Episode 16-Venturing Forward: Unlocking the OIC's Venture Capital Potential

In recent decades, the global venture capital industry has experienced a significant surge, propelling ground-breaking start-ups like Uber and Airbnb into mainstream recognition.

Despite the promising emergence of venture capital hubs in OIC countries like Dubai, Pakistan, and Malaysia, challenges persist, including regulatory hurdles and restricted access to funding.

In our 16th episode, we're joined by Hussein Kanji, Partner at Hoxton Ventures, a leading VC firm in London. 

In this episode we cover several topics, including:

• Hussein's previous investments
• What he looks for in companies before investing
• His thoughts on Islamic orientated start-ups
• The challenges facing tech ecosystems in the OIC

Intro theme song-'Tales of the Arabian Nights' composed by StudioKolomna via Pixabay

Chapters

• 0:50 Monologue intro
• 2:03 Hussein's early life
• 4:56 Previous aspiration to be a journalist
• 6:42 Time at Microsoft
• 10:00 Breakthrough in VC
• 11:06 Hoxton's investment strategy
• 12:31 Development of UK VC industry
• 15:47 Typical day
• 16:45 Previous investments
• 18:13 Investing in Deliveroo
• 24:45 Start-up investment criteria
• 28:54 Investors in VC funds
• 31:53 Thoughts on Islamic start-up ecosystem
• 36:39 Ethical investments in VC
• 38:27 Thoughts on OIC VC ecosystems
• 41:54 Involvement of SWFs in VC
• 45:00 OIC educational challenges
• 46:57 Why do global VCs ignore OIC countries?
• 50:40 Outlook for global VC in 2024
• 53:01 Upcoming projects
• 53:41 Social media accounts