Qatar SportsTech (QST), a leading startup accelerator for innovative sports companies, has announced that it will host its first ‘Digital Demo Day’ on June 8 to celebrate the completion of the second cycle of its highly-acclaimed accelerator programme.
QST is supported by key players in the sports industry, and is initiated by Qatar Development Bank (QDB), powered by Startupbootcamp, and supported by the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy (SC), the Qatar Financial Centre (QFC), Aspire Zone Foundation, and beIN Media Group.
Team members of ClassTap in a discussion with QDB executives
The Digital Demo Day will be live at 9am Doha time on demoday.qatarsportstech.com, enabling sports industry experts and investors from around the world to watch the pitch presentations of the second cohort of sports tech startups of the accelerator programme.
QST’s accelerator programme, which aims to grow 10 startups with innovative sports technologies in each edition, ran its second cycle between January and March 2020, comprising pioneering sports tech startups from eight countries out of 1,500 startups from 43 countries.
In each cycle of the accelerator programme, the QST team scouts the world to find and engage with startups that use cutting edge technology with the main aim to accelerate the growth of the sports tech industry.
Participating startups in the second edition of the programme included ClassTap, Fridai, Golee, HiQ-Nano, MoodMe, SponixTech, Torq Labs, Wisify, 12th Player, and ChantUnite.
QST’s 12-week, part-time programme gives startups the resources necessary to accelerate their growth through mentorship and building strategic relationships with QST’s partners.
The startups had the opportunity to benefit from a range of specialised workshops to help them fine-tune their strategic objectives and business models, one-on-one mentoring sessions gaining first-hand advice and feedback from local and international experts; as well as to attend top level executive meetings and events with the participation of QST’s partners and wide network of potential investors.
Each selected startup contributed to one of these challenges: Athlete & Team, innovations that improve how athletes train individually and as a team, and how they engage and compete in sports; Fan & Viewer, innovations that will improve participation for sports enthusiasts, and fan experience and engagement in-stadium and through digital media;World Cup 2022, innovations that create a personalised, memorable and innovative experience for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar; and E-Sports, innovations that will transform and enhance how gamers participate in and experience e-sports.
The startups developed a variety of innovative solutions across the board. Their innovations covered different pillars of the sports technology, including a smart body composition assessment caliper, a home kit to measure antioxidants levels in the body, an immersive broadcasting technology, an e-sports gaming voice-powered assistant, a digital club management software, smart performance leggings, a fan engagement augmented reality mobile app, gym membership solutions, a sports club investment platform, in addition to sports crowd engagement technology.
Ibrahim Abdulaziz al-Mannai, executive director of Advisory & Incubation at QDB, said: “I would like to congratulate the second cohort for successfully completing QST’s intensive accelerator programme. I am impressed with the high level of professionalism and quality solutions they have provided.
“Being adaptable is of utmost importance nowadays, and I am looking forward to a very successful Demo Day for all participants. We want to raise the bar further and challenge the next wave of entrepreneurs to make the most of the potential opportunities that are presented to them”.
Heba al-Masri, managing director at QST, said: “We are proud of our startups’ accomplishments throughout the programme and their resilience in these unprecedented times.
“We want to take advantage of this opportunity to celebrate their hard endeavours in transforming the sports industry and we encourage all investors and community members to join us for the Digital Demo Day.”
QST aims to transform Qatar into one of the leading sports hubs and contribute to Qatar’s diversification goals through the facilitation of corporate startup collaboration through its accelerator programme.
Team members of ClassTap in a discussion with QDB executives
The Digital Demo Day will be live at 9am Doha time on demoday.qatarsportstech.com, enabling sports industry experts and investors from around the world to watch the pitch presentations of the second cohort of sports tech startups of the accelerator programme.
QST’s accelerator programme, which aims to grow 10 startups with innovative sports technologies in each edition, ran its second cycle between January and March 2020, comprising pioneering sports tech startups from eight countries out of 1,500 startups from 43 countries.
In each cycle of the accelerator programme, the QST team scouts the world to find and engage with startups that use cutting edge technology with the main aim to accelerate the growth of the sports tech industry.
Participating startups in the second edition of the programme included ClassTap, Fridai, Golee, HiQ-Nano, MoodMe, SponixTech, Torq Labs, Wisify, 12th Player, and ChantUnite.
QST’s 12-week, part-time programme gives startups the resources necessary to accelerate their growth through mentorship and building strategic relationships with QST’s partners.
The startups had the opportunity to benefit from a range of specialised workshops to help them fine-tune their strategic objectives and business models, one-on-one mentoring sessions gaining first-hand advice and feedback from local and international experts; as well as to attend top level executive meetings and events with the participation of QST’s partners and wide network of potential investors.
Each selected startup contributed to one of these challenges: Athlete & Team, innovations that improve how athletes train individually and as a team, and how they engage and compete in sports; Fan & Viewer, innovations that will improve participation for sports enthusiasts, and fan experience and engagement in-stadium and through digital media;World Cup 2022, innovations that create a personalised, memorable and innovative experience for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar; and E-Sports, innovations that will transform and enhance how gamers participate in and experience e-sports.
The startups developed a variety of innovative solutions across the board. Their innovations covered different pillars of the sports technology, including a smart body composition assessment caliper, a home kit to measure antioxidants levels in the body, an immersive broadcasting technology, an e-sports gaming voice-powered assistant, a digital club management software, smart performance leggings, a fan engagement augmented reality mobile app, gym membership solutions, a sports club investment platform, in addition to sports crowd engagement technology.
Ibrahim Abdulaziz al-Mannai, executive director of Advisory & Incubation at QDB, said: “I would like to congratulate the second cohort for successfully completing QST’s intensive accelerator programme. I am impressed with the high level of professionalism and quality solutions they have provided.
“Being adaptable is of utmost importance nowadays, and I am looking forward to a very successful Demo Day for all participants. We want to raise the bar further and challenge the next wave of entrepreneurs to make the most of the potential opportunities that are presented to them”.
Heba al-Masri, managing director at QST, said: “We are proud of our startups’ accomplishments throughout the programme and their resilience in these unprecedented times.
“We want to take advantage of this opportunity to celebrate their hard endeavours in transforming the sports industry and we encourage all investors and community members to join us for the Digital Demo Day.”
QST aims to transform Qatar into one of the leading sports hubs and contribute to Qatar’s diversification goals through the facilitation of corporate startup collaboration through its accelerator programme.
