From creating state-of-the-art mobile applications to engaging websites and online platforms, local tech firm Applab has helped several enterprises in Qatar realize their digital ambitions and contribute to the country’s digital transformation legacy. Through its recent partnership with Qatar Stars League (QSL), Applab further aims to build the digital capabilities of Qatar’s most prominent football league and propel its digitalization journey forward.

Al Hasan AlSammarraie, Founding Managing Partner at Applab

As the Business Partner of Qatar Stars League for three seasons, starting 2022-2023, Applab will design, implement, and manage digital solutions for QSL. Al Hasan AlSammarraie, Founding Managing Partner at Applab says: “For Applab, this will bring more visibility through the league’s digital advertisements as well as jumbo screens and signage at the football stadiums.”

For the software, data and cloud engineering firm, the sponsorship agreement with QSL cements its foothold in the country’s sports sector. AlSammarraie believes this is one of the biggest milestones for his company since it was founded six years ago by a small team of technology enthusiasts focused on creating engaging Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) platforms in the local market. With investment from Qatar Science and Technology Park’s (QSTP) Product Development Fund (PDF), Applab released its first SaaS product, Social Charity, to assist charity and non-profit organizations manage their online and mobile donations. Now, entities like Education Above All, Qatar Cancer Society, and Silatech run these kinds of services using the Applab product.

“Being awarded the PDF when we were still in the initial stage of our innovation journey not only redoubled our confidence but also, critically, placed us on a growth path that enabled us to go from strength to strength. The fund from QSTP together with the range of support services provided by them have equipped Applab with the needed tools to make the first steps into the market and build partnerships with key industry players,” AlSammarraie said.

Today, with a team of over 125 employees, Applab is catering to the digital needs of leading businesses in major sectors in Qatar including education, health, and sports sectors, driving digitalization through the automation of complicated processes, web and applications design, content management, and quality maintenance.

The partnership with QSL is an example of Applab’s ambitions for the near future. “Apart from the expansion in sectors and clients we are already serving, Applab is eying new partnerships with technology providers to take its technology services to newer heights. We are also looking at scaling regionally, and even working on taking our SaaS platform to international markets,” AlSammarraie said.

QSTP’s Product Development and Grant Management Fund Director, Aysha Al-Hamadi, said, “We are extremely proud of Applab’s rapid growth and the vital role that it has been playing in unlocking digital possibilities for key sectors in Qatar. This kind of impact is precisely what forms the essence of QSTP’s support programs for home-grown startups and SMEs to help them reach their full potential, and is also a testament to QSTP’s ongoing commitment to foster Qatar’s entrepreneurial ecosystem.”

Commenting on the partnership, Hassan Rabiah Al Kuwari, Executive Director of Sales, Marketing and Communication at QSL, said, “We are delighted that Applab has signed up a long-term digitalization partnership with us. The collaboration will facilitate state-of-the-art digital platforms for our official website and mobile application, offering football fans the best experience and satisfying their passion.”

Launched in 2016, the PDF is a cost sharing fund wherein QSTP provides up to half of the total budget as a grant, to encourage local startups and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the private sector to develop products and services relevant to local market needs. The fund promotes new hi-tech products and supports the commercialization of market-ready technologies. To date, the PDF program has awarded subsidy grants to more than 35 SMEs.

To read more and apply for PDF, visit https://qstp.org.qa/product-development-fund/