Entrepreneur Middle East March 2016 | A Culture of Entrepreneurship

Page 70

money

ask the money guy | vc viewpoint | your money | ECON

Looking further afield Your business may do better with a non-traditional funding route By Karim Smaira

A

fter initially self-investing, it became clear that we needed outside funding to drive the future growth of Genpharm. With a strong strategic plan and a wide network, my co-founder, Kamel Ghammachi, and I evaluated alternative capital sources. It is vital for entrepreneurs to have a well thought-out business plan, a communication strategy, and a pre-definition of the investment conditions. We wanted investors with expertise that we can benefit from, not only funds. We needed an executive board to advise and challenge our strategic decisions. However, it was also clear that we were only willing to relinquish a minority stake and keep management control.

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Entrepreneur february march 2016 2016


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