DOHA: Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs HE Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani inaugurated Web Summit Qatar 2025, the second edition of the Middle East and North Africa's largest technology event, at the Doha Exhibition and Convention Center. During his keynote address, HE the Prime Minister affirmed Qatar's ambition to strengthen its position as a global platform for innovation and entrepreneurship.
"Built on the back of our thriving energy sector, we are positioned for private sector take-off. This launch will include even more transformative partnerships across key sectors, from innovative fintech solutions to groundbreaking climate technologies," HE the Prime Minister emphasized.
He reiterated Qatar's commitment to supporting startups, stating: "We plan to renovate our entire economy to make Qatar the top regional destination for startups and create an ecosystem for startups to innovate and thrive." Looking back at the inaugural Web Summit, he remarked, "A year ago, we gathered here for the first Web Summit in the MENA region. Today, we see something remarkable: ambitions surpassed and the future unfurling before our eyes!"
Notably, HE the Prime Minister announced the Qatar Investment Authority's success with the previous Web Summit 2024 commitments, establishing a $1 billion Fund of Funds to support startups and selecting six globally recognized investment firms to deploy capital, fostering innovation locally and globally.
"Each of them will open offices or regional headquarters here, so the MENA region can benefit from their expertise and investments," he added, indicating the diverse sectors these entities represent, including digital health technologies, fintech, clean energy, and AI.
The Startup Qatar initiative, offering information, support, and opportunities for startups, has seen significant expansion. Since its launch last year, it has attracted over 2,000 applications from 60 countries, including the U.S., Canada, and India. The Prime Minister highlighted, "We will support even more startups this year by establishing R&D offices and collaborating with local universities to bolster our AI and machine learning ecosystem."
Underlining the impressive growth, HE the Prime Minister pointed out Qatar's strategic efforts resulted in significant progress on the Global Startup Ecosystem Index, where the country advanced 11 places—the highest leap among the top 100 business environments.
Emphasizing Qatar's attractiveness for global companies, he stated, "We are creating partnerships and innovations to address global challenges, reaffirming our dedication to supporting entrepreneurship and empowering startups for a tech-driven future."
Paddy Cosgrave, Founder and CEO of Web Summit, praised the decision to host the event in Qatar. "It’s been the best decision we've ever made. Before hosting our first Web Summit here, our aim for this year was 7,500 attendees. I’m thrilled to say we have over 25,000 attendees from more than 120 countries. It surpasses anything we could have expected!"
Cosgrave also reported on the financial achievements of past attendees, noting 148 companies from last year's summit have collectively raised nearly $30 billion in investments. This year’s expanded agenda includes panel discussions featuring leading figures like Alexander Wang, Founder and CEO of Scale AI, and Alexis Ohanian, Co-founder of Reddit.
The summit showcases over 25,000 participants, including 1,520 startups and 600 investors, alongside more than 380 speakers. With representatives from over 600 media outlets, it has drawn unprecedented interest, underlining Web Summit Qatar 2025’s significance.
With the commitment to nurturing innovation at its core, Qatar aims to solidify its role as a central hub for technology and entrepreneurship through high-profile events like the Web Summit, fostering enduring partnerships and future advancements.