VC Masterclass: Fundraising Secrets From the UAE's #1 Most Active VC Fund | Elliott Denham

This is the VC masterclass nobody gives founders. Until now. Elliott Denham is Head of Programs at Oraseya Capital a $150 million VC fund based in Dubai, and the UAE's #1 most active investor for the past two and a half years. With over 70 startups in their portfolio and a mandate spanning pre-Seed all the way to Series B, Elliott has sat across the table from hundreds of tech founders. He knows what makes them stand out, what makes them lose the room, and what happens to their pitch after they leave. October 11 2026: A milestone for Oraseya Capital! Dubai Integrated Economic Zones Authority (DIEZ), chaired by H.H. Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, has announced the expansion of their venture capital fund from AED 500 million to AED 1 billion. In this episode we pull back the curtain on everything founders wish they knew before raising. We get into the depths of how VCs actually think - what they're really evaluating when you walk in the room, how the lifecycle of a VC fund can impact the timing of your fundraising efforts, why a “no” from a VC is not a “no” forever, and the one reframe that changes how every founder should approach the entire fundraising process. 0:00 Intro 3:52 Who is Oraseya Capital? 5:50 Why do entrepreneurs struggle with time & project management? 14:36 Due diligence for founders & VCs 22:30 Founders fighting for attention 31:16 AI & Solo Founders vs Founding Team 38:00 Founder credibility & market fit 41:45 What is an early stage founder? 45:40 How do you evaluate if a founder actually needs investment? 48:30 Sandbox accelerator process 1:02:39 Investment that didn't go through 1:07:24 Different investors different terms 1:12:12 Cap Table & De-risking investments VC 1:21:31 Understanding VC investment stages and cycles 1:30:11 Investors are in the business of exits Follow Elliott: Linkedin:   / elliott-denham   Website: https://oraseyacapital.com/ Follow Founder Connects: Linkedin:   / founder-connects-mena   Instagram:   / founderconnects   Website: https://www.founderconnects.com/ Founder Connects Meetups https://luma.com/founderconnects?utm_...