DOHA: Qatar Business Incubation Centre (QBIC) founded by Qatar Development Bank (QDB) and Social Development Centre (SDC) kicked off its fourth wave of the LeanStartup Program on October 4. At least 42 participants from 29 startups enrolled in the 10-week entrepreneurial journey that will help the centre achieve its mission of developing the next QR100m companies in Qatar.
The LeanStartup Program focuses on providing entrepreneurs with real world, hands on experience and knowledge on how to successfully transform their business idea into a thriving startup. The programme runs twice a year, in Spring and Fall. It follows non-traditional approach by excluding the necessity of creating a business plan in advance, and instead follows a practical approach by developing products and services that are needed by the target customers. For the very first time, and by utilising the same approach, the fourth wave of the programme is being conducted in Arabic.
“After a lengthy and strenuous application process, we are pleased to have witnessed a high number of applications to QBIC’s flagship programme the LeanStartup Program. With the fourth wave taking place in Arabic, we are confident that the strength of our unique programme will further produce a wide and impressive range of projects,” said Abdulaziz bin Nasser Al Khalifa, CEO, QDB and Chairman, QBIC. “By providing all means of support and unifying our efforts to help Qatari entrepreneurs, we would be fulfilling our duties in developing the local SME sector,” he said.
Some of the potential ideas that could turn into prosperous startups include ideas in the field of development, technology, and education. Out of a total of 29 ideas, six are related to tourism. If eventually incubated, these will fall under the first specialised incubator, the newly soft-launched “QBIC Tourism”, guided by Qatar Tourism Authority.
Aysha Al Mudahka, QBIC CEO, said, “We are very pleased to introduce the first Arabic LeanStartup Program at QBIC. The last three LeanStartup waves were very effective in transforming ideas into startups that are now quickly thriving. However, we realised that there are many more ideas out there that are remain uncultivated, which deserve to be brought to light and developed to their maximum potentials.”
She added: “By reinstating QBIC’s flagship programme in a new light and in our country’s native language, we’re expanding our reach to those entrepreneurial minds who also seek to build successful startups, but feel more confident and efficient doing so in Arabic.”
Two specialised instructors are currently conducting the fourth wave of the programme, and are heavily experienced in the entrepreneurship field. In the remaining nine weeks, the aspiring entrepreneurs will learn more about the lean methodology and will test their products and services using the customer validation technique.
Khalid Hamad Al Thani, QBIC entrepreneur enrolled in the programme said, “The best thing about the programme is learning how to start a business from scratch. To be able to think aloud with a group and exchange ideas, is more productive than thinking alone.”
He added: “My intended business project is called ‘Doobee’, which is a mobile application that acts as a platform to all of Qatar’s laundry and dry cleaning vendors. By ‘uberizing’ this concept, users will be provided with a delivery laundry service.
The Peninsula
