Lessons from M&A, CVC and VC with Asher Siddiqui, General Partner at Sukna Ventures

In this episode, we sit down with Asher Siddiqui, General Partner at Sukna Ventures https://suknaventures.com. Asher is a seasoned venture capital professional with a proven history of helping companies scale and secure funding. Previously, he was a Partner at 500 Startups, one of the world’s most active VC firms, and played a key role in building the M&A and CVC departments at Etisalat, one of the largest telecom companies. During his time at Etisalat, Asher was involved in over $15 billion worth of M&A deals. With deep expertise in scaling businesses globally, particularly across the Middle East and Southeast Asia, Asher shares unique insights into growth-stage companies and venture investments. We dive into Asher’s journey in venture capital, his leadership in M&A deals, and his perspective on the evolving startup ecosystem in emerging markets. He also offers invaluable advice for entrepreneurs on scaling, securing funding, and the importance of personal relationships and warm introductions. Subscribe to the VNTR Podcast to deepen your knowledge of investing and discovering winning opportunities. VNTR is building the world’s largest investor community by sharing lessons, hosting events, and offering opportunities. Active VC investors can join by claiming a free investor account at (https://app.vntr.vc/). Hosts: - Yuri Rabinovich (http://linkedin.com/byuric) - Niko Leon (http://linkedin.com/nikoleon) Chapters: * 0:00 Intro * 6:40 Entrepreneur to Investor * 18:00 Corporate M&A * 31:00 Corporate VC * 40:30 Sukna Ventures * 53:52 Reaching VCs * 1:00:00 Work-life balance Follow Asher: * https://www.linkedin.com/in/ashersiddiqui * https://suknaventures.com * https://x.com/ashercdkey Asher's Bio: Asher Siddiqui is a seasoned investor and entrepreneur with over 25 years of experience in the technology and investment sectors. He is currently a General Partner at Sukna Ventures in Palo Alto, California, where he focuses on identifying and nurturing high-potential technology companies. Previously, Siddiqui served as Managing Partner at 500 Startups, where he led investments in mid-to-growth stage companies, helping to scale innovative startups globally. His extensive background also includes a decade at Etisalat Group, where he held key positions as Head of M&A and later Head of Venture Capital.