Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs HE Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani opened Web Summit Qatar 2025, the region’s largest technology event, at the Doha Exhibition and Convention Center on Sunday. In his keynote speech, he reaffirmed Qatar’s commitment to fostering startups. He also emphasized the creation of a dynamic business environment.
“We are positioning Qatar as a global platform for innovation and entrepreneurship,” the PM stated. “By implementing regulatory reforms and unlocking economic opportunities, we empower the private sector to thrive.”
The Prime Minister highlighted that Qatar aims to transform its economy into a top regional hub for startups. He noted the country’s progress since hosting the first Web Summit in the MENA region last year. “A vision has been realized, ambitions have been surpassed, and the future is unfolding before our eyes,” he said.
To support this transformation, the Qatar Investment Authority has fulfilled its Web Summit 2024 pledge by establishing a $1 billion fund of funds. This initiative has brought six leading global investment firms to Qatar. Each firm has set up regional headquarters to drive innovation across key sectors, including digital health, fintech, AI, and clean energy.
The PM also announced the expansion of the Startup Qatar initiative, which has attracted over 2,000 applications from 60 countries in just one year. This initiative will now support even more startups by establishing R&D offices. It will also focus on collaborating with universities and strengthening Qatar’s AI and machine learning ecosystem.
Qatar’s efforts have already shown results, with the country advancing 11 places in the Global Startup Ecosystem Index. This marks the biggest leap among the top 100 business environments. The PM emphasized that leading global firms and investors are increasingly looking to Qatar as a gateway for regional opportunities and partnerships.
Paddy Cosgrave, Founder and CEO of Web Summit, praised Qatar’s leadership for bringing the event to the region. “This has been the best decision we’ve made. We expected 7,500 attendees this year, but over 25,000 people from 120+ countries have joined, exceeding all expectations,” he said.
The summit features 1,520 startups, 600 investors, 380 speakers, and 180 industry partners. Top entrepreneurs, including Scale AI’s Alexander Wang and Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian, are among the high-profile speakers.
With panel discussions and workshops exploring the latest tech trends, Web Summit Qatar 2025 is set to shape the future of innovation and entrepreneurship in the region.
