Why trust should be your biggest investment when entering the GCC or ASEAN
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Adam Flinter, Growth Ensemble’s Co-founder and Chief Growth Officer, recently appeared as a guest on The Future of Trust podcast, to discuss the role of trust in doing business in Asia.
He sat with Mat Yarger, host of the podcast and founder and CEO of blockchain impact firm Demia, for an extensive dialogue on the subtleties of raising capital in today’s complex investment landscape, what trust means in impact investment and more importantly, how to build it up in a meaningful way.
Their conversation focused on Southeast Asia and the Middle East and revealed an essential truth: building trust with investors, partners, and communities takes time and intention. This matters particularly in markets where relationships determine whether impact scales responsibly.
Here are some of the key points of the conversation, with practical takeaways for founders included.
Family Offices: Investing in Trust, Not Just Speed
Family offices are often able to invest with much longer exit timelines in mind, meaning they can afford to take time to make deep decisions over deploying capital and give founders the benefit of time.
“The right introduction can make all the difference,” Adam explains, for these investors, trust is paramount. Relationships, credibility, and proven alignment with values matter more than compelling short-term gains.
This approach requires founders to shift perspective: instead of solely chasing speed and scale, they must cultivate a rhythm of engagement, demonstrating thoughtfulness, expertise, and capacity for long-term growth and partnership.
Navigating Risk in Emerging Technologies
Many family offices remain cautious about crypto and token-driven models. Past hype cycles left scars, creating skepticism toward rapid, speculative approaches.
“They like patience and certainty. One bad investment can completely stop their progress,” Adam noted. This caution is not a rejection of innovation – rather a reflection of learned experience and the importance of capital preservation.
For founders, this represents an important note: trust is built by demonstrating consistency, transparency, and alignment with meaningful impact, more-so than chasing quick financial wins in a trending industry.
Whether in blockchain, AI, or other emerging technologies, the investor’s perception of reliability can be the difference between securing support and facing repeated rejection.
Adam also emphasised that careful, consistent engagement signals gravitas and commitment, establishing credibility that lasts far beyond any single fundraising round, and that this is especially true in high context cultures in the Middle East and Asia - where trusted relationships last decades and where “business tourism” - or a hit-and-run business practice - is frowned upon.
Speaking Web2 in a Web3 World
While family offices prize long-term alignment, venture capital operates on a different rhythm. Generally speaking, early-stage VCs often pursue outsized returns under compressed timelines.
“There are many different paths and partners when it comes to investors. Find the right ones and take the time to figure out who aligns with your impact and growth strategy,” Adam says.
For founders in Web3, understanding Web2 investors’ expectations and rhythms is critical. Accessing patient capital requires fluency in both worlds – both to grow responsibly, and to build trust across the ecosystem. It’s a balancing act: communicating disruptive innovation while demonstrating the governance, accountability, and consistency that traditional investors value. This dual fluency enables founders to navigate complex fundraising landscapes and maintain credibility across diverse investor types.
Integrity, Authenticity, and Being Known Well
Beyond capital strategy, the discussion also highlights the deeper principle of trust: integrity and authenticity.
“I want to be known for trying to do the right things for the right reasons. I want to be known well, not simply well-known,” said Adam.
For founders, this also applies: the quality of relationships, alignment of values, and consistent delivery matter more than hype.
In practice, this means that founders must focus just as much on how they engage with investors and partners as on the pitch itself. Actions like prompt follow-ups, transparent updates, and honest discussions of challenges can reinforce confidence and deepen trust.
Over time, these actions compound, creating a network of supporters who understand, believe and join in on the mission, rather than merely tracking performance metrics.
Practical Takeaways for Founders
Prioritise trust. The right investors value alignment, integrity, and shared purpose.
Align capital with impact. Choose partners who appreciate your long-term vision, not just short-term returns.
Invest in relationships. Introductions, credibility, and consistent engagement build trust faster than cold outreach.
Be patient and authentic. Sustainable impact requires persistence, honesty, and alignment with your mission.
Communicate across worlds. For Web3 founders, fluency in Web2 investors’ expectations can open doors and establish credibility.
To sum up, the conversation reflected that trust isn’t a superficial metric or a single transaction. Trust is a careful, continuous practice. Founders who internalise this lesson move beyond raising capital and cultivate relationships that enable long-term growth, resilience, and genuine impact.
As markets evolve and technologies advance, this principle remains timeless: trust is the currency that powers meaningful success.
Listen to the full episode:
🎧 https://open.spotify.com/episode/2gE0NiQcSLFWkANKYQBAMc?si=ad2bb7b343b34b52
