The Qatar Business Incubation Centre (QBIC), which is owned by Qatar Development Bank (QDB), announced the winners of the ninth wave of its LeanStartup Programme (LSP) during ‘Demo Day’ held yesterday. 
Eleven out of more than 100 startups that were chosen to join ‘LSP 9’ pitched their ideas before a panel of judges, investors, and key partners at the QBIC campus with QNB sponsoring the flagship event for the second time this year. 
Throughout the 10-week programme, entrepreneurs worked diligently on developing their ideas and building prototypes in preparation for Demo Day using the Business Model Canvas as part of the ‘lean’ methodology. 
Seven out of the 11 startups that pitched at Demo Day were chosen to be incubated, which is another record breaker for QBIC, and will be receiving mentoring services, office space, and financial support to start turning their ideas into viable businesses. 
Demo Day 9 showcased business ideas from the fields of education, marketing, food and beverages, and ICT. Additionally, startup ideas in the field of tourism fell under the specialised QBIC Tourism incubator, guided by Qatar Tourism Authority.
Ideas in the area of technology were assigned to the specialised Digital and Beyond incubator, powered by Ooredoo Qatar. A number of startups from the South Korean Incubator Kstartups, one of QBIC’s partner organisations, participated in Demo Day 9 and pitched their business ideas to the audience. 
QDB CEO and QBIC chairman Abdulaziz bin Nasser al-Khalifa said: “This Demo Day is a very special one for QBIC. Following the campaign we launched during the summer, we were extremely proud of the results. The increased interest from our fellow aspiring Qatari entrepreneurs was inspiring and we ended up accepting the largest number of startups to our LSP. Today, we witness these aspirations come to life and we could not be more pleased with their incredible achievements.”
QBIC CEO Aysha al-Mudahka said, “Today is a celebration of nationalism. We called upon all promising Qatari entrepreneurs to step up and work towards growing and developing their country’s economy – and today, here they are, proudly showcasing their hard work and demonstrating their perseverance. 
“I can definitely say that we’re well on our way to developing a strong private sector, achieving self-sufficiency and contributing to the goals set by the His Highness for the Qatar National Vision 2030.”
Incubated companies will be expected to complete a three-month probation period, where they will be setting milestones that ensure the business idea fulfils QBIC’s requirements to undergo a successful launch. They will then activate their startups and introduce their products and services to the local market, while continuing to evolve and grow within QBIC for two years.


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