Doha, Qatar: Qatar's drive towards a knowledge-based digital economy has gained new momentum with the latest release of the 2024 Annual Achievements Report for the TASMU Accelerator, an initiative led by the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology (MCIT).

The report highlights that the programme has become a key enabler of startup success and technological innovation, fostering global collaborations, fuelling economic growth, and accelerating the nation's digital transformation in line with the Qatar Digital Agenda 2030.

According to the report, the TASMU Accelerator has emerged as a strategic catalyst for driving digital transformation and entrepreneurship, empowering startups to scale locally and internationally.

Since its inception, the programme has completed two cohorts, each designed to nurture technology-driven solutions across priority sectors including healthcare, logistics, environment, and tourism.

The Accelerator has attracted global interest, receiving 1,185 applications from 78 countries across its first two cohorts, highlighting Qatar's growing reputation as a regional innovation hub. Participating startups reported a combined valuation of QR2.92bn, along with QR479m in sales and QR228m in secured funding, underscoring the programme's tangible contribution to the national economy.

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The report celebrates the achievements of participating startups, which have won 11 prestigious awards, including nine international and two local, and have launched over 60 pilot projects with key industry players.

These collaborations generated an estimated QR137m in business opportunities, reinforcing the Accelerator's role in fostering partnerships that bridge innovation with market demand.

A key success factor highlighted in the report is the programme's effective integration within the country's innovation landscape. The TASMU Accelerator facilitated more than 80 strategic meetings between startups and leading national entities, including Qatar Airways and Sidra Medicine. It also partnered with 49 Qatari organisations to support market entry and partnership building, while providing training opportunities for 370 university students, preparing the next generation of digital professionals.

With an emphasis on capability development, the Accelerator delivered over 2,000 hours of mentorship and 270 hours of specialised workshops, led by international experts covering critical areas such as investment readiness, market entry, and growth strategy. To drive the next phase of startup innovation, the Ministry forged strategic alliances with six organisations for the third cohort of the TASMU Accelerator in September. Speaking to The Peninsula, Eman Al-Kuwari, Director of the Digital Innovation Department at MCIT, stressed that through the development of strategic partnerships both within Qatar and across the globe, the ministry is strengthening the country's role as a leading regional hub for digital innovation.

She underlined that these collaborations enable the exchange of expertise, access to emerging technologies, and the scaling of innovative solutions, placing Qatar at the forefront of the digital economy in the region. Positioned as a gateway for global startups expanding into the MENA region, the TASMU Accelerator continues to align with Qatar's broader vision of becoming a leader in digital innovation and knowledge-based economic growth.

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