DigitalMara attended WebSummit Qatar 2024 in Doha from February 26 to 29. This event is a part of the Web Summit family and a top tech-and-business event in the Middle East and North Africa region. It’s a fast-growing tech scene for startups, investors, journalists, partners and businesspeople from around the world. Here’s a look at some of the main themes and our impressions.
Numbers from Web Summit Qatar 2024, according to organizers:
- Over 15 000 people from 118 countries attended.
- Women represented 30% of the speakers and women-founded startups were 31% of the total.
- 896 media members were present.
- 1 043 startups and 401 investors participated.
- 148 partners exhibited, including Snap, TikTok, Meta and Microsoft.
The event included 12 content tracks on several stages, covering energy, finance, transport, automation, sports, SaaS, the software development business landscape, marketing, startup stories and venture capital. It’s no surprise that AI was a dominant topic on the Opening Night and all days of the event. A lot of experts expressed their opinions, and this was not always a hymn of praise. For example, author Trevor Noah urged caution about overestimating the capabilities of GenAI tools like ChatGPT: “As human beings, we’re oftentimes prone to viewing these technologies as being human, when in fact sometimes they are just giving us an output that matches our interpretation of what a human being would or wouldn’t do.”
Highlights
Industry experts and business leaders presented a variety of sessions and opinions:
- How AI-driven risk prediction enables us to gain insights into pre-surgery awareness and learn how technology can significantly improve patient outcomes.
- How ethical goals can integrate with business success in the HealthTech sector, meaning empathy-driven and patient-focused business models can lead to outcomes that are both high-impact and profitable.
- The effects of digitalization on workplace and environmental safety, highlighting the integration of robotics and AI monitoring in industrial settings. How these innovative technologies are transforming HSSE practices, leading to safer operational environments and more proactive risk management.
- Controlled-environment agriculture (CEA) enables successful food production using technologies and practices such as indoor and vertical farming, where water, temperature, nutrients and pH levels are all carefully controlled.
- How VCs can move beyond mere financial transactions to become true ecosystem shapers, tackling critical challenges and improving lives in emerging and established VC ecosystems and economies.
Global brand companies like EY, Snapchat, Shell, Cisco, PwC, Microsoft, Deloitte, and Meta hosted masterclasses for all comers, sharing insights and expertise on regulatory policies, the transformative impact of digital technology on various industries, AI use cases, genAI, sustainability and more. Attendees got the opportunity to gain valuable information and expand their professional skillsets.
Startups
Startups at the Web Summit can benefit from access to masterclasses, competitions and Mentor Hours, and from networking opportunities with top investors and industry experts. Every day it’s an opportunity to showcase, pitch, and compete for the first prize. This year’s winner is Breshna, startup from the USA offering a no-code game development platform to create, share and monetize your own video games. Uzbekistan-based financial services company IMAN and UK-based AI healthcare solutions business Rhazes finished as runners-up.
Web Summit CEO Katherine Maher noted the significant number of women-led startups participating in the summit as the first event of its kind in this region, representing a commendable stride forward towards diversity and inclusivity, challenging stereotypes, and reshaping the landscape of technology-driven innovation.
DigitalMara
Our team had the opportunity to attend events from the Web Summit family. You can read about our experience here. The Lisbon event was truly remarkable, and our expectations were high for a similar experience in Qatar.
Our Manager Strategic Partnerships in Eastern Region Ihnat Tsukanov attended WebSummit Qatar and shared his impressions:
“Qatar absorbed all the best practices from the Web Summit family events. The GCC region exhibits tremendous potential for both business and technology. Doha brought together an incredible audience and featured world-renowned speakers. I engaged in numerous meetings with prospective contacts.”
- The AI domain was well-represented with numerous startups.
- There were many interesting startups not only from the region, but also from Germany, UK, the USA, Canada and Australia.
- Web Summit hosted notable speakers like Queen Rania of Jordan and Sara Sabry, first Arab woman going to space.
