Tribune News Network
Doha
HEC Paris in Qatar presented the second edition of its ‘Evolution of Qatar’s Entrepreneurial Ecosystem: Pathways for Innovation’, at an event in Qatar National Library (QNL).
Attended by 100 guests, including aspiring entrepreneurs, investors, academics and HEC Paris alumni, the event unveiled the updated version of two years of research by Dr Allan Villegas-Mateos, senior research fellow at HEC Paris in Qatar.
Welcoming the guests, Dean of HEC Paris in Qatar Dr Pablo Martin de Holan, explained that the research was updated to map Qatar’s entrepreneurial ecosystem and provide stakeholders with tools to overcome the challenges in scaling it and driving transformation in line with the Qatar National Vision 2030.
He said, “At HEC Paris in Qatar, we believe in the importance of entrepreneurs and SMEs as engines of economic growth, innovation and economic diversification and transformation. HEC Paris in Qatar is proud to support entrepreneurship and innovation in general in Qatar with relevant, actionable research that provides insights to entrepreneurs and decision-makers, and executive education which helps bridge the gap between ideas, implementation and successful, high-growth entrepreneurial firms.”
Following his presentation of his findings, Dr Villegas-Mateos moderated apanel discussion with six panellists who outlined their experiences of navigating and supporting entrepreneurial ecosystems. This included Safi Qazi, co-founder and managing director of the Urban Point mobile app; Dr Richard O’Kennedy, vice-president Research, Development and Innovation at Qatar Foundation, vice-president Research at Hamad Bin Khalifa University and a member of the Qatar Research, Development, and Innovation Council; Abdulla AlKhenji, co-founder and chief strategy office of Flare Business Centre, a private incubator and accelerator for scaling up start-ups; Aysha Al Romaihi, head of Strategic Innovation and Business Collaboration and programme manager of Scale 7, Qatar’s first fashion and design incubator; Mohammed Al Emadi, senior manager of Investment at Qatar Development Bank, and Marcel Dridje, a serial tech and telecoms entrepreneur and the business angel investor in 17 international start-ups.
Dr Villegas-Mateos said, “Understanding entrepreneurial processes and entities is key to creating ideal conditions to develop an innovative economy, which in turn helps provide long-term employment and economic development in a sustainable and responsible way. In its examination of Qatar’s entrepreneurial ecosystem, this research identifies key stakeholders, analyses the nation’s ability to support business development and suggests avenues to improve the quality of the ecosystem, and the number and impact of entrepreneurial firms.”
Attendees were also updated on the Observatory of Entrepreneurship and Innovation - a joint HEC Paris in Qatar and Qatar Foundation initiative which aims to reduce entrepreneurial ecosystem gaps. The proactive Observatory platform facilitates collaboration, encourages discussion and shares insights of Qatar’s entrepreneurial ecosystem to develop new models and frameworks for it and impact economic development towards the Qatar National Vision 2030.
