Ooredoo highlights tech, innovations from around the world at roadshow

Ooredoo yesterday said it elevated Qatar’s standing as a burgeoning global hub for innovation, technology and entrepreneurship after the recent success of its second Ooredoo Innovation Roadshow in Doha.
The event attracted hundreds of innovators from around the world, including department heads from the Government of Qatar, entrepreneurs, business leaders, technology experts and futurists, the company said in a statement. Global companies such as Ericsson, Google, Microsoft and many others also took part in the event to showcase their innovations.
Ooredoo’s ecosystem of startup incubators, accelerators, channel partners and customers exchanged best practices and shared knowledge with their global counterparts.
Young Qatari entrepreneur Khalid al-Kubaisi began the roadshow with a motivational speech, encouraging innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystem creation. Khalid – a cybersecurity professional and PhD student – specialises in blockchain technology at HBKU and founded Qchain, a startup intended to innovate and disrupt the cybersecurity domain.
A wide range of innovations, technologies and startups was on display at the event. Ooredoo showcased future transport solutions with its Flying Taxi VR experience, and the roadshow attendees got the chance to sit in the world’s first 5G aerial taxi in Ooredoo Tower while experiencing a VR flight tour over the whole of Qatar.
The Qatar Computer Research Institute demonstrated research projects in AI & Analytics ready for commercialisation.
Digital & Beyond, a partnership between the Qatar Business Incubation Centre (QBIC) and Ooredoo, participated in the roadshow, demonstrating how corporate entities could work together to support and develop startups.
Some innovations being incubated by Ooredoo under the Digital & Beyond incubator, in partnership with the QBIC, include Debit, which has created a system that enables local grocery stores to track their customer payments; DXwand, an interactive sales chatbot that drives e-commerce business sales; ASAPP, which aims to improve stadium hospitality through an ordering and delivery service for food and beverages, powered by a mobile application; BFive, which provides a client matching service; and Welfair, a startup that allows trusted individuals to securely share funds. Other solutions on show included a network strength tool from Proximie and an IoT gas safety solution from Subol.
Healthcare was also under the spotlight with RIMADS, a connected cloud-based health ecosystem connecting doctors, patients and pharmacies to drive efficiency and better care services.
With online safety a growing issue, SafeToNet – a UK-based company – presented its family-focused cyber safety products for mobile devices, helping parents and educators with behaviour concerns.
Online financial solutions were demonstrated by start-up MaktApp – Fatora, an online invoicing system that sends invoices to customers and allows payments to be accepted from the app or from the admin panel.
Smart Management – Wall Post showcased their ERP and professional services to activate the FINtech market, while attendees got a glimpse of the potential of autonomous vehicles with the demonstration of Aurrigo driverless vehicles.
Also on display by the Ooredoo was Google Assistant and Google MDP integration, both of which allow its customers to manage their mobile data plans.
Underscoring the importance of Qatar as a hub for technology, large corporates also showcased new innovations: Toshiba demonstrated augmented reality for B2B solutions that allow collaboration between remote sites with recording, streaming and interaction in real time, while Microsoft demonstrated an AI & Analytics solution and Ericsson demonstrated 5G capabilities.
Delivering a speech at the event, Yousuf Abdulla al-Kubaisi, chief operating officer at Ooredoo Qatar, said, “This event is intended to showcase innovation and technology from all around the world, both from startups and from more experienced participants. We’re proud to host the event in Qatar, given our focus on promoting Qatar as a global hub for startups as part of the ideals of Qatar National Vision 2030.”