Author: By Daleen Hassan, Rebecca McLaughlin-Eastham and Salim EssaidPUBLISHED Jul 13, 2020
Dubai-based serial entrepreneur, Joy Ajlouny, is a self-proclaimed ‘bull in a china shop’. She’s been described as a ‘grenade’ in her field, and by never taking no for an answer she believes she’s, ‘gamified rejection’.
Born in California to Palestinian parents, the investor & advisor has carved out a reputation for successful startups & business ventures worldwide. She’s also raised more than $100mn in funding.
She shared with Inspire Middle East, her top tips for young entrepreneurs looking to raise capital.
“You’ve got literally the first two minutes to get your value proposition across, to make the investors understand what it is you have that’s exciting,” she told Rebecca McLaughlin-Eastham. “Pitching is everything and in the beginning you’re not profitable, so you have to sell your team and you have to sell the idea. They have to believe in you.”
Ajlouny is the co-founder of Fetchr, the Silicon Valley-backed tech company which disrupted the delivery-courier sector in the Middle East region, by eliminating the need for a physical address.
The business, which now operates in five countries with more than 4,500 staff, was titled ‘Number 1. Startup in the Middle East’ by Forbes.
