The mistake most foreign companies make
They treat the Gulf as one market with a lot of money in it, send the same deck they used in London, and are surprised when nothing happens. Regional capital is highly segmented: sovereign and quasi-sovereign vehicles, family offices with distinct sector histories, corporate strategics, and a genuine but small venture ecosystem. These groups have almost nothing in common in what they will look at, how quickly they move, or what evidence they want.
A family office that made its money in construction and logistics is not a growth-equity fund and will not behave like one. Approaching it as though it were wastes the introduction, and introductions in this region are finite.
What we do
- Positioning. Working out which segment of regional capital your business actually fits, and being candid when the answer is none of them yet.
- Materials. Investor deck, teaser, and the supporting pack. Regionally appropriate, in plain language, and structured to survive a sceptical read.
- Targeting. A researched list with a reason attached to each name, rather than a spray of everyone with capital.
- Introduction. Warm where we have the relationship, structured and properly briefed where we do not.
- Investor relations after the raise. Reporting cadence, updates, and managing the relationship, which is where a surprising number of companies lose their next round.
The regulated boundary
What a realistic process looks like
- Assessment. Two to three weeks. Is the business fundable here, at this stage, at this valuation. Sometimes the answer is no and that is worth knowing in week two.
- Preparation. Three to four weeks building materials and the target list.
- Outreach. Six to twelve weeks of approaches and meetings.
- Diligence and close. Three to nine months, and often longer than a first-time founder expects. Regional investors are relationship-led and unhurried.
Fees
| Structure | Range |
|---|---|
| Retainer | Monthly retainer applicable |
| Success fee | Typically 2% to 5% on capital introduced |
| Investor-readiness package | Fixed fee, available on request |
A monthly retainer for the work, with any success element agreed in writing at the outset. We do not work purely on success, because pure-success arrangements incentivise volume of introductions over quality of fit, and that damages your standing in a small market where the same names recur.
Whose side we are on
Al Hisn Partners acts for the client and only the client. We are retained by you, we take instructions from you, and our fee is paid by you.
We are retained by the company raising capital, and we take nothing from the investors we introduce. An introducer paid by both ends is serving neither, and in a market this small it is noticed.
Common questions
Do you guarantee introductions to sovereign funds?
No, and you should treat anyone who does with suspicion. We are candid about which relationships are ours, which are warm, and which would be a cold structured approach.
Are you a placement agent?
No. Arranging and advising on investments is a regulated activity. Where an engagement requires a permission we do not hold, a licensed partner firm performs that element and we tell you which one.
How long does a Gulf raise take?
Typically three to nine months from first outreach to close, and often longer. Regional investors are relationship-led and move at their own pace. If your runway is shorter than six months, this is probably not the right route.
Do you work on success fee only?
No. We work on a retainer with any success element agreed upfront. Pure success arrangements push a firm toward making as many introductions as possible rather than the right ones, and in a market this small that damages the company's reputation as well as ours.
Will you tell me if my business is not fundable here?
Yes, and usually within the first few weeks. That is a more useful outcome than nine months of meetings that were never going to convert.
Who pays you, and do you ever take a fee from the other side?
Our client pays us, and only our client. We do not accept a fee, commission, rebate or referral payment from a counterparty, or from any agent, provider, supplier or institution we introduce or work alongside. If one is offered, we decline it. This applies across every service we provide, without exception.