The Qatar Entrepreneurship Conference (Rowad Qatar) 2021, which will be held during Global Entrepreneurship Week from November 8-10, serves as a key platform to accelerate the development of innovative ideas, an official of Qatar Science and Technology Park (QSTP) has said.
QSTP executive director Yosouf al-Salehi made the statement during a press conference held recently to announce the launch of Rowad Qatar 2021, which is now on its seventh edition under the theme ‘Digital Transformation & Thriving in the New Economy’.
Rowad Qatar is Qatar Development Bank’s (QDB) national initiative of bringing together Qatari entrepreneurs and industry key players to exchange ideas and explore opportunities to support entrepreneurs across different sectors.
Speaking at the press conference, al-Salehi said: “Rowad Qatar is a very important event for many entrepreneurs; at QSTP, we recognise the strong partnership we have with QDB. QSTP, which focuses on entrepreneurship and technology, works for the development and growth of innovation in the State of Qatar.”
Al-Salehi further said: “QDB is a significant tool in helping entrepreneurs in Qatar succeed. Similarly, QSTP works tirelessly in encouraging the youth and creating an ecosystem for innovation and technology. We support ambitious entrepreneurs at the onset and we help them by opening opportunities to get their ideas to the market.
“By collaborating with QDB, our aim is to put more effort in supporting startups and new ideas in different fields, such as technology and education. We have seen different ideas from the youth in the State of Qatar who have presented a wide range of technological solutions.”
On the sidelines of the press conference, al-Salehi told Gulf Times that the Covid-19 pandemic has encouraged a lot of entrepreneurs to think of innovative ideas and create new solutions.
“The pandemic also ignited the people’s passion to think differently to cope with the challenges of the times. As part of QSTP’s goals, we are working with entrepreneurs to accelerate their concepts and ultimately develop and grow these ideas, especially now that the world is in a pandemic, so we really need to push the growth of their plans.
To do this, al-Salehi said QSTP are engaging Qatari entrepreneurs, students, and a variety of people with programmes, such as XLR8. Similarly, al-Salehi said QSTP is also engaging the youth through the Arab Innovation Academy (AIA), which is currently being held virtually in observance of Covid-19 health and safety protocols.
XLR8 is a pre-startup programme that offers intensive training and mentorship for early-stage technology entrepreneurs and enables them to transform their ideas into commercially viable businesses.
On the other hand, AIA is the first and the most extensive entrepreneurship programme in the pan-Arab region and aims to provide aspiring university students and young entrepreneurs with the authentic experience of developing and launching new tech ventures under the guidance of leading global tech startup mentors.
 
 
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