E3: Ramzi Samara of MASIC | The Rise of Saudi Arabia and the MENA Region in Venture Capital

David Weisburd sits down with Ramzi Samara, Co-Head of Private Funds (VC) at MASIC, one of the few family owned investment firms in Saudi Arabia that has a dedicated venture capital program. Ramzi is also an active angel investor in early-stage startups in the US and MENA. In this conversation they discuss the vibrant dynamics of the region, Ramzi’s investing thesis and multi-year power-law driven strategy, and looking at passive vs active early-stage fund managers.

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(0:00) Introduction and team dynamics in venture capital (0:37) Introduction by David Weisburd (1:14) Introduction of guest Ramzi Samara (2:04) Market sentiment and US-Saudi collaboration in startups (4:32) Venture capital best practices in the Middle East (7:16) Venture capital comparisons within the MENA regions (9:23) MASIC's investment thesis, strategy, and sector focus (12:12) Emerging managers: definition and importance (15:05) Long-term portfolio strategy and the strategy consistency debate (19:34) Success indicators for emerging managers and venture capitalists' roles (22:45) AUM concerns and fund growth in venture capital (27:00) Opportunity funds and micro VC investment risks (29:25) Diversification strategies and demystifying LPs (31:13) Venture capital insights and future prospects in Saudi Arabia (34:06) Closing remarks and acknowledgements