00:00This investment from the Qatar government is going to help to really, like, upskill the ecosystem
00:07and even motivate more partners coming from different countries in the world to come and invest in Qatar.
00:16Web Summit Qatar 2026 kicked off with the Prime Minister announcing an additional $2 billion for the country's fund of
00:23funds,
00:23alongside a new 10-year residency program for entrepreneurs.
00:27We invite you to put down roots and grow alongside a nation that invested in your future.
00:33Web Summit is back in Doha for its third straight year, drawing more than 30,000 people from over 120
00:39countries.
00:40From cutting-edge tech to bold new ideas, Qatar has become a must-attend launchpad for the future of innovation
00:46in entrepreneurship.
00:47The Startup Qatar program has witnessed a huge leap with respect to the numbers and figures.
00:54So we started it three years ago with the first Web Summit edition.
00:59Up to date, we receive more than 6,000 applications from nearly 70 countries globally.
01:04We have invested around $40 million.
01:08We have also targeted 40 startups.
01:12We do believe that we can take, basically, Qatar to the next level as a technology hub.
01:17This initiative is already reshaping the ecosystem, with banks, investors and founders aligning around long-term growth.
01:25It's enhancing the country, having a range of startups and fintechs supported by Qatar and by the government.
01:34We can feel the changes happening in the market.
01:36So, for sure, we will always support and empower this.
01:39And the expansion of the fund will add value to have more startups than here in Qatar, inshaAllah.
01:45For Qatar National Bank, that shift is already underway, as it expands digital banking services across the region to meet
01:53rapidly changing customer expectations.
01:55Our customers expect to have everything in a single app, in a single device.
01:59They expect to do everything anywhere.
02:01Global technology leaders are also deepening their footprint.
02:04Microsoft says its investment in skills, startups and partners are directly supporting Qatar's national vision 2030.
02:11The ecosystem, the partner ecosystem, the skilling, the investments we're doing with startups, it's a big show as well for
02:18startups.
02:18We're bringing those startups to the right level in terms of skilling, as well as making sure we are supporting
02:23them in investments to develop their products on Microsoft platform.
02:28For companies like Talabat, the region's tech growth is personal.
02:32What began as a student startup has become one of MENA's largest technology success stories and a roadmap for what's
02:39possible.
02:40We started as a startup from Kuwait, four Korean students were studying in Cairo and they got inspired by the
02:46.loop.com and they founded Talabat in 2012 and later on to get acquired by a global company.
02:54And just in 2024, we went public under the Wi-Fi financial market as the biggest technology listing globally out
03:00of the MENA region.
03:01And we're very happy that we paved the way for so many companies and so many other local startups to
03:07also look at our business model and be like, oh, there's there's something there that we can join, can compete
03:11with.
03:12That momentum is visible across the summit floor, including at Qatar-based Sununu, as it accelerates regional expansion following a
03:20landmark acquisition.
03:21To unify the region and start building one champion from Middle East to the world.
03:27We definitely have a mission as a group to take every single city in the Arab world from Sur and
03:33Oman to Agadeer and Umar of Kaur, inshallah, in five years.
03:38The $245 million deal marked Qatar's first billion rial tech exit, a milestone experts say is already unlocking new cross
03:47-border investment across the GCC.
03:49What Sununu has offered through this transaction is really opened their eyes, number one, on Qatari investors and entrepreneurs to
03:56the region and to the world.
03:58And number two, to also show the Qatari, the regional and international investors, what Qatari entrepreneurs are capable of doing.
04:06Looking ahead, Sununu believes the next frontier is physical AI with drones, autonomous vehicles and humanized robotics transforming last mile
04:16delivery.
04:16The company argues robotics won't replace workers, but will take on tasks people no longer want to do, lowering costs
04:23and improving efficiency for consumers.
04:25You cannot find a delivery partner in Hong Kong, Singapore, even Norway, even in Japan.
04:32You cannot find delivery people who do it for you.
04:35So our business can only be expanded by adding robotics factor because human overalls are getting more high-skilled jobs.
04:42Since last year's Web Summit, 69 startups from the events program have raised more than $205 million in funding.
04:49For Qatar, the message is clear.
04:50Web Summit is no longer just a conference, but a catalyst turning global attention into capital and long-term impact.
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