Web Summit Qatar 2025 continues with strong momentum on second day

Web Summit CEO: Choosing Doha was the best decision ever made

Web Summit Qatar 2025 maintained strong momentum on its second day, with impactful discussions, presentations and strategic announcements, reinforcing its position as the region’s leading technology event.

The day showcased Qatar’s entrepreneurship initiatives, AI integration in government services, and key technological advancements by leading Qatari companies, alongside insightful discussions from global industry leaders on the future of technology, AI, marketing and media.

HE Mohammed bin Ali Al Mannai, Minister of Communications and Information Technology, reaffirmed Qatar’s commitment to becoming a global innovation hub. He emphasised Qatar’s efforts to attract top leading innovators and technology companies through advanced platforms and comprehensive support systems.

HE the Minister added: “Qatar aims to become the preferred destination for innovators and innovative companies worldwide. This goal is supported by platforms like the Web Summit, which showcase Qatar’s capabilities, its appeal to innovators and the state’s efforts to provide facilities that nurture innovation and enable startups to thrive in Qatar and globally.”

On the partnership signed with Scale AI, a global leader in AI technology, HE the Minister, said: “Artificial intelligence is one of the emerging technologies the world is eager to leverage. Generative AI, in particular, is a new field for all of us. We are learning, developing and striving to benefit from it. To implement multiple use cases across government agencies, we have signed an agreement with a leading international company specialising in AI.”

He further elaborated on how this collaboration will enhance service quality, improve governmental operations, and strengthen the country’s digital infrastructure, adding: “We believe that global partnerships like this will accelerate our progress, helping us achieve the goals of Qatar Vision 2030 and contribute to the nation’s development.”

In a panel titled: ‘Redefining aviation: How Qatar Airways sets the benchmark’, Eng Badr Al Meer, CEO of Qatar Airways, discussed the airline’s vision for the future, highlighting how Qatar Airways is already miles ahead of its competitors in innovation and service enhancement, focused on improving the passenger experience.

He shared how Qatar Airways’ proactive approach and forward-thinking strategies, such as Qatar Airways 2.0, are setting the standard for the future of air travel. He noted the airline’s pioneering achievement in implementing Starlink internet service across its fleet four months ago, making it the world’s first airline to deploy this cutting-edge connectivity solution.

Speaking at a press conference, Paddy Cosgrave, Founder and CEO of Web Summit, praised the decision to bring the summit to Qatar, calling it one of the best ever made. He commented:
“There are 1,520 startups. Of those start-ups, 47.7% are women-founded startups, which is a more than 50% rise from last year and 37% of attendees are women.”

Regarding Qatari startup participation, Cosgrave highlighted a remarkable 140% year-over-year growth, with numbers rising from 95 companies at last year’s edition to 228 this edition. He stated: “Qatar for me is booming. It’s been an incredible partner. We’re trying to catch locations that are in a kind of hockey stick moment where things are changing potentially very fast. It’s just a huge increase in the number of Qatari startups out on the floor. So my instinct is there’s absolutely something happening.”

With 723 investors at the summit, Cosgrave highlighted the incredible networking opportunities available for startups to connect with funders. The summit also welcomed 168 strategic partners from major tech companies such as Amazon, Microsoft, Meta, TikTok, Huawei and iHeartMedia, alongside 381 speakers, offering workshops and panels on the latest global trends.

Reflecting on the summit’s economic impact, Cosgrave revealed that 148 startups from last year’s event raised over USD 30 billion in investments within just one year.

Throughout the day, an impressive lineup of global industry leaders discussed the future of technology, AI, marketing and media. Blake Chandlee, President of Global Business Solutions at TikTok, and Cameron Clarke, Global Editor at The Drum, discussed innovation, community, and brand building on TikTok in the session ‘Exploring Innovation, Community, and Brand Building on TikTok.’

Carla Zakhem-Hassan, Chief Marketing Officer at JPMorgan Chase; Jonathan Adashek, Executive Vice President of Communications & Marketing at IBM; and Maha Abouelenein, Founder of Digital and Savvy, explored the evolving role of data in marketing during the panel ‘Navigating the Data Gold Rush in Marketing.’

Timothy Young, CEO of Jasper, and Sachin Dev Duggal, CEO of Builder.ai, joined TechCrunch’s Ivan Mehta in the session ‘Building AI Products That Inspire.’ Jim Bankoff, CEO of Vox Media, and Sara Fischer, journalist at Axios, shared insights on the changing digital news landscape during ‘This Is an Important Newscast.’

Blake Chandlee, President of Global Business Solutions at TikTok, and Cameron Clarke, Global Editor at The Drum, discussed innovation, community, and brand building on TikTok in the session ‘Exploring Innovation, Community, and Brand Building on TikTok.’

Closing the day, Conal Byrne, CEO of iHeartMedia Digital, and Jay Shetty, the world’s top-ranked health and wellness podcaster, highlighted podcasting’s power in building meaningful connections for ‘On purpose and podcasting.’

Web Summit Qatar 2025 has become a crucial platform for entrepreneurs, investors and decision-makers to explore the latest trends in technology, innovation, AI, fintech and digital sustainability. Concluding tomorrow, the summit cements Qatar’s position as a global centre for technology and entrepreneurship, aligned with Qatar National Vision 2030 and the country’s Third National Development Strategy.