> What are your goals for Future Story in the next year?
_Kais Badran (KB)
Our main goal for the next year is to build strategic partnerships and expand our portfolio with ventures that align with our vision of a transformative future. We want to identify and support the “moonshot” ideas that hold the promise of exponential impact, whether through wellness, technology, or personalised health. By concentrating our efforts on a select few groundbreaking projects, we aim to lay a solid foundation for future growth and inspire an ecosystem of innovation.
_Angele Giuliano (AG)
At the moment, we already have quite a number of innovative startups and investors signed up with us. In this next year, however, we would really like to increase that amount and then stabilise and focus in particular sectors.
Health will always be an important sector for us. But then we also went into the quantum sector, such as quantum communications and quantum computing, which is growing a lot in interest, but is also difficult sometimes to be understood by people, since it is extremely deeptech. However, there is definitely great potential in this sector.
Apart from this, given the interest of the Gulf region in serious construction, we are also looking at construction-based technologies that can build better, safer, faster, and more in line with environmental goals. When you go to Dubai, the first thing that hits you is the never ending construction that happens.
> What are the main challenges you have faced so far since embarking on this Future Story joint venture?
_AG
I think the main challenge is the cultural difference, since the startups from one side are European, and the investors from the other side are from the Gulf. For example, the Europeans want to meet for 15 minutes, show the pitch deck, and then they are done. On the other side, from the Gulf, they want to know who you are, to know your story, to talk with you, and it could be that in the first meeting, you barely even talk business. Even these simple things are a bit difficult to manage sometimes because we need to manage expectations from both sides.
We need to teach both sides how to relate to the other, that, for instance, it is not rude if the Europeans immediately dive into business, or at the same time, that it’s not a delaying tactic if the Gulf side is asking in general about some questions.
I think that is the biggest challenge – the cultural difference. Doing business in the two regions is very different. However, I think this is why it is a good thing that both Kais and I are involved, because between the two of us we understand each side, and we can therefore explain it to the others.
_KB
One of our primary challenges has also been navigating the complexities of emerging tech fields like epigenetics and AI. These areas are evolving so quickly that staying ahead requires agility, constant learning, and partnerships with leading experts. Additionally, regulatory and ethical considerations present unique challenges that we approach with a firm commitment to responsible innovation. Building a venture that not only pioneers change but does so ethically has required careful planning and unwavering diligence.
> What have been the biggest successes and milestones in Future Story so far?
_KB
Our biggest milestone to date has been building a robust investment pipeline filled with ventures that embody our mission to drive positive change. We have brought on board an exceptional group of investors who share our passion, which has enabled us to grow our resources and expand our reach. Future Story has also gained early recognition as a forward-thinking venture, opening doors to partnerships with visionary pioneers in education, tech, and wellness – a testament to the power of our mission.
_AG
The biggest success, in my opinion, has definitely been helping one of our deeptech startups find a large investor.
Moreover, there is the fact that people are starting to come to us. They are starting to ask us to help them because they don’t understand the region and would like to export, or because they have no clue how to go about getting investment from the region since they don’t have any contacts there. And vice versa, we sometimes have investors telling us that they would like to invest in the next big thing and ask us to suggest something to them.
The fact that they are coming to us through word of mouth, because everything we do is through our networks, through our contacts, is very positive and this is, going forward, where we would like to continue. We do not want to become a company or a service which is fully automated, where you insert information into a platform and they try to match you.
We really want to keep the human touch. We especially want to keep the explanation to people of how it works and that we’re there to accompany them. We also want to make it clear that we go through each start-up that comes to us and each investor that comes to us to make sure they are legitimate and they are really doing what they’re saying they are doing.
Therefore, I think the fact that people are starting to contact us is a success.
> How do you see Future Story evolving over the next 5-10 years?
_AG
I would see us ideally also having a focus on different locations in the Gulf region. For the moment we are focusing a lot on Dubai. But of course there’s Qatar, there’s Saudi Arabia, Oman, a lot of other countries. I would like us to focus on those areas as well.
I would also definitely like to see us gain strength in the verticals: the health vertical, the quantum vertical and the greentech and construction tech. I would definitely like to see us evolving there.
I can also see us growing the team eventually, maybe putting different people in charge of different verticals so that they can specialise.
I think over the next 5-10 years our aim is really to settle down, make sure everybody knows what we stand for, where we’re going, what we’re doing, and keep making these matches between the startups and investors in a more human and friendly way.
_KB
Over the next decade, I envision Future Story as a global leader in supporting visionary startups that push the boundaries of what’s possible. We aim to expand our influence, investing in cutting-edge fields like longevity sciences and sustainable education, with a goal to create an ecosystem of innovation and responsible growth. By cultivating a network of game-changes – entrepreneurs, investors, and mentors alike – we hope Future Story will be a driving force behind technologies and initiatives that leave a lasting, positive legacy for humanity.
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