Qatar SportsTech Programme Director, Heba Al Masri
The Qatar SportsTech (QST) will accelerate 10 innovative startup companies catering to the sports technology industry as part of the second cohort of its award-winning three-month accelerator programme this year. The chosen sports tech startups will undergo intensive mentoring from renowned global experts in the field, and will have the opportunity to be incentivised and invited to register their company with 100 percent ownership in Qatar.
This year, the Doha-based sports tech accelerator programme will include nine international and one local startup companies; including two startups from Italy, two startups from Portugal, and one each from Belgium, UK, US, Germany, Australia, and Qatar.
“Most of them already have their products and are in advanced stages. They already launched, raised funds, and generate revenue. They’re really here in Qatar trying to see what the market has to offer, and how they can give back. We’ve already met with the Qatar Financial Centre (QFC), and they’re all interested in opening their entities here in Qatar,” QST Programme Director Heba Al Masri said while talking to The Peninsula on the sidelines of the Startup Grind’s forum in Doha recently.
QST is a sports tech accelerator programme which was initiated by the Qatar Development Bank (QDB), powered by Startupbootcamp and supported by the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy, QFC, Aspire Zone Foundation, BeIN Sports, and the Ministry of Commerce and Industry.
The programme seeks to attract the best sports tech startups in the world to set up base in Qatar’s thriving startup ecosystem. “At QST, we are working towards transforming Doha into the sports hub of the world, and we do this by scouting sports tech startups from around the world, bringing the best of them in Doha, and trying to get them the ecosystem that they need to really find a home here,” added Al Masri.
Speaking about the cutting-edge technologies offered by the chosen startups, Al Masri said the products offer a wide range of products and services, from performance-based wearables to health technology which measures body fat digitally; another product offers a revolutionary saliva-based anti-oxidant level measuring; a software-based platform which can zoom in on any sports match to show an athlete’s or referee’s point of view; and another technology focusing on providing memberships to gyms in Qatar.
The 10 sports tech startups were chosen after three months of international scouting from 40 countries spanning six continents, and reviewing over 500 applications. They will now enter the QST’s accelerator programme in a bid to develop highly scalable businesses with substantial revenue growth.
According to market data, by 2025, the estimated local market size of Qatar’s facilities management will reach QR25bn; industries catering to sports education will be valued at QR530m, sports medicine at QR403m, sports tourism will grow to QR48m, sports data and analytics is estimated to reach QR21m, while sports merchandising is expected to reach QR17m.
According to Al Masri, QST also seeks to encourage more people to invest on the startups in order to further accelerate the growth of Qatar’s startup ecosystem. It also holds Angel bootcamps where it brings together potential ‘angels’ and run workshops on how to be an Angel investor. QST also offers the pre-accelerator programme Pearls of Qatar, which aims to develop local entrepreneurs, Al Masri added.
