Qatar Science & Technology Park (QSTP) – member of Qatar Foundation (QF) – welcomed 13 tech startups from across the globe as part of the second edition of its Global Innovation Link (GIL) program.
Building on the success of its inaugural edition, which engaged startups from Pakistan, GIL’s latest edition was significantly expanded to include a diverse cohort of entrepreneurs from countries including the US, Poland, Kazakhstan, Morocco, Malaysia, and Jordan.
The program demonstrates QSTP’s firm resolve to lay the groundwork for future collaborations in tech research and development by establishing a link between Qatar’s tech ecosystem and international tech ecosystems.
The startups represented a wide array of industries and sectors, with a focus on innovation-driven fields such as spacetech, edtech, fintech, tourism tech, gaming, urban planning, manufacturing, and engineering. As part of the two-week immersive experience, the participating startups gained access to QSTP’s world-class infrastructure and co-working space, the opportunity to interact with key stakeholders in Qatar, and exposure to the country’s thriving tech landscape. They were also given a chance to present their solutions to a diverse audience at QSTP’s AI Week 2024, a premier event that gathered over 3,000 local and global industry leaders, experts, and tech enthusiasts.
Dr. Jack Lau, President of QSTP, said the second edition of GIL builds on QSTP’s strong focus on enabling interactions between local and global innovation ecosystems.
“This program is part of our triangulation process where we facilitate international entrepreneurs to engage with the local tech community as well as stakeholders in the education system. This experience allows them to understand the potential demand for their technologies in Qatar, in addition to providing a fertile ground for cross-border research collaborations and benefit from QF’s diverse talent pool of students, researchers, and academics,” Dr Lau said.
Beknazar Abdikamalov, Co-Founder of Hupo, a Singapore-based startup that participated in this edition of GIL, said the program was highly valuable in connecting with key stakeholders in Qatar, especially at a time that his startup is looking to enter the MENA market.
“This program has been a great starting point for us. It revealed the opportunities available in Qatar and the region, allowing us to interact with startups based here as well as the wider ecosystem. We have already managed to find some potential partners and clients and look forward to building on these connections to achieve our growth objectives.”
QSTP’s GIL program is open to teams with a strong STEM background (PhD, patent holders, Master’s +5 years of experience, or a company with $100k+ annual revenue). These teams must be nominated by official state/national bodies.
