about startup fundraising. From explaining why founders should “fire their angel” if the fit is wrong, to stressing the danger of giving away too much equity early on — Lucy doesn't hold back. She unpacks the biggest funding red flag...

Lucidity Insights wrapped up its debut The Perfect Pitch podcast season in 2024, offering actionable advice to aspiring entrepreneurs.  Erika Welch shared her top 5 takeaways from conversations with the Middle East and Africa's most influential investors: not every business is VC-backable, bootstrapping can often be better than fundraising, your founding team matters more than your idea, embr...

In this episode of The Perfect Pitch Podcast, we sit down with Mikael Hajjar and Hisham Halbouny, Managing Partners at P1 Ventures , to uncover the secrets of scaling startups in Africa. Mika and Hisham share their unique insights into why they think Africa is the most interesting startup ecosystem today. They speak into why they prioritize authentic, resilient founders that can grow their busines...

In this episode of The Perfect Pitch Podcast, we sit down with Dr. Jonathan Doerr , Partner at Antler (Middle East), to explore the dynamics of launching and scaling startups in the region. Jonathan shares insights into why early-stage institutional investors in the region prioritize strong teams, traction, and well-defined ideas. He also delves into Antler’s unique approach, including its intensi...

Rabih Khoury, the Managing Partner and Chief Exit Officer at Middle East Venture Partners (MEVP), shares his remarkable journey from being a structural engineer in the US to becoming a pivotal figure in the regional Private Equity and Venture Capital space. Khoury discusses the evolution of his career, the unique challenges of the VC model in the Middle East, and the importance of strategic exits....

In this episode of the Lucidity Insights podcast, "The Perfect Pitch," Tarek Assaad of Algebra Ventures shares his remarkable journey from an engineer to a venture capitalist, he looks into the unique challenges and opportunities within the Egyptian startup ecosystem, reflecting on how economic turbulence can sometimes inspire exceptional growth. Tarek provides valuable insights into bui...

In his role as Managing Director of the government-owned Dubai Future District Fund, Nader Albastaki shares with us his views on what the difference might be for a founder coming to an evergreen Goverment fund versus a private VC fund. He also speaks into the important role all players must play - from investors to regulators and startup founders to ensure strong ecosystem development. Tune into N...

We were thrilled to speak with Sonia Weymuller, one of Dubai’s most active investors who started her VC career by launching the largest angel investor syndicate before professionalizing the firm to become VentureSouq . Our insightful conversation with Sonia revealed her unique perspective and outlook on when startup founders should fundraise, why they startups shouldn’t take-on external funding if...

Get ready for an intriguing conversation with Basil Moftah, General Parter at Nclude . Born and raised in the US and Trinidad and Tobago, but with roots in Egypt, Basil brings both his international perspective and years of Corporate VC experience to the investing table. He shares his pet peeves on things like celebrating successful fundraising efforts and having difficult conversations with found...

Meet Khaled Talhouni, a seasoned venture capitalist with 17 years of experience in Dubai's VC ecosystem. Khaled and his co-founding partners founded Nuwa Capital in 2020. In this insightful conversation, we dive into Khaled’s youthful Marxism ideals to venture capitalism, his experience working alongside pioneers in Dubai’s VC ecosystem, and navigating Nuwa Capital's fundraising amidst C...

Noor Sweid, Founding Partner of Global Ventures , tells us how she went from strategy consultant, to working with her Family construction business as it expanded globally and successfully IPOed; as well as her foray into entrepreneurship when she opened Dubai's first chain of yoga studios, prior to setting up her own venture capital fund in Dubai. She speaks about the importance of combining...

Sharif El-Badawi from Dubai Future District Fund  reveals his take on Venture Capital in the region, and some potent advice for founders on approaching venture capital for funding, especially considering the current climate. He imparts a lot of wisdom, from what he thinks makes the perfect founding team, how to do your homework well, what characteristics he looks for in a winning founder, and the...