Startup Grind Doha to showcase local startups in Silicon Valley

Doha: Google-backed Startup Grind Doha, which was recently launched in Qatar, is planning to showcase the success stories of promising Qatar-based startups in Silicon Valley, which will not only highlight the country’s growing startup ecosystem to the global startup community, but will also provide the local entrepreneurs an opportunity to network with influential figures in the world’s technology hub. 

“The Startup Grind is a Google startup programme. And every year, directors and co-directors travel to Silicon Valley for the annual global conference, which includes various sessions and panel discussions attended by experts from Microsoft, Google, Yahoo, and other tech companies. We’ll also have a global pitch day for all the startups across the world. The chosen startups from across the world, chosen by their chapter heads, will be showcased during the event. And we will do that in the future, when we see a very promising startup in Qatar, which we could take to Silicon Valley and showcase to the rest of the Startup Grind community globally,” Dr Tejinder Singh, Chapter Director of Startup Grind Doha said while talking to The Peninsula on the sidelines of Startup Grind’s third session in Qatar on Tuesday. 

The global annual event, which serves as a gateway for local startups to expand globally, will be held in February. But since Startup Grind Doha, which is led by venture company 360 Nautica, is barely three months old and has just launched recently, the Qatar Chapter will choose a local startup to showcase in Silicon Valley during the next global conference in 2021. 

With Qatar’s growing startup ecosystem, Singh added that plans are underway to introduce a $10m-$15m private sector-led investment fund for local startups soon. He added: “Investors waking up to the growth of startup ecosystem is the need of the hour. There are some investments that are happening right now, but it’s a long way to go. With these kinds of events, we want to highlight that ‘Yes there are startups, and people are serious about it’, and this would excite investors”. 

Known to be the world’s largest independent startup community, Startup Grind nurtures startup ecosystems in over 125 countries. The global platform, which is sponsored by Google for Startups, educates, inspires, and connects more than 2 million entrepreneurs in over 600 chapters. 

In Qatar, the group hosts monthly events, and plans to feature Angel investors, venture capital organisations, and local and regional startups who have reached Series A and beyond stages. 

Earlier during the panel discussion, Qatar’s incubators and accelerators were gathered in one platform to showcase the current offerings available for startup entrepreneurs in Qatar. 

The speakers included Mohammed Zebian, Programme Manager for Accelerators at Qatar Science and Technology Park, Duha Al Buhendi, Manager at the Digital Incubation Centre, Majed Al Khulaifi, Head of Incubation at Qatar Business Incubation Centre, and Heba Al Masri, Programme Director at Qatar Sports Tech (QST). Innovation Consultant Agata Braja facilitated the discussions.