Capital Raise Readiness Checklist for Founders in MENA

Raising capital in the GCC and wider MENA is rarely lost on the pitch deck alone. It stalls when investors cannot validate ownership, cash, KPI integrity, and decision-making speed. This post gives founders a boardroom-grade capital raise readiness checklist: a pass/fail gate, an interactive readiness scorecard, and an 8-12 week implementation plan with owners. You will learn what sophisticated investors test first, how to build a diligence-ready data room without creating chaos, and how to align story, numbers, and operations so diligence becomes a confirmation step. Use it six to twelve months before outreach to reduce delays, avoid valuation haircuts, and protect negotiating leverage.