On the 3rd of October, KPMG in Qatar held the second edition of the KPMG Private Enterprise Tech Innovator Competition - 2022 ("KTIC-2022"). This competition recognized innovative tech companies in Qatar, who are introducing tech breakthroughs, transforming businesses, and disrupting entire industries.

This edition of the competition hosted a panel discussion under the theme “How is Qatar supporting the growth of the local tech innovation sector?”. Panelists from major ecosystem players in the country provided a comprehensive view of the current state and future perspectives of Technology Innovation in Qatar. Dr. Boumediene Ramdani, Associate Professor of Entrepreneurship & Innovation and Head of Research and Policy at the Center for Entrepreneurship and Organizational Excellence of Qatar University, shared his opinions on the role of academia in enabling technology innovation in the country. Mr. Clay Susini, Assistant Director of Digital Enablement at Ooredoo Qatar, provided his view as a representative from the Corporate Enterprise sector. Mr. Humza Abid Khan, Chief Growth Officer of Snoonu, stressed the role of successful enterprises in paving the ways for other nascent businesses in the market towards success. Mr. Omar Shaath, TASMU Platform Manager at the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology talked about the importance of Technology SMEs for government digitalization and enablement of smart cities. Finally, Ms. Sara Daniel, CEO of Doha Tech Angels, underlined the important role that investors play in enabling technology innovation in Qatar.

Other than being a platform to share important industry thought leadership, KTIC-2022 is designed to acknowledge the fastest-growing tech innovators across the country. Following the panel discussion, the startup finalists At-Home-Doc, Avey, C-Wallet, sKora and Sponix delivered top-notch quality pitches on how they believe their business can impact the world while presenting their innovative and growth ambitions to a panel of judges and industry experts. Additionally, these businesses did not miss their chance to expand their network and build business connections with like-minded peers ecosystem players in Qatar and KPMG professionals.

The panel of judges and industry experts consisted of Duha Al-Buhendi from Digital Incubation Center, Jamal Bdeir from Microsoft, Mohammed Al Emadi from Qatar Development Bank, Hayfa Al-Abdullah from Qatar Science and Technology Park, Barbara Henzen from KPMG, Nizar Hneini from KPMG, and Omar Mahmood from KPMG.  Our valuable members of the jury astoundingly listened to the startups’ business plan on changing the technology landscape and disrupting the industry. After the competing tech startups delivered their impeccable pitches, the judges made an informed yet challenging decision of selecting Avey as the winner.

Avey, the second winner of KTIC after SkipCash who won the competition in Qatar last year, wins an all-expenses paid trip to attend Web Summit 2022 and compete there in the Global Tech Innovator finale in Lisbon 2022. At the Global final, they will have a chance to showcase their products and solutions to potential global investors and industry experts. The other competing global winners represent 21 other countries and regions worldwide including Bahrain, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, India, Ireland, Mexico, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Finland, Iceland, Portugal, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Spain, United Arab Emirates, UK, and USA.

KPMG Private Enterprise will be crowning a Global Tech Innovator at the global stage in Web Summit 2022.

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