Viaka Newsletter: Launch of Viaka Connect🚀
This month, we launched a fractional services platform we’re calling Viaka Connect 🚀
Hani here👋 I’m stealing the mic a bit for this edition of Viaka’s newsletter, but it’s to share an exciting update! By the time this newsletter goes out, the Viaka Network will have surpassed 400 members, a milestone that coincides nicely with our recent unveiling of Viaka Connect 🎉
If you’re interested in learning more about Viaka Connect, join us for a webinar on August 7th
I launched Viaka about a year ago with the overarching goal of facilitating “access” for entrepreneurs and investors in the MENA region to expertise, deals and capital. I thought all three were “relatively” abundant in a more mature startup ecosystem, like North America.
Over the course of the past year, however, two observations in particular have added some nuance to that goal:
I’ve found that “access” is something that founders and investors alike struggle with anywhere in the world. This isn’t to say that a founder in Cairo or Tunis’ struggles are always of the same magnitude or nature as one in Boston or Silicon Valley, but rather that getting into the right networks and building a strong, enabling ecosystem around your startup is important and hard, no matter where are you are in the world.
A strong, enabling ecosystem goes far beyond just raising capital and some experienced advisors. Yes, those can go a long way - (and if they’re especially good, they can help build our the rest of your ecosystem) - but even before institutional capital comes onboard, a founder needs a village to lean on, whether it’s for legal advice, operational questions, flexible tech resources, a UX/UI designer’s touch, exploring new markets, nailing your branding, and so much more.
We have over 130 current founders in the Viaka Network today, and many of them have started organically using the Network (and asking me directly😃) to help build their “villages.” It’s been a huge honor for me to receive such requests, so I decided to create Viaka Connect to make it easier to meet that desire. It pulls together the top fractional service providers, freelancers, consultants and agencies in the Network, puts them in one place, and makes it super easy to access their services.
Service providers are Viaka Network members, vetted for their quality and experience, and have worked in North America, MENA, and Europe. They’ll also be offering office hours and workshops in their areas of expertise for other Network members.
My overall goal here is for founders (and other members) to find it exceedingly easy leverage Viaka as their access to of a strong, enabling ecosystem, wherever they’re based. 🌍
Thanks for reading!
Hani
Upcoming Events from Our Network & Beyond
Below is a list of upcoming events from the Viaka Network & beyond over the next couple of weeks!
Unshackled Ventures is launching Eighteen150, a chance for solo, first-time immigrant founders to receive a 150K investment for 10% equity, along with comprehensive immigration assistance and access to their community of fellow immigrant founders. Informational event on July 26th.
Viaka is hosting a panel on Palestine’s startup ecosystem. We've invited ecosystem leaders for an hourlong, virtual discussion to shed light on the good and the bad, the challenges and the reasons for optimism. Virtual panel on July 31st.
January Ventures is hosting a pitch “collective”. Founders based in the US and Europe will have a chance to pitch to early-stage investors without a warm intro! Read more here.
Viaka Connect launch webinar will give an overview of the platform and as well as introduce participating service providers and their credentials. Virtual event on August 7th.
If you’d like to share an event in this newsletter, we encourage you to join the Viaka Network and share the event with info@viaka.net!
Reads of the Week
Viaka has launched a Network Reading List, where Network members are encouraged to submit media suggestions of their own.
Samit Kalra writes on what makes a marketplace work.
Wamda argues that the investment slowdown in MENA is good for the ecosystem.
Check out Viaka’s full reading list here.
Weekly Wins!
Check out our weekly wins — where we shout out recent accomplishments of our Network members, every single Friday. Be sure to follow our LinkedIn and Twitter for more!
That’s it for this week. Thank you! 👋
Like what you see? Here are some things you should do:
Check out our sparkling new website 💻
Sign up for the Viaka Network 🚀
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