The inaugural edition of Web Summit Qatar, a first-of-its-kind event in the Middle East, will see record-breaking numbers in all aspects when it kicks off on Monday (until February 29) at the Doha Exhibition and Convention Center, said organisers.

The event, which has generated huge interest from participants across the world, is officially sold out, said Web Summit Qatar 2024 Organising Committee Chairman Sheikh Jassim bin Mansour bin Jabor Al Thani, during a pre-event Press conference on Thursday.

“Our initial projection had been for 7,500 attendees, but we’ve recorded in excess of 12,000 participants at the moment, and we’re still counting. It’s a reflection of the great interest people have in the summit across the globe, and it’s a huge number considering it’s the event’s inaugural edition,” he said.

#WebSummitQatar 2024 is officially sold out!

We can't wait to welcome attendees to the incredible city of Doha next week. pic.twitter.com/etN4iRIE2a

— Web Summit Qatar (@websummitqatar) February 20, 2024

Qatar’s Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs HE Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani will speak on the country’s growing tech ecosystem. He will also touch upon how technological developments can be used to benefit all humanity.

Several notable speakers and industry leaders, including Emmy-winning comedian Trevor Noah, WPP CEO Mark Read, Whoop CEO Will Ahmed, astronaut and Deep Space Initiative founder Sara Sabry and Replit co-founder and CEO Amjad Masad will also be featured at the four-day summit.

More than 1,000 startups, from 80 nations, will vie for the attention of over 500 investors and partners from countries like Qatar, USA, Egypt, Brazil, Italy, Nigeria, UK and India.

Web Summit Qatar’s CEO Katherine Maher said the event’s ‘startups and partnerships programmes’ sold out about four weeks in advance.

“Of those startups, 50% or around 500 will attend from the broader Middle East. Around 10% are attending from Qatar. While 30% are women-founded startups, 10% are what we consider impact startups — startups with a focus on improving the world and the lives of those around us.

“About one-fifth or 20% of those startups are coming from Africa. We’re incredibly excited about this kind of participation,” she said.

Masterclasses are a great way to network and gain new insights. We’re excited to host in-depth learning opportunities from our partners and industry experts, including Snapchat, Qatar Science & Technology Park and more

Check out the masterclasses belowhttps://t.co/6gpV8mm9nV pic.twitter.com/Qow2FKEiTc

— Web Summit Qatar (@websummitqatar) February 14, 2024

All attending startups will have a chance to take part in the Pitch Competition, one of the highlights of the Web Summit.

“The Pitch Competition provides top early-stage startups an opportunity to compete on stage. Entrepreneurs are given the chance to present their ideas to investors and industry leaders, while also gaining valuable insights and knowledge,” she said.

Startups will be able to host a booth, where they can showcase their activities to potential clients and investors, take part in meetings, or attend mentorship sessions.

From cloud poultry systems to the fight against climate change and environmental degradation, check out these six women-founded startups joining us at #WebSummitQatar https://t.co/5mtwSdmm5Z pic.twitter.com/sbmarVQJ5Y

— Web Summit Qatar (@websummitqatar) January 24, 2024

The Women in Tech programme will recognise the incredible opportunity that technology affords women to participate in the economy and in society and to address very real needs across commercial, economic, and social interests.

The Doha event joins the company’s global roster alongside flagship event Web Summit, which draws 71,000 attendees to Lisbon each November, North America’s fastest-growing tech event — Collision — in Toronto and Web Summit Rio, which will take place in 2024 for the second time.

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