Omar Onsi, the Chairman and CEO of Splendor Telecom, a London-based Voice-over-IP (VOIP) company, explains how he differentiates his service from Skype by offering a cheaper, non-video service that is focused on allowing customers to make cheap international calls. Onsi describes how he approached getting seed funding by first creating organic growth, and then approaching both international and regional funders, eventually signing deals with Intel Capital and Abraaj Capital.

What were the factors that made Splendor an appealing product to invest in? "I think one was our track record, that showed a huge success, and then the focus of the product. [Most companies] in VOIP [are] offering everything from A to Z. we just said, let's focus on having prices that are cheaper than the competition," says Onsi.