Ooredoo announced the recent Qatar Business Incubation Centre (QBIC) Demo Day was a “great” success, with two new start-ups selected to join the incubation programme devised jointly by QBIC and ‘Digital & Beyond’, the specialised incubator powered by the country’s major telcom company. 
The event offered the opportunity for start-ups in the region to showcase their offerings and demonstrate the benefits they would provide. 
The grand finale of the Lean Start-up Programme offered participants the opportunity to pitch for a space on incubation programmes devised by QBIC and Digital & Beyond. 
In total, 12 start-ups pitched for QBIC General and Digital & Beyond, of which only two have pitched to be incubated by Ooredoo’s Digital & Beyond programme. 
As a result, the following two have been incubated by Ooredoo and will move to the next development phase: AY Tech, a drone that can fly itself for days and Alternative Operations, an integrated fibre optics management system.
Ooredoo, as a supporter of start-ups, is playing a major role in Qatar’s economic diversification, building and supporting a robust entrepreneurial eco-system and targeting potential start-ups to capture financial benefits through access to its superior technology and innovation, employee motivation and faster time from inception to market. 
Ooredoo director (PR and Corporate Communications) Manar Khalifa al-Muraikhi said, “We were delighted to see so many interesting, innovative start-ups pitching for the opportunity to be incubated under Ooredoo’s Digital & Beyond programme, and we’re excited to see what’s next for the two start-ups chosen. We see initiatives such as the incubation programmes as vital to our future development; they allow us to identify new business opportunities and improve and develop the industry ecosystem, as they help us to reap the benefits of evolving technology and ensure this new technology is faster to market.”
QBIC general manager Hamad al-Qahtani said, “We are delighted to be working with Ooredoo to offer opportunities to innovative start-ups, as there are benefits on both sides; the start-ups clearly get a phenomenal opportunity to work with industry leaders, gain experience and let their ideas fly, while industry-leading businesses such as Ooredoo get access to innovations that could potentially prove incredibly beneficial to the future of their business. It’s a win on both sides and we are honoured to be involved.”