Fundraising support: what we do and what we don’t

This page explains how CFO Ventures supports fundraising rounds in Dubai, the UAE, Saudi Arabia and the wider MENA region, and clarifies that we do not source investors or provide warm introductions.

What is fundraising support?

Fundraising support is end‑to‑end advisory that prepares your company to raise capital by making your numbers, narrative and materials investor‑ready, then helping you run a disciplined process from first conversations to signed terms. The focus is on how you raise, not on who you raise from.

CFO Ventures offers fundraising support for founders and leadership teams across Dubai, the UAE, Saudi Arabia and the broader MENA region. The objective is to give you financial clarity, investor‑grade documentation and a repeatable process so that you can use your own network and target list effectively when you go to market.

What our fundraising support includes

1. Round design and use of proceeds

• Sizing the round and defining a clear use of proceeds tied to your operating and growth plan.
• Testing expected runway and covenant headroom under different scenarios.

2. Investor‑grade financials and metrics

• Building IFRS‑aligned financial models with integrated P&L, balance sheet and cash flow.
• Thirteen‑week cash views, scenario and sensitivity analysis that boards, auditors and investors can challenge.
• Unit economics, KPI packs and cohort views consistent with the model.

3. Story, documents and data room

• Refining the equity story and investment highlights for your stage and sector.
• Preparing the one‑pager, teaser and full pitch deck, aligned with DIFC and ADGM standards and ready for Saudi CMA review.
• Designing the structure of the data room and helping you organise financial and KPI documentation for diligence.

4. Target list and process discipline

Instead of “bringing investors”, we help you make the most of your own network and target list.

• Segmenting and prioritising the investor landscape in markets such as the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain and Oman by ticket size, stage and sector.
• Defining messaging, sequences and a simple tracking rhythm so that outreach, follow‑ups and reporting are consistent.
• Helping you prepare for meetings and respond to financial and KPI‑related questions during the process.

5. Instruments, cap table and terms

• Advising on the choice of instruments used in Gulf markets: SAFEs, convertible notes, equity rounds and venture debt.
• Making cap table mechanics, dilution and governance impacts fully transparent for founders and existing investors.
• Supporting negotiations on valuation ranges, milestones and key economic and control terms in the term sheet.

6. Compliance, diligence and closing

• Embedding UAE corporate tax, Saudi Zakat and GCC VAT considerations into the financial plan and data room.
• Working alongside your legal and tax advisors during financial and KPI‑related due diligence.
• Helping you manage conditions precedent, funds flow schedules and closing timelines once investors decide to proceed.

What we do not do

• We do not act as placement agents or intermediaries in the sale of securities.
• We do not receive commissions or success fees based on funds invested.
• We do not guarantee that a round will be completed or that specific investors will participate.
• We do not operate an investor marketplace or platform.

About “warm introductions” and investor access

A frequent question from founders is whether fundraising advisors “bring the investors” or offer guaranteed warm introductions. Our approach is different and intentionally conservative.

• We do not promise or sell warm introductions to specific investors or funds.
• We do not hold ourselves out as having an investor network that will automatically fund your round.
• We help you map and prioritise your own network and target list, and we focus on making sure that every relationship and introduction you activate is supported by clear numbers and professional materials.

When personal introductions happen, they typically come from your board, existing investors, advisors and network. Our role is to ensure that once a door opens, the deck, model, KPIs and responses withstand scrutiny and accelerate decision‑making rather than slow it down.

Who this service is for

• Founders and leadership teams of startups and scale‑ups in the UAE, Saudi Arabia and the wider GCC preparing for seed, Series A or later equity rounds.
• Companies considering instruments such as SAFEs, convertibles, equity and venture debt and needing clarity on valuation, dilution and governance.
• Businesses that already have, or are building, their own investor network and want experienced support to make the process efficient and credible.

Summary

CFO Ventures provides fundraising support that centres on financial clarity, investor‑ready documentation and disciplined process design. We help you size the round, build the model, craft the narrative, organise the data room and navigate terms, compliance and closing. We do not source investors, do not provide warm introductions as a product and do not act as placement agents.

If you need a partner in Dubai, the UAE or Saudi Arabia who can strengthen the financial side of your fundraising and help you run a professional process with realistic expectations on both sides, this is the scope of work you can expect.