Doha: One of the Smart Qatar (TASMU) Program’s flagship initiatives, TASMU Digital Valley (TDV), which sits under the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology (MCIT), launched the TDV accelerator Proof-of-Concept (POC) programme to identify the best-suited support needed for startups in the acceleration stage.
Working with two Qatari startups, Dibsy1 and SkipCash, TDV focused on accelerating the growth of these companies through workshops and trainings, while working on identifying and addressing gaps in the country’s startup ecosystem.
The POC programme was designed to establish and test various hypotheses around the need for acceleration in Qatar while leveraging lessons learned from successful global acceleration programmes.
The programme was launched as a follow-up to TDV’s “Voice of the Start-Up” analysis which studied the degree of satisfaction startups have with the current level of ecosystem support.
The results showed a pressing need for practical support, more sectoral coverage, and know-how acceleration support for startups in the growth stage, one of five key development stages for startups.
Based on these learnings, TDV shortlisted two prominent local startups and took them through the structured TDV accelerator Proof-of-Concept (POC) program. The delivery model consisting of SMEs, core content, and participants, was tailored for each startup and delivered through focused workshops.
Through these workshops, challenges were jointly identified and collaboratively addressed based on best practice methodology and industry experts’ recommendations. Businesses that take part in the program benefit from hands-on expertise tailored to their specific needs such as lean product management, minimum viable product development, and business models setup, in addition to being promoted to the wider TDV ecosystem.
Assistant Undersecretary of Digital Society Development at the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology, Reem Al Mansoori, said: “Start-up acceleration is paramount to advancing the digital ecosystem and supporting the movement towards an economy of digital disruptors. TASMU is committed to providing comprehensive support to start-ups that can lead to the development of priority sectors. Speaking to start-ups to address challenges, allowing a room of improvement in the country’s digital ecosystem, is just one of the many solutions that TASMU is offering to fuel Qatar’s digital transformation.”
Dibsy1 and SkipCash undertook the research journey with TDV, undergoing sessions to identify pertinent growth challenges, and developing services based on best practices and industry experts’ recommendations.
Mohammed Al Delaimi, Founder and CEO of SkipCash, said: “We are delighted to be part of this great initiative led by TASMU Digital Valley. This unique opportunity provided my startup with the right tools and services it needed to flourish. The entire process to the final workshop was mission-oriented to create opportunities and drive value for our business. Through the acceleration program, we got to work with industry experts that helped us identify the right business objectives based on our strategy while encouraging a sense of purpose among our employees.”
