(MENAFN- Qatar News Agency) Ooredoo and Qatar Business Incubation Center (QBIC) on Monday announced that the center's first round of Digital and Beyond entrepreneurs have successfully pitched in front of judges and investors at QBIC's Demo Day.
Entrepreneurs with the best-developed prototypes pitched their ideas to Digital and Beyond judges and potential investors, who then selected the best seven pitches to be incubated at Digital and Beyond.
The main selection criteria was based on each idea's customer validation and traction attainment. Selected new start-ups will receive smart financing, coaching and mentoring, office space, and networking opportunities from QBIC and Ooredoo.
The day marks the end of a seven-week long LeanStartup Program for 41 entrepreneurs in Qatar, and gave graduates the opportunity to pitch their business idea in front of six industry judges for a chance to be supported further.
The event saw 16 tech-related start-up business ideas out of 34 start-ups, a number of which had been supported by Ooredoo and QBIC's leading entrepreneurship hub, Digital and Beyond.
"We're pleased to see yet another wave of Qatari entrepreneurs successfully complete our LeanStartup Program. Their achievements reflect the strength of our program, and their success represents an encouraging trend in the development of the local entrepreneurship scene," Qatar Development Bank CEO and QBIC Chairman Abdulaziz bin Nasser Al-Khalifa said during the event.
"We've seen a large number of promising high-pilot projects and exciting tech concepts exhibited at Demo Day, and this reflects the drive and ambition of our young entrepreneurs, as they gear up to become part of Qatar's wider national development," he added.
In turn, Ooredoo Qatar Chief Executive Officer Waleed Al Sayed expressed pride to see the first batch of Digital and Beyond entrepreneurs present their ideas. "We believe in enabling people to reach their full potential and understand the significant role played by entrepreneurs in creating a diverse and knowledge-based economy." "It is our duty to strengthen their efforts, and provide support to contribute to the overall development of the national private sector. Congratulations to everyone who pitched and I look forward to seeing your development in the future," Al Sayed added.
The incubator, Digital and Beyond, was set up to enable entrepreneurs to develop products and services that provide digital solutions to enhance customer experience, and introduce new concepts both the local and regional digital space.
Through Digital and Beyond, Ooredoo and QBIC are providing a facility for start-ups and SMEs to reduce the time to market for new digital products and services, ease processes and solve relevant problems in areas of digital living, including: customer experience, healthcare, transportation and logistics, education, sports, business solutions, and OTT entertainment and gaming.
Incubated companies are now expected to complete a three-month testing program to ensure the idea fulfils QBIC's requirements to undergo a successful launch.
"We're so proud of the 16 business ideas that made it this far in the one of the most challenging waves of the LeanStartup Program, and we congratulate those who have been incubated and are now officially part of the QBIC family, and to be pioneering through for start-ups that will join the Digital and Beyond incubator at a later stage," QBIC CEO Aysha Al Mudahka said.
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