Doha: Some of Qatar’s most promising entrepreneurs took to the stage last week at Qatar Science and Technology Park’s first ever Demo Day, marking the completion of a three-month Accelerator Programme to prepare them for launching their ideas in the market.
Graduates of the Accelerator Programme were given their first taste of business as they presented their inventions to local investors and mentors.
The graduates are the first cohort to pass through QSTP’s incubator process designed to nurture and coach local entrepreneurs to develop their inventions to a level where they can successfully present their prototypes and strategies to potential angel investors to commercialise them.
QSTP is Qatar’s primary accelerator and incubator for technology-based start-ups, and supports Qatar Foundation Research and Development (QF R&D) by fostering new talent in an environment designed to accelerate their route to the market in a bid to nurture and support innovation and entrepreneurship in Qatar.
Opening the event, Hamad Al Kuwari, Managing Director of QSTP, said: “QSTP is a state-of-the-art cluster designed to bring key players within the technology innovation ecosystem under one roof, but our mission is much bigger than this. We strive to inspire and nurture a culture of innovation in the country and the region. I believe the region thrives on local talent who can, with the right support, secure a spot for Qatar and the region on the world’s map of knowledge economies.”
“I want to congratulate all of our graduates for their hard work and achievements so far and I look forward to tracking their ongoing success. Each of our Accelerator programmes will conclude in a Demo Day like this, to further facilitate matchmaking and introductions between innovators and potential angel investors.”
One entrepreneur presenting at the Demo Day was Mohammed Mansour Al Sharshani, part of the team behind an advanced bimolecular kit that can assess the severity of cancer replacing the less precise positive or negative outcome of current market models.
He said; “Being part of the QSTP Accelerator Programme has allowed us to develop our business plan and create a proposal that we can now take to potential investors. It really is a unique platform that has given us valuable experience, insights and contacts in the industry.”
THE PENINSULA
