In this episode on In The ARENA, Obediah Ayton joins me to share his expertise and insight into raising funds for startups, the impact of social media on your business and advice for aspiring entrepreneurs. 

Key podcast topics:

Categories of investors in the Middle East

Building credibility in the UAE

Private Equity and VC’s 

Obediah’s biography:

Obediah Ayton is an entrepreneur who started his journey in the UAE in 2018. He has successfully built his own business and operates a portfolio of companies under a holding group called “Dhabi Hold Co”. 

Mr. Ayton invests in startups across the Middle East region, in parallel establishing joint ventures in diverse sectors such as Fintech, Wealth Management, Agriculture, and Software. Mr Ayton has a passion for climate, technology, and animal welfare. Mr Ayton has over 80,000 followers on Linkedin and is considered to be a thought leader in Middle East Family Offices. 

Podcast highlights:

00:00 Introduction

03:44 Obediah’s first 2 businesses in Dubai

07:03 The attitude of the wealthy

10:55 Getting funded by Mark Bezos

16:20 “A cardboard box changed my life”

21:27 The impact of social media

36:49 Categories of investors in the Middle East

39:44 The real agenda of western super powers

41:46 Private equity and venture capital companies

45:03 Geo politics and the Middle East

53:12 Building credibility in the UAE

55:00 “You will never please everyone”

1:02:30 The future is in the middle east

1:05:38 Society teaches you to expect failure

1:08:40 “I prefer people that grow slowly”

1:13:38 Overcommunication is essential 

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