Qatar entrepreneurs eye gains in lifestyle, technology businesses

An increasing number of Qatari entrepreneurs are looking at lifestyle and technology businesses, particularly the food and beverage sector, a senior official at the Bedaya Centre for Entrepreneurship and Career Development has said.Speaking to Gulf Times, entrepreneurship manager Yasmeen Hasan cited a growing interest of small Qatari businesses to expand and connect with major franchises in the country.“When I say lifestyle I’m really focusing on things that support healthy living, anything with sports and nutrition,” Hasan said. “I’ve seen a rise on those kinds of businesses.”The demographic of these Qatari entrepreneurs is a mixture of different people: From university students and graduates to working professionals, she noted.In the past few years, according to Hasan, Qatari entrepreneurs have seen a gap for such kind of businesses in the country, a window of opportunity for them to take. “Let’s say for healthy living, healthy food, or using traditional food in a modern way, people have seen the gap and started opening these businesses,” she said. Hasan also saw an interest among Qatari entrepreneurs to grow their businesses, mostly restaurants, in the hospitality sector such as hotels.Bedaya Centre, a joint venture Qatar Development Bank and Silatech established in 2011, aims to provide Qatari youth with access to a wide range of services, including career guidance, self-assessment, employability skills development, entrepreneurship, mentoring opportunities, volunteering, practical training, networking activities, and lectures programmes.To further support startups and entrepreneurs, the centre also provides training programmes covering a multitude of topics that support their development.Hasan believes the increasing number of small businesses in the food and beverage sector will help cater to Qatar’s tourism industry.“It is a national directive that we have in the Qatar National Vision 2030 and things will fall under that, and so Qatar is attracting more tourists,” she said.Many young Qatari entrepreneurs, who want to pursue their passion for business, have taken part in events organised in various locations by Bedaya Centre, in coordination with other government and non-government agencies. Such endeavours served as a platform to showcase their products to visitors and an opportunity to network with groups and other businesses as well, Hasan said.She added that Qatari entrepreneurs are also looking into technology, especially in the health sector, which is becoming popular in several countries. “It is catching up here in Qatar and it is great to see people focusing on technology projects,” the Bedaya official noted.