Conviction Over Hype: What Great VCs Look Like Now

The Venture Model Broke. But Startups Are Still Building.
In this episode, Arjun is joined by Devin Kohli, General Partner at Outward VC, for a candid conversation on what’s next for venture capital.

They unpack:
- Shifting VC trends in Europe, MENA, and the USA
- Outward’s bets on Curve, Vauban, Bud & more
- AI hype vs. real vertical value
- Tokenisation, digital assets & future financial infrastructure
- Emerging tech hubs across Japan, MENA, Southeast Asia

Plus, Devin shares what conviction really looks like in a post-hype market — and why MENA founders are ones to watch.

No pitch decks. No jargon. Just a candid chat about cycles, conviction, and building through uncertainty.

🎧 Episode now live on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts.

Couchonomics with Arjun Season 04 is brought to you by our partners:
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chapters:
00:00 Episode Highlights
00:51 Introduction
02:01 State of the Nation: VC Insights for 2023 and Beyond
02:52 Impact of Global Events on VC and Startups
13:43 The Genesis and Philosophy of Outward VC
22:20 Challenges and Success Stories in VC Investments
30:05 Key Qualities and Red Flags in Founders
31:01 Identifying Key Qualities in Founders
33:26 Quantitative Aspects of Evaluating Founders
34:02 Emerging Sectors and Avoiding Herd Mentality
35:15 Focus on Wealth Tech and Asset Management
44:07 Challenges and Opportunities in Europe and the UK
51:37 Middle East as a Growing Hub for FinTech
54:12 Concluding Thoughts and Future Prospects

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