Raising money from the wrong investors in the UAE

R Philip • March 14, 2025

Or for that matter, anywhere in the world!

Omar made one mistake—he took money from the wrong investor.

At first, Khalid seemed great. They met at a startup event. Exchanged a few DMs. Translated to an investment offer.

Omar was pumped. A big-name investor wanted in. He signed fast.

Then came the red flags. 🚨

📞 Nonstop calls & emails—too much.
📭 Ignored Omar’s requests for help—weeks of silence.
🤝 Promised investor intros—never followed through.
💰 Blocked Omar from raising more money—no reason given.

Omar was stuck.

One 10-minute investor reference call could have saved him years of regret.

How to Avoid this situation

1️⃣ Ask for 2 founder references (then find 2 more on your own).
2️⃣ Make quick calls—founders will tell you the real story.
3️⃣ Dig deep on the calls. Don't take polite answers

Good investors expect this. If they don’t? 🚩🚩🚩

Omar learned the hard way. You don’t have to.

Ever had an investor horror story?

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