On this episode Investor Connect, Hall welcomes Mendy Ouzillou of MMOmentum Consulting. In this episode, Mendy illuminates the concept of 'points of friction'.  As Mendy explains, points of friction are any number of things that get in the way of achieving your goals. Mendy focuses on how this concept applies to pre-money startups and pre-revenue businesses, and what they can do to minimize points of friction.

Mendy begins by taking a look at the audience's (in this case, the customer's) state of mind. In general, an audience has expectations, and if those are not met, then the audience has trouble moving on from those expectations. Points of friction prevent an audience from following a presenter - these points of friction often take the form of 'unanswered questions'. Mendy elaborates on the types of unanswered questions, and how they cause friction between the presenter and the audience.

Mendy shows how presenters cause points of friction through incorrect assumptions about the audience, lack of preparation, or by confusing or boring their audience. Finally, Mendy details some of the specific things you can do in a pitch to avoid points of friction.

In this episode, Hall is joined by Rita Sudheer of Asa Ventures. As the episode begins, you’ll learn about Rita's background prior to Asa Ventures- Arif Saiyad & Associados (ASA) Ventures, established in 2003 in Portugal and headquartered in Dubai, works on hybrid models of Venture Capital. Rita talks about the state of venture investing in the UAE and the Middle East, and how is the industry evolving. She says there are a lot of new incubators and funds and accelerator programs that have been created and the investment in entrepreneurial ventures have increased notably in, in the Middle East. You’ll also learn Rita’s advice to those investing in the sector as well as challenges and risks she sees. She also says the UAE is a strategic location between the East and West, which makes it accessible to some of the major emerging economies. It's a strategic place and there's a lot of room to grow and experiment.