MCIT Highlights Startup Success Stories and Supports Digital Innovation Ecosystem on Day Two of Web Summit Qatar 2026

• The Ministry’s booth garnered widespread attention as a pivotal platform for fostering entrepreneurship and startups and attracted experts from various technology fields and entrepreneurs.

• The Ministry organized three masterclasses covering topics which support the digital entrepreneurship ecosystem.

The Ministry of Communications and Information Technology (MCIT) continues its active participation in Web Summit Qatar 2026. The activities of the second day focused on highlighting national success stories of startups, and supporting the entrepreneurship and digital innovation ecosystem, in line with the objectives of the Digital Agenda 2030 and the State of Qatar’s vision to build a competitive digital economy based on innovation.

The Ministry’s booth and the accompanying interactive stage witnessed an integrated program of discussion sessions, workshops, and presentations, with the participation of the Ministry of Sports and Youth and in cooperation with the Qatar Scientific Club. The sessions covered themes including digital transformation, Artificial Intelligence (AI), entrepreneurship, and innovation, in addition to ways to employ these fields in vital sectors and develop national competencies, thereby enhancing the readiness of startups for sustainable growth.

The Ministry’s activities at its interactive booth and accompanying stage, which also saw the participation of the Ministry of Sports and Youth (MSY) in collaboration with the Qatar Scientific Club, included a wide range of panel discussions, workshops, and inspiring startup pitches. The interactive stage hosted approximately nine discussion sessions and presentations, focusing on strategic themes such as digital transformation, Artificial Intelligence (AI), entrepreneurship, and innovation, and how to leverage them in vital sectors and develop national competencies, thereby enhancing the ability of startups to grow and expand.

Among the most prominent of these sessions was a panel titled ” From Market Entry to Expansion: How Qatar Supports Scale Up Companies?”, which offered practical insights into market access strategies, building partnerships with local entities, and utilizing Qatar as a strategic launchpad for regional and international expansion.

The theatre also hosted a session titled ” When Small Experiences Create Big Change: Turning Young Consumers into Creators,” which showcased how practical digital experiences can contribute to fostering confidence, nurturing creativity, and building a sense of purpose among youth by empowering them through digital innovation and promoting inclusion.

Among the technical presentations, the Ministry showcased an inspiring national success story through a presentation titled “AI in Creative Production: From Incubation to Impact,” which discussed the experience of the series “Saif’s World” as a model for digital safety awareness and the use of digital technologies and AI in creative production and digital safety.

The theatre also hosted the finals of the hackathon held under the theme “*AI & IoT in Sport” during which a range of innovative projects were showcased, addressing challenges faced by athletes through the use of artificial intelligence, the Internet of Things, and wearable sensor technologies. The hackathon aimed to empower young entrepreneurs by providing a platform to present their ideas and explore potential partnerships. The participating projects were evaluated by a specialized jury comprising representatives from the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology, Qatar Sports for All Federation, the 3-2-1 Qatar Olympic and Sports Museum, Cisco Academy in Qatar, Aspire Academy, and Studio 5.

During the second day of the summit, The Ministry organized three specialized courses addressing pivotal topics that support the digital entrepreneurship ecosystem. The first, titled “The Qatari Model for Measuring Digital Inclusion,” was presented by Ms. Duha Al Buhendi, Director of the Digital Society and Digital Competencies Department at MCIT, emphasizing the Ministry’s efforts in building a future-leading digital society.

The second was titled “Unlocking Growth Through Innovation” and offered valuable insights to startups on growth strategies.

The third, titled “From Digital Maturity to Digital Impact: How Governments are Measuring Progress,” focused on the challenges and solutions of modern success metrics, and the mechanisms for fostering alignment between governments and startups. The masterclasses will continue the next day of the Summit, providing further insight and expertise to entrepreneurs.

The incubated and supported startups by the Ministry continued their active participation within the dedicated spaces at the Ministry’s booth throughout the Summit days, following a rotation system. This allowed them to build new networks and explore partnership and investment opportunities with international investors and technology leaders. This participation highlighted inspiring success stories of Qatari startups that managed to transform their innovative ideas into scalable and expandable projects, thanks to the support provided by the Ministry within Qatar’s innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystem.