Doha: The US-Qatar Business Council (USQBC) and the International Finance Corporation (IFC) discussed on Tuesday ways to accelerate Qatar's startup, innovation, and investment ecosystem.
This came during an event titled 'Qatar as a regional innovation hub: accelerating the startup ecosystem in Qatar,' which brought together government officials, private-sector leaders, and investors from both sides.
The event aimed to explore evidence-based opportunities to accelerate Qatar's startup, innovation, and investment ecosystem in line with the Qatar National Vision 2030 and the country's Third National Development Strategy.
The event also marked the launch of a study co-produced by USQBC Doha and the IFC, titled 'Qatar startup ecosystem study: a roadmap to accelerate the ecosystem.'
The study's key findings and strategic recommendations were presented during the event, outlining practical and actionable pathways to strengthen Qatar's position as a regional hub for innovation, entrepreneurship, venture capital, and growing investment.
In her opening remarks, USQBC Doha Managing Director, Sheikha Mayes bint Hamad bin Mohammed Al-Thani noted that the Council is working on activating private-sector opportunities and moving capital, talent, and ideas from the stage of dialogue to that of commitment.
Qatar's startup ecosystem is precisely the type of environment where such activation is critically important, she said. The study provides an evidence-based foundation to engage the private sector effectively by identifying areas where investment readiness exists, and where institutional gaps need to be addressed, as well as identifying Qatar's unique competitive advantage in the Gulf region and the world.
These findings must be turned into deals, partnerships, and growth, the USQBC Doha Managing Director said.
For her part, World Bank Group (WBG) Country Manager for Qatar, Holly Welborn Benner said that startups are engines of innovation, job creation, and future growth.
Qatar aspires to become a hub for entrepreneurship and venture capital, and that today's report provides an evidence-based roadmap to achieve that goal, she added. This includes unlocking founders' potential, enhancing startup quality and scalability, increasing investment capacity, strengthening links with Qatar's research and academic institutions, and promoting sector specialization.
Highlighting the importance of collaboration within Qatar's innovation and investment ecosystem, Senior Executive Vice President of Corporate and Institutional Banking at QNB Group, Khalid Al Sada said that building a globally competitive innovation ecosystem requires strong cooperation among financial institutions, investors, policymakers, and entrepreneurs.
QNB Group recognizes the critical role that access to capital, institutional support, and cross-sector partnerships play in enabling startups to scale and contribute to long-term economic growth, he added.
Al Sada noted that supporting platforms such as this reflects the Group's ongoing commitment to fostering innovation, entrepreneurship, and private-sector development in alignment with the Qatar National Vision 2030.
The event is part of ongoing cooperation taking place in the context of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between USQBC Doha and the IFC.
This partnership aims to promote evidence-based dialogue, strengthen private-sector engagement, and identify actionable opportunities that support Qatar's national development priorities and innovation-driven economic diversification.
