First Money In: What VCs Actually Look for Before the Traction Is There

The pitch deck is the easy part. This conversation goes inside the head of an early-stage investor — what signals matter before revenue, why most APAC and MENA founders misread what "conviction" actually means, and what separates a fundable company from a fundable founder. One serial entrepreneur who's been on both sides of the table and one seed-stage VC manager get brutally honest. No fundraising folklore — just the real framework.