In a bid to accelerate the growth of Qatar’s entrepreneurship ecosystem and keep pace with aspiring entrepreneurs across various industries, Qatar Development Bank, through its Qatar Business Incubator Center (QBIC), has forged a strategic alliance with Volkswagen Middle East and its local representative Q-Auto to launch a new incubation program tailored for the development of innovative mobility solutions.

The program was unveiled as QDB readies to kick start the 17th edition of QIBC’s Lean Startup Program, and the 5th edition of its Lean Coach Program.

QDB’s partnership with Volkswagen will enable QBIC to advance several pivotal objectives, mainly in terms of providing specialized guidance and support for startups exploring cutting-edge mobility solutions, smart infrastructure, and quality management systems. The program will also boost entrepreneurs’ leadership skills through an array of initiatives that will ensue from the partnership, which was ratified on the sidelines of QBIC’s latest Hackathon.

The Hackathon, centered around Digital Transformation and Mobility solutions, touched on groundbreaking technologies such as automation, artificial intelligence (AI), and machine learning further addressing avant-garde transportation solutions and challenges. The event brought together local entrepreneurs and startups who showcased their innovative products and services across a number of industries.

Commenting on the partnership, Dr. Hamad Salem Mejegheer, Executive Director of QDB’s Advisory and Incubation Services, stressed the importance of offering specialized incubation programs.

“This new specialized program in the field of mobility solutions complements QDB’s offerings across the entrepreneurship ecosystem. Through our partnership with Volkswagen and Q-Auto, we look forward to providing an incubation environment that supports innovative projects in the field of mobility solutions and which enables entrepreneurs to leverage Volkswagen’s expertise to accelerate their growth and advance QDB’s mission to bolster economic diversification and enhance the private sector’s contribution to the local economy.”

Also commenting on this partnership, Mr. Ahmed Shariefi, Managing Director of Q-Auto said: “We are delighted to announce our strategic partnership with QDB, which is an important milestone in Q-Auto's commitment to foster innovation and entrepreneurship in Qatar's rapidly growing transport sector."

The Mobility Incubator’s launch followed the signing of a partnership agreement on Wednesday, September 27, 2023, between Dr. Hamad Salem Mejegheer, Executive Director of QDB’s Advisory and Incubation Services and Mr. Ahmed Shariefi, Managing Director of Q-Auto.

The new program will fall under the umbrella of QBIC, one of the largest mixed-use incubators in the region to offer seed funding, incubation programs and services that enable startups & scale-ups to grow. QBIC also invests in the development of businesses by offering coaching and mentorship in the entrepreneurship field and by providing access to industrial development centers such as the Model Factory, the Ooredoo Digital incubator, and the Digital Fab Lab.