Web Summit, the world’s largest technology conference, announced Tuesday that it has officially sold out its first Middle Eastern event, Web Summit Qatar (WSQ), which will draw the largest-ever gathering of international startups in the region’s history, from February 26 to 29 at the Doha Exhibition and Convention Centre (DECC).
More than 12,000 attendees will arrive in Qatar to attend what will serve as a pivotal force for innovation in the region, enabling the people who are reshaping the world to connect.
The largest and most globally diverse cohort of startups to ever gather in the region, more than 1,000 startups from 80 countries, will connect with a new generation of investors and partners hailing from countries, such as Qatar, the US, Egypt, Brazil, Italy, Nigeria, the UK, India, and beyond.
Within the startup cohort, almost 200 will be coming from Africa and more than 100 are part of the event’s Impact programme, which focuses on tech for good. Almost one-third of attending startups are founded by women.
“The cohort of startups at our inaugural Web Summit Qatar is the most global and gender-diverse we’ve ever had. This is a testament to the massive energy around founders and tech in the Middle East and beyond.
“Web Summit Qatar will draw thousands of top-tier entrepreneurs, partners, and trade delegations from all over the world, creating tremendous opportunities for connections with the region. It will be a truly global event,” says Web Summit CEO Katherine Maher.
A total of 500 investors from some of the largest funds in the world will meet startups and peers. Peak XV managing director GV Ravishankar, Global Ventures founder Noor Sweid, 500 Global’s Christine Tsai and Khailee Ng, Invest Qatar’s Ali Alwaleed al-Thani, and more from Northzone, B Capital, APAX Partners, and TechStars, will explore the investment opportunities in one of the fastest growing markets in the world.
At WSQ, stars such as Emmy-winning South African comedian Trevor Noah and Bollywood actress and singer Nora Fatehi will join WPP CEO Mark Read, Whoop CEO Will Ahmed, astronaut and Deep Space Initiative founder Sara Sabry, Replit co-founder and CEO Amjad Masad, Builder.ai founder and chief wizard Sachin Dev Duggal, soccer legends Patrice Evra, John Obi Mikel and Gilberto Silva, and Tabby co-founder and CEO Hosam Arab.
Big tech partners, including Microsoft, Snap, Qatar Investment Authority, Deloitte, and Palo Alto Networks, will be exhibiting on the sold-out event floor. Trade delegations from countries, including Canada, Türkiye, Bahrain, Pakistan, Nigeria, and Kenya will be attending Web Summit Qatar to explore business opportunities in the Middle East.
The women in tech programme, which, with its commitment to balancing gender in the tech sector, runs across all Web Summit events, is also sold out. The Women in Tech Lounge will welcome organisations, including Women of Qatar and Women Techmakers, along with thousands of women in tech attendees from all over the world.
The Doha event joins the company’s global roster alongside flagship event Web Summit, which draws 71,000 attendees to Lisbon each November; North America’s fastest-growing tech event, Collision, in Toronto; and Web Summit Rio, which will take place in 2024 for the second time.
