Imad Ghandour is Co-Founder & CEO of Cedar Bridge Capital, a boutique private equity firm that's been investing across MENA and Europe since 2011. Imad and his team have deployed capital across industries and navigated several challenging political and economic times in MENA to return a strong IRR for their investors. Imad discusses the need to be an optimist when building businesses in emerging markets, while also being flexible and adaptable when unforeseen circumstances arise (e.g. currency devaluations, political revolutions). Imad talks about what he looks for in entrepreneurs, how he measures the impact of a cofounder and more. I heard Imad say:When you invest, you have to believe in your thoughts Three Es when looking at an entrepreneur to invest in: Ethics, Experience, Energy Leaders feed everybody a part of the cake Be intentional and systematic about mentorship Be an optimist in the long term but be flexible in the short term#podcast #ceotalks #pod #entrepreneurlife #entrepreneurship #middleeastentrepreneurs #mena #startupstories #menaentrepreneurs #menastartups #menastories #businesspodcast #businesspodcasts #CEOwisdom #founderwisdom #founderpodcasts #founderstories