Success Strategies From Flat6Labs' Dina el-Shenoufy
The chief investment officer and partner at one of the MENA’s largest startup accelerators and seed funding organizations shares lessons learned through business and life.
Dina el-Shenoufy’s love for numbers and desire to create an impact lined up perfectly when she – by sheer chance – landed in the venture capital domain. Having spent the first five years of her career between asset management and private equity, venture capital was, as it turned out, the perfect cross-section of value creation and impact that she was seeking. In her time as chief investment officer (CIO) and partner at Flat6Labs (one of the MENA’s largest startup accelerators and seed funding organizations), el-Shenoufy has invested in over 400 startups and supported over 1,000 entrepreneurs across the region, all while creating returns and value to investors and economies. And when not investing, she competes for the IronMan 70.3 triathlon races, swims, cycles, and essentially runs away from her life’s other demands.
Here’s how el-Shenoufy goes about realizing all of her ambitions.
1. DON’T DOUBT YOUR ABILITIES
You don’t need to be 100 percent sure of success before you embark on a project. You’ll never start anything or take calculated risks if you don’t trust yourself. There’s nothing you can’t achieve with the right amount of discipline and determination. If I can learn to swim at the age of 35 – in spite of having lived my life in extreme fear of water – and gone on to compete in IronMan, then anything is possible.
2. MAKE DECISIONS ON THE GO
Learn to make decisions on the go with the best information available – real life is such. It’s smart to anticipate different scenarios and plan ahead, but things don’t always go as planned. Thinking fast is key to success, so be prepared to think on your feet.
3. DON'T TAKE YOURSELF TOO SERIOUSLY
Unless you actually are, we’re mostly not saving lives. Stay humble and light. You attract more people to you, and you actually end up being more impactful. You also remain genuine, and that’s a quality that goes a long way. Always make time for yourself.
4. STAY ORGANIZED
Staying organized helps you reduce errors and stay efficient. Take a bird’s eye view of your to-do list and priorities based on needs rather than a chronological order of tasks. And learn to say no when you need to.
5. SUCCESS IS A TEAM EFFORT
You can’t succeed alone – your team is a massive factor, so make sure you have the right people beside you and behind you. Know your team. Empathize with them inside and outside the office. They are your biggest supporters. Contrary to popular belief, business is, in fact, quite personal.
6. WORK ON YOUR SOFT SKILLS
At a certain point, whether or not you succeed stops being about technical skills, and it is mostly about soft skills. It’s not just about building directly with your own hands, so learn how to collaborate, how to partner, how to lead, how to delegate, how to manage, how to connect, and most importantly, how to strategize.
7. BUILD YOUR NETWORK
It’s always a people’s game, so don’t stop building and maintaining your network and relationships – at all levels. Sometimes your success is brought through by that junior cheerleader who vouches for you rather than the CEO.
