What Investors Look For When Evaluating Your Pitch: Sami Abou Saab, CEO, Speed@BDD Take a look at what factors Speed@BDD CEO Sami Abou Saab look into when evaluating a pitch.

By Sami Abou Saab

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

You're reading Entrepreneur Middle East, an international franchise of Entrepreneur Media.

Shutterstock

We always look for a passionate team with the ability to execute, commitment, and expertise in the area of the startup. For the technology startups we invest in at Speed@BDD, we look for at least one technical co-founder for the startup to totally own its platform and to develop it. We look for an idea that has a sustainable and repeatable business model, and for a scalable idea that goes beyond the initial target geography, and that can scale up worldwide.

We also look for realistic and achievable financial goals in the first two to three years of operation. Some red flags in startups that we see are: non-scalable business models, a business model that has to change in the future for it to remain attractive to customers, business models that have very high customer acquisition cost and that require a lot of initial investment for proving the concept, and business models that are dependent on other players in the ecosystem which have conflicting interests.

Related: What Investors Look For When Evaluating Your Pitch: Omar J. Sati, Co-Founder and Managing Director, DASH Ventures

Sami Abou Saab

CEO, Speed@BDD

Sami Abou Saab is the CEO of Speed@BDD, and has more than 10 years of experience in technology, both in startups and big tech firms. Prior to Speed@BDD, he worked at Skype and Microsoft Corporation in the US, covering strategy, marketing, and channel modelling. In Silicon Valley, Sami started his own company (MobiLock, aimed at creating a hardware device and mobile application that allows you to unlock your home with your smartphone) that was voted as the best startup in the Berkeley MBA program entrepreneurship class. At Data Consult, Sami led the Systems Department in Lebanon and the Middle East and grew its business 8-fold over the course of 4 years. Sami holds a Bachelor of Engineering from the American University of Beirut and an MBA from Berkeley-Haas and London Business School. He is fluent in Arabic, French, and English.

Business Ideas

70 Small Business Ideas to Start in 2025

We put together a list of the best, most profitable small business ideas for entrepreneurs to pursue in 2025.

Growing a Business

'Boring' Businesses Are Making Millionaires — and You Can Borrow Their Strategies For Success

The silent growth strategy reveals how understated, steady businesses are quietly creating wealth for entrepreneurs in 2025. By focusing on long-term consistency and incremental progress, these "boring" industries are proving to be gold mines for those willing to embrace stability over hype.

Entrepreneurs

Trailblazing Women: Nikita and Rhea Patel's 'The Bureau' Offers a Dedicated Space for Female Professionals to Thrive in the UAE

As the global female workforce seeks policies that allow for better work-life balance, the Patel sisters have co-founded UAE-based female-focused co-working space The Bureau.

Growth Strategies

FIVE Holdings Founder and Executive Chairman Kabir Mulchandani on Becoming a Billionaire Entrepreneur

The company's founder attributes its success to a bold, disruptive vision that combines luxury hospitality with eco-conscious entertainment.

Growth Strategies

Mini Vohra: Meet the Man Who Gave Up the Courtroom for Coolness

The former lawyer has turned Cornucopia into huge events empire