Talks are underway to enable Ukrainian startups to benefit from the Startup Qatar Investment Programme administered by Qatar Development Bank (QDB), a business forum official has said.
Dr Olga Revina, chairperson of the Qatar-Ukraine Business Forum (QUBF), the Startup Qatar Investment Programme has attracted the attention of Ukrainian startups, many of which were in the country during the highly successful Qatar Web Summit 2024 in February.
Revina told Gulf Times selected 10 promising Ukrainian startups to participate in the web summit, in collaboration and with the support of Qatar’s Government Communications Office (GCO) and the Ukrainian partners, such as the Ukrainian Startup Fund, UNIT.City, and the Ministry of Digital Transformation of Ukraine.
These startups included Melt Water Club, Mantis Analytics, Uspacy, GetOrder, Knopka, ShareSpot, Gigawatt, DEV Challenge, Rising UA Startups, and Ukrainian Tech Ecosystem Overview.
She also said the entire Ukrainian delegation had very productive meetings held with many key stakeholders in the country, such as QDB, Qatar Science and Technology Park (QSTP), Qatar Research, Development and Innovation (QRDI) Council, and the Investment Promotion Agency Qatar (Invest Qatar), in addition to several meetings with private sector players that provide seed and growth funding.
Revina said, “It was also important to know that the Startup Qatar programme launched at the web summit offers seed funding and incentives for startups willing to establish themselves in Qatar. QUBF communicates with QDB for startups from the participating delegation to apply for this programme. This is exactly the outcome we targeted through the Ukrainian delegation's participation in the summit.”
According to Revina, all members of the participating delegation from Ukraine established “useful contacts,” which the QUBF will facilitate to develop into potential partnerships.
For the next year’s edition of Web Summit Qatar, Revina noted that QUBF plans to organise a nationwide competition before the event to determine the best startups to represent Ukraine at the summit, including plans to organise a Ukrainian pavilion “for greater visibility.”
Revina also told Gulf Times that QUBF collaborated with the Ukrainian Startup Fund and UNIT.City, the first innovation park in Ukraine, in selecting “attractive Ukrainian startups” to be introduced in Qatar.
“The strategy of the Ukrainian Startup Fund is focused on supporting early-stage startups through funding and promoting access to support services, as well as solidifying globally competitive incubation and acceleration programmes. As QUBF founders, we were very confident in organising this trip because we believe that Ukrainians have plenty to offer and contribute,” she said.
Revina added: “QUBF, in collaboration with UNIT.City – one of the biggest innovative platforms in Central and Eastern Europe, agreed to jointly form the Tech and Innovation Committee under the umbrella of QUBF to create a portfolio of innovative tech startups from Ukraine that will be able to realise numerous opportunities offered by Qatar’s startup ecosystem.”
Dr Olga Revina, chairperson of the Qatar-Ukraine Business Forum (QUBF).
