The QHackathon challenge this year is to develop apps based on mobile payment solutions.
Enterprise Qatar (EQ), in partnership with TechWadi, yesterday held the opening event for the biggest regional attraction of the year for entrepreneurs and stakeholders in new Arab enterprise: QHackathon 2013.
The event is being held at Katara - the Cultural Village - in Doha. The hackathon challenge this year is to develop apps based on mobile payment solutions.
Participants in the EQ-TechWadi QHackathon represent the culmination of the 2013 MIT Enterprise Forum of the Pan-Arab Region, bringing together 130 young qualifiers selected from 13,000 entrants across 20 Arab countries for the finals of the MIT-EF competition.
Alongside the MIT-EF finalists are 20 of the best Qatar-based entrepreneurs who have reached the finals of Al Fikra, Qatar’s National Business Plan Competition organised by EQ, an initiative that promotes local entrepreneurship.
Noora al-Mannai, CEO of Enterprise Qatar, said: “Entrepreneurs in the Middle East are still facing challenges that hinder their efforts to grow their businesses, such as the absence of necessary funding, lack of incubation opportunities and technical support. EQ has partnered locally with Silatech and globally with Silicon Valley and MIT-EF to create a new SME support system in Qatar.”
The partnership between EQ and TechWadi, a non-profit organisation building bridges between Silicon Valley and the Arab world, helps Qatar act as a powerful connector between local, regional and international stakeholders.
Dr Ossama Hassanein, CEO of TechWadi, said: “It’s fascinating to see how hackathons have become an essential part of any entrepreneurial ecosystem today. Participants collaborate to crystallise the concept of teamwork, leading towards a common goal to benefit everyone, even though there is just one winner at the end.”
“We are very happy to welcome the 50 participating teams in Doha from Qatar, Palestine, Tunisia, Saudi Arabia, Algeria, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco and the United Arab Emirates, showing how the competition symbolises the meanings of unity and co-operation between the Arab World,” said Joelle Yazbeck, MIT Enterprise Forum of the Pan-Arab Region programme manager.
Participants will experience four days of intensive, high-bandwidth blending of authoritative international business expertise with the cream of young entrepreneurship from the Arab world.
Events over the next three days will include focused workshops, a series of expert insights, panel discussions, conference, keynote speeches and ongoing networking opportunities, all leading up to the awards ceremony.
As the opening event for the gathering, QHackathon provides the attendees with fresh, authoritative and motivating insights into the activities, issues and innovative thinking of their peers, as well as vital clues about the near future of Arab entrepreneurship.