More tech firms see Qatar as hub to the region| Gulf Times – Gulf Times

More tech firms see Qatar as hub to the region| Gulf Times – Gulf Times

Eman al-Kuwari, Director of Digital Innovation Department at the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology. PICTURE: Shaji Kayamkulam

Qatar has been attracting global innovative companies seeking to tap the region by expanding their operations in the country, according to the director of the Digital Innovation Department at the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology (MCIT).According to Eman al-Kuwari, the influx of international companies through the Tasmu Accelerator will also benefit entrepreneurs, startups, and tech founders in Qatar in terms of potential collaboration, thus enhancing the Qatari economy.Only recently, the Tasmu Accelerator, a flagship programme of the MCIT, was able to attract over 540 applicants from 78 countries for its inaugural cohort, al-Kuwari said. She noted that after a stringent selection process, 25 startups participated in the programme’s six-month acceleration phase.“These graduates from the programme’s first cohort have set the bar high, so we anticipate that the next applicants have very high profiles,” al-Kuwari told Gulf Times. Following the conclusion of programme’s 2023 cycle, the Tasmu Accelerator has announced the opening of the early registration phase for the 2024 cohort.In an earlier statement, Reem al-Mansoori, Assistant Undersecretary of Digital Industry Affairs at MCIT, emphasised that the Tasmu Accelerator is set