Faraj Jassim Abdulla, Director of Digital Economy Department at MCIT speaking during the event.
Doha, Qatar: Doha Tech Angels (DTA), in collaboration with the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology (MCIT), organised a pitch night session to foster startups across the globe to invest in Qatar.
The event witnessed three selected startups pitching directly to DTA’s partners, fellow angel investors in Qatar, and key stakeholders in the entrepreneurial ecosystem. The event also aimed at bolstering connections and investment opportunities for high-growth tech startups.
Speaking to The Peninsula on the sidelines of the event, Director of Digital Economy Department at MCIT, Faraj Jassim Abdulla, said: “Today’s pitch session showcased an exciting array of innovative startups, from health to sustainability and creative economy, reflecting a dynamic landscape of entrepreneurship, propelling industries towards groundbreaking innovation. Encouraging these startups in Qatar fosters economic diversification, innovation, and job creation and addresses societal challenges while promoting a culture of entrepreneurship and resilience.”
“Qatar has recently unveiled its third and final wave of the National Development Strategy -NDS3. One of the key enabling clusters is IT & Digital - to drive the digital economy and widespread adoption of emerging technologies. In the backdrop of this, the government will facilitate the development of the tech sector with a growing emphasis on public-private partnerships. These efforts will enhance the private sector’s competitiveness, enable innovation, and meet the evolving needs of the local market, ultimately driving job creation and economic growth in Qatar,” Abdulla added.
Managing Director at DTA, Sara Daniel, said: “DTA, with the support of MCIT, aims to curate compelling monthly Pitch Night experiences for angel investors in Qatar, facilitating connections with high-growth tech startups.”
She remarked that the goals of this “strategic collaboration” are to attract startups across the world to Qatar’s thriving entrepreneurial ecosystem and to showcase the country’s young and promising startups to investors.
Daniel noted that the three pitching startups were selected through a “rigorous process”. In 2023, DTA evaluated more than 350 applications and extended invitations to only 32 startups to participate in pitch nights. The three innovative startups that presented their businesses at the event included GoLyv, Mina Analytics, and Wowzi. Being a comprehensive software-as-a-service platform that digitizes healthy F&B businesses and e-commerce players within hours, GoLyv empowers its customers to seamlessly sell online while efficiently managing and fulfilling online orders. With a robust presence in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the startup recently expanded its business and offerings to the market of Qatar.
On the other hand, Mina Analytics specialises in data analytics tailored for climate change investing. The startup introduces a pioneering analytical tool and leverages a proprietary database and in-depth empirical research. The firm is also poised to commence the commercialization of its product within renowned financial institutions this year.
As a rapidly growing platform, Wowzi facilitates connections between global brands and African content creators. The startup also boasts an impressive growing number of monthly active creators and counts industry giants such as Coca-Cola, Netflix, P&G, and Google among its advertisers. “Our criteria include a focus on technology businesses that exhibit high growth potential, have achieved post-product-market fit, demonstrate some commercial traction, and possess a distinct competitive edge,” she said.
Daniel further added: “The thorough screening process ensures that the selected startups not only align with our investment goals but also stand out in terms of innovation, market readiness, and competitiveness.”
