Dima Wahbeh, deputy country manager, Qatar at Web Summit, talks Aparajita Mukherjee through the second edition of Web Summit in Qatar in 2025, the lessons that the first edition has taught the organisers and the boost that this event brings to Qatar
QH: The first edition of Web Summit in Qatar was one of a kind. What kind of changes and improvements are you bringing to the format of the second one in 2025?
Wahbeh: In its inaugural year, Web Summit Qatar gathered the largest and most globally diverse cohort of startups to ever gather in the region – more than 1,000 startups from 80 countries – to connect with a new generation of investors and partners hailing from countries such as Qatar, the US, Egypt, Brazil, Italy, Nigeria, the UK, India, and beyond.
At Web Summit Qatar 2024, the Qatar Investment Authority (QIA), Tik Tok, Snap, Microsoft, AWS, Meta, and more took part: and we expect to see the same calibre of international tech companies, including Open AI, Amazon and Microsoft – as well as thousands of young promising entrepreneurs from around the world – join us in Doha in February 2025.
Many of these startups from Web Summit Qatar 2024 have received funding off the back of connections made at Web Summit Qatar. According to Crunchbase, a cumulative US$243m+ has been raised by Blend, Colendi, OTO, YoLa Fresh, Kebotix, Chowdeck, Intron Health, PairedWorld, ORA Technologies, and KalPay. Web Summit Qatar offers an incredible platform to startups, and we are excited to see the next generation of startups join us in Doha again next February.
For the second year, many of the biggest wealth funds and Venture Capitalists (VC) in the world will be at Web Summit Qatar to connect with 15,000 attendees, 1,000 startups, 400 investors and global leaders in Doha. Increasingly, some of the most active players in the technology industry are sovereign wealth funds, the most active of which are in the Middle East, and all of them will be at Web Summit Qatar 2025. So if you’re a fast-growing company thinking about your next funding round, a reasonable place to spend a day or two is Web Summit Qatar. We recently announced our first 25 speakers for Web Summit Qatar 2025, and will be announcing more shortly. We look forward to sharing more details about Web Summit Qatar in the weeks ahead.
QH: What are the changes to the startup ecosystem in Qatar that have happened ever since the first Web Summit that was held earlier in 2024?
Wahbeh: We were delighted to see many impactful events take place at Web Summit Qatar 2024 showcasing the potential of the country’s startup ecosystem. On Opening Night at Web Summit Qatar 2024, HE Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani, Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Qatar, announced that the QIA would be investing US$1 billion in venture capital funds to support entrepreneurs and startups in Qatar. This announcement demonstrated Qatar’s dedication to becoming an attractive destination for startups to establish themselves and grow, and cements Qatar’s status as a global startup hub.
Meanwhile 24 memoranda of understanding were signed at Web Summit Qatar 2024: and the event saw the successful registration of more than 200 companies through the Startup Qatar initiative.
The Ministry of Communications and Information Technology also launched the Digital Agenda 2030 live on stage, outlining a roadmap for a knowledge-based economy in Qatar.
The announcements and initiatives have had a hugely positive impact on the Qatar startup ecosystem, and we believe that this will continue to grow in the years ahead and during Web Summit Qatar’s tenure in Doha.
QH: In your experience of holding such summits all over, do policy changes happen as a result of holding such events? Is there some monitoring mechanism that Web Summit have?
Wahbeh: Host cities play a crucial role in Web Summit events, collaborating closely with organisers to enhance the experience for attendees and bolster the city’s positioning as a global startup hub. Naturally we work with host cities to assess that impact, and demonstrate the success we can help deliver.
For instance, Lisbon’s position as a global innovation hub has grown significantly since it began hosting Web Summit, with Web Summit helping to attract investment and connect Portugal to international markets. Inward investment in Portugal has soared over the past decade: Web Summit partners that have opened offices in Portugal include Google, BMW, Amazon, Daimler, Huawei and Cloudflare.
Portugal’s startup ecosystem is also making strides. According to Startup Portugal’s latest Startup & Entrepreneurial Ecosystem Report report, 70% of Portugal’s current startups were founded in the past five years, with 2021 and 2022 seeing the highest levels of startup creation.
There are now 4,073 startups in Portugal, up from 821 startups in 2016, when the first Web Summit Lisbon took place – an increase of 496% over this period. The number of unicorns in Portugal has grown from 1 to 7 between 2016 and 2022: all have attended Web Summit.
Additionally, the economic impact Web Summit has had in Lisbon has been significant, with the data showing Web Summit generating more than €200 million worth of economic activity the week of the event.
Host cities are motivated to host events such as Web Summit to position themselves as key players in the global tech community, ultimately driving local economic growth and innovation.
QH: On the economic front, can you talk us through some of the highlights?
Wahbeh: Hosting a Web Summit event has a significant impact on the local economy, bringing attendees from across the world to a host city for a number of days. For Web Summit Qatar 2024, over 15,000 attendees came to Doha, booking over 38,000 nights in Doha hotels, and 19,000 flight segments. The average stay in Doha for an attendee was six days, and the average spend was QR11,000+, injected directly into the local economy.
QH: With what expectations is Web Summit coming to Qatar a second time? And what, in your opinion, do such events contribute to the MICE index of a country such as Qatar?
Wahbeh: Web Summit Qatar aims to further connect Middle Eastern startups with global investors and media, enhancing visibility and collaboration opportunities.
By hosting large-scale events like this, Qatar is positioning itself as a burgeoning tech hub in the Middle East, as a key player in the MICE sector, having a positive effect on Qatar’s MICE index.
Our first year in Doha exceeded all of our expectations, with over 15,000 attendees, more than 1,000 startups – the most of any first year Web Summit event – and over 400 investors all coming together in Qatar.
Web Summit Qatar 2024 is the most geographically diverse event that we run anywhere in the world. Our event in Europe has attendees from well over 100 countries, so from all over the world, but participation is heavily skewed toward Europe and North America. This is not the case with Qatar, where it is significantly more geographically diverse, and we expect this to continue next year with the second edition of Web Summit Qatar.
All of this in our first year in Doha! We can’t wait to grow the event in 2025 and into the future, and to continue to have a positive effect on the local economy in Doha and Qatar.
