What Investors Look For When Evaluating Your Pitch: Abed Bibi An entrepreneur should be passionate, optimistic, and hopeful for the future, however, an entrepreneur should also be realistic.

By Abed Bibi

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When evaluating any investment there are many things to look for, but I can divide them into the following categories:

1. Investors are more likely to invest in people rather than just ideas.

The dream team: look at the entire management or leadership team. I need to see a team that has a proven track record of delivering goals on time and that can handle all of the responsibilities that come with a startup.

2. Business Plan.

Although the model might change in startups during the making, make sure that startup has a clear and completed business plan. What's the problem that's been solved? What's the business model? What's the market like? Who are the competitors? What advantages are there over the competition? How will the investor make money?

3. Valuation.

If the valuation is outrageous, then this is a sign an entrepreneur has overvalued his or her startup.

4. Know the risk involved.

An entrepreneur should be passionate, optimistic, and hopeful for the future, however, an entrepreneur should also be realistic. They should understand that there's a major risk involved for both you and them.

5. Integrity.

Invest in entrepreneurs who are thrifty, resilient, determined, and passionate. In other words, the entrepreneur should be able to not only lead the team, set goals, and manage a budget, but also rise to the occasion when times get tough.

Abed Bibi

Co-founder yougotagift.com, Partner at HoneyBee Tech Ventures

Abed Bibi has over 20+ years of experience in the GCC. While a resident of the UAE, he has been working across this region and is influential in persuading stakeholders. He was one of the founding partners of Wolff Olins in the UAE and India, a major international branding consultancy. He co-founded HoneyBee Tech Ventures after selling Wolff Olins shares to Omnicom group. He's an expert in the marketing and branding industry in the Gulf and Levant. He spent many years at MBC Group as General Manager of the commercial company Arab Media Services. Prior to that, he was the co-founder of Future TV, and Regional Director of the largest Media House - Al Khaleejiah Media - which is part of the publishing house and distribution, Saudi Research and Publishing Company.
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