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Qatar Science & Technology Park (QSTP) hosted a Demo Day for entrepreneurs, part of its Accelerator program on May 25, 2016. The event showcased projects of 19 teams from across sectors such as health, construction, energy, and others. Held at Qatar National Convention Centre, the Demo Day was attended by a host of investors and entrepreneurs from Qatar and wider region.
Guests at QSTP's Demo Day.Image credit: QSTP.
QSTP, a part of
Qatar Foundation Research and Development, runs a three-month Accelerator program aiming to provide aspiring entrepreneurs with physical space, training and mentorship to convert their ideas into viable businesses that can help address priority areas as defined in the Qatar National Research Strategy (QNRS). The four focus themes of QSTP are energy, environment, health sciences, and Information & Communication Technologies. To motivate the entrepreneurs, QSTP also gives the startups three key objectives to meet: "create a conceptual prototype, verify commercial viability, and access potential investors." Projects graduating the current edition of the program include ARVEX (Amazing Reality View Experience), DigiHeart, EasyBroadcast, Qatar Smart Agriculture and Forestry (QSAF), Wheelchair Power Bar, Ultra Diesel and others. QASF, for instance, is a Machine-to-Machine (M2M) Internet of Things (IoT) platform to remotely manage the environmental impact of green houses, while Ultra Diesel converts lubricant waste to diesel fuel and bitumen, which can be sold in the market thereby limiting waste.
Hamad Al Kuwari, Managing Director, QSTP. Image credit: QSTP.
QSTP says that its Accelerator program has been seeing increased interest from
aspiring entrepreneurs since its launch. According to QSTP, the program's first cycle received 27 applications, the second received 57 applications, and the current batch received a total of 103 applications. Further, the upcoming fourth batch is currently in the process of screening a "record 269 applications."
Wheelchair Power Bar team presenting their product at QSTP's Demo Day. Image credit: QSTP.
Related: Qatar Ushers In The IoT Era: R&D Center QMIC Leads Region's Smart Mobility Research
