The Digital Incubation Center (DIC) of the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology (MCIT) announced the launch of the 7th edition of the Idea Camp, in the presence of a number of DIC partner state institutions and the digital entrepreneurship community in Qatar and abroad.
In a statement to Qatar News Agency on the sidelines of the Camp’s opening, Director of the Digital Innovation Department at MCIT Eman Ahmed Al Kuwari said that more than 340 applications have been received, which were evaluated, with 150 applicants selected, to take part in a 6-week training and mentoring program in order to provide them with key knowledge and skills needed to embark on their entrepreneurial journeys.
She added that this year’s themes are: Health care Technology and digital health, renewable energy and clean technology, transportation technology, and mobility.
Al Kuwari pointed out that DIC was established to promote digital innovation in the State of Qatar. Through its partnerships, DIC seeks to provide an integrated environment to support the growth and expansion of emerging digital startups in the country.
She said that since its inception, DIC has been a safe and nourishing environment for more than 270 startups, of which 165 companies have successfully completed their incubation periods, with the incubated startups collectively getting more than QR 224 million in investments.
On the sidelines of the Idea Camp 7th Edition opening, a discussion session was held to teach participants on the life cycle of startups.
This program aims at identifying talented individuals with innovative ideas who can leverage emerging technologies for a sustainable future, creating effective and efficient solutions, products, and services.
Participants will have access to a series of workshops, training, and mentorship sessions, which will help them refine their pitches and prepare them for the final judging round.
By the end of the Idea Camp 7th Edition, 40 emerging ideas will be selected to be pitched before a specialist jury, with the 25 winning ideas receiving support and guidance from DIC via an incubation period, an office space for two years, in addition to free digital service packages from Oracle Cloud, Amazon Web Services, and Adobe. Additionally, large financial prizes totaling QR 300,000 will be awarded, including QR 150,000 for the first place, QR 100,000 for the second place, and QR 50,000 for the third place.
Source: Qatar News Agency