QBIC officials listening to entrepreneurs presenting their startup ideas during the Demo Day in Doha recently.
Doha: The MENA region’s leading mixed-use business incubator, Qatar Business Incubation Center (QBIC), a division of Qatar Development Bank (QDB), has selected its newest startups for investment during its first virtual Demo Day in Doha recently.
Hosted in a new hybrid event format with a livestream broadcast, this year’s Demo Day celebrated the 13th wave of graduates from QBIC’s intensive LeanStartup Program (LSP), who will continue in the incubation journey and have access for further cash investment and other benefits.
The live portion of the event, featuring influencer Abdullah Al Ghafri as MC, saw select startups and scaleups pitching to the incubation committee and was live streamed on YouTube for the public and potential investors to partake. The interactive event allowed audiences to pose questions and comments directly to the startups, which come from QBIC’s general and Digital and Beyond (D&B) powered by Ooredoo, incubatee pool, via a live chat.
QBIC General Manager Hamad Dashin Al Qahtani, said: “For the first time, our most promising startups were connected to audiences via an innovative digital platform to deliver their pitch ideas in a safe manner in line with the precautionary measures to combat the spread of COVID-19. With the health and well-being of our community as a top priority, QBIC remains deeply committed to supporting entrepreneurs and contributing to Qatar’s shift towards a knowledge-based economy.
This year’s Demo Day proved to be an immense success, drawing potential investors to the screen to pledge their funding to our talented startups.” Supported by Qatar National Bank (QNB), the event invited the participation of leading figures from the local entrepreneurial ecosystem and numerous incubated startups.
Participating startups and scaleups were selected last December and are now looking at unique investment and funding opportunities. Following the conclusion of Demo Day, investors were able to book meetings with the startups they see the biggest potential in to discuss avenues for future collaboration and incubation.
The startups that pitched their ideas were Find a Nurse, E-Qatar, Fasrly, ASAAP, iFor Build, Debito, Printle, Material Bids, and C-Wallet. Select Demo Day entrepreneurs will continue to receive support, advice and mentorship from QBIC as part of its mission in contributing to Qatar’s evolving business environment and creating a sustainable environment for entrepreneurs to focus on transforming their ideas into businessventures.
QBIC, which was founded by two of the leading entrepreneurship institutes in Qatar - QDB and Nama - has a mission to develop the next QR100m companies in Qatar. It is working to unify efforts with key entities in Qatar to develop SMEs and enhance the private sector.
Dedicated to the longterm success of entrepreneurs, QBIC seeks to empower committed entrepreneurs to start and grow companies by incubating, developing, connecting and investing.
QBIC’s flagship initiatives are based on the proven Lean Methodology framework, which helps transform innovative ideas into startup businesses. This is delivered through a variety of programs, namely the LeanStartupProgram, an entrepreneurial program that provides a real world, hands-on learning experience on how to successfully start a company.
In addition to this, QBIC offers the Lean Acceleration Program, designed for high-potential businesses to increase their investment readiness. QBIC also offers several specialised programs catering to specific growth domains, such as Lean Manufacturing Program, Lean Fashion Program, and Lean Coach Program.
