00:00This investment from the Qatar government
00:02is going to help to really upskill the ecosystem
00:07and even motivate more partners
00:08coming from different countries in the world
00:11to come and invest in Qatar.
00:16Web Summit Qatar 2026 kicked off
00:19with the Prime Minister announcing
00:20an additional $2 billion for the country's fund of funds
00:23alongside a new 10-year residency program for entrepreneurs.
00:27We invite you to put down roots
00:29and grow alongside a nation that invested in your future.
00:33Web Summit is back in Doha for its third straight year,
00:36drawing more than 30,000 people from over 120 countries.
00:40From cutting-edge tech to bold new ideas,
00:43Qatar has become a must-attend launchpad
00:45for the future of innovation and entrepreneurship.
00:47The Startup Qatar program has witnessed a huge leap
00:51with respect to the numbers and figures.
00:54So we started it three years ago
00:56with the first Web Summit edition.
00:59Up to date, we received more than 6,000 applications
01:01from 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
01:15to the next level as a technology hub.
01:17This initiative is already reshaping the ecosystem
01:20with banks, investors, and founders aligning around long-term growth.
01:25It's enhancing the country,
01:27having 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 running here in Qatar, insha'Allah.
01:45For Qatar National Bank, that shift is already underway
01:48as it expands digital banking services across the region
01:52to meet rapidly 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
02:08are directly supporting Qatar's national vision 2030.
02:11The ecosystem, the partner ecosystem, the skilling,
02:14the investments we're doing with startups,
02:16it's a big show as well for startups.
02:18We're bringing those startups to the right level in terms of skilling,
02:21as well as making sure we are supporting them in investments
02:24to 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
02:37and a roadmap for what's possible.
02:40We started as a startup from Kuwait.
02:43Four Kuwaiti students were studying in Cairo
02:45and they got inspired by the .loop.com
02:48and they founded Talabat in 2012.
02:50and later on to be acquired by a global company.
02:54And just in 2024, we went public under the Wi-Fi financial market
02:58as the biggest technology listing globally out of the MENA region.
03:01And we're very happy that we paved the way for so many companies
03:04and so many other local startups to also look at our business model
03:08and be like, oh, there's something there that we can join, can compete with.
03:11That momentum is visible across the summit floor,
03:15including at Qatar-based Sununu,
03:17as it accelerates regional expansion following a landmark 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
03:32from Surin Oman to Agadeer Umar of court, inshaAllah, in five years.
03:38The $245 million deal marked Qatar's first billion rial tech exit,
03:43a milestone experts say is already unlocking new cross-border investment across the GCC.
03:49What Sununu has offered through this transaction is really open their eyes,
03:53number one, on Qatari investors and entrepreneurs to the region and to the world.
03:58And number two, to also show the regional and international investors
04:03what Qatari entrepreneurs are capable of doing.
04:06Looking ahead, Sununu believes the next frontier is physical AI,
04:11with drones, autonomous vehicles, and humanized robotics transforming last-mile delivery.
04:16The company argues robotics won't replace workers,
04:19but will take on tasks people no longer want to do,
04:22lowering costs and 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 a robotics factor,
04:39because human overalls are getting more high-skilled jobs.
04:42Since last year's Web Summit, 69 startups from the events program
04:46have raised more than $205 million in funding.
04:49For Qatar, the message is clear.
04:50Web Summit is no longer just a conference,
04:52but a catalyst turning global attention into capital and long-term impact.
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