The event will feature Serial entrepreneur Gary Vaynerchuk as the first speaker.
The Web Summit, recognised as the world’s premier technology conference, has revealed plans for its inaugural event in the Middle East: Web Summit Qatar.
The milestone conference is slated for February 2024 at the Doha Exhibition and Convention Center (DECC).
Further elevating the event’s significance, renowned figures like serial entrepreneur Gary Vaynerchuk and ZhenFund partner Anna Fang have been announced among the first set of speakers, poised to share insights and engage with attendees.
Other speakers include Anna Fang, CEO and partner of ZhenFund, Dima Khatib, managing director of AJ+, Ryan Petersen, co-founder and CEO of Flexport, Sachin Dev Duggal, co-founder and CEO of Builder.ai, and football maestro Gilberto Silva.
Their discussions, spread across four stages, will delve deep into the technological transformation influencing every industry and societal structure.
In its inaugural year, Web Summit Qatar is set to welcome over 7,500 global attendees comprising founders, elite investors, members of the international media, and other industry luminaries.
The event promises an impressive assembly of journalists from renowned media houses like Al Jazeera, Reuters, TechCrunch, Wired UK, Fast Company, Esquire, Xinhua News Agency, the Wall Street Journal and Semafor.
The stellar list of speakers also features stalwarts like Wael Sawan of Shell, Divya Gokulnath from Byju’s, Dileep Thazhmon of Jeeves and Christine Tsai of 500 Global, alongside many others.
They will be accompanied by industry leaders such as Jenny Fielding, Omar Almajdouie, Sarah Kunst and Robby Yung, among others.
Web Summit Qatar is also set to host the renowned startup pitching competition, PITCH, for over 400 startups.
“Web Summit in Lisbon has become the world’s largest technology conference, and our ambition is to make Web Summit ever more global. Establishing a new event in the Middle East is part of that broader plan for Web Summit,” said Paddy Cosgrave, Web Summit founder and CEO.
“Web Summit Qatar will help connect a new generation of founders in the Middle East to investors, journalists, customers, partners, and more around the world, and represents a new opportunity for Web Summit to convene technology’s leaders and develop an already fast-growing tech scene,” he added.
These startups will also have the opportunity to participate in Mentor Hours, and roundtables, as well as engage in investor-startup meetings.
Additionally, the Women in Tech Lounge will serve as a space for fostering meaningful professional relationships.
The inclusion of Web Summit Qatar amplifies the company’s global presence, joining their flagship event in Lisbon, which attracted a massive crowd of 71,000 in 2023, Collision in Toronto, the newly inaugurated Web Summit Rio, and the upcoming RISE in Hong Kong set for 2025.
Initial list of speakers:
● Gary Vaynerchuk, founder and CEO of VaynerMedia
● Anna Fang, CEO and partner of ZhenFund
● Dima Khatib, managing director of AJ+
● Ryan Petersen, co-founder and CEO of Flexport
● Sachin Dev Duggal, co-founder and CEO of Builder
● Wael Sawan, CEO of Shell
● Divya Gokulnath, co-founder of Byju’s
● Dileep Thazhmon, co-founder and CEO of Jeeves
● Christine Tsai, founding partner and CEO of 500 Global
● Gilberto Silva, World Cup winner
● Jenny Fielding, co-founder and managing partner of Everywhere Ventures
● Omar Almajdouie, investor at Raed Ventures
● Sarah Kunst, founder and managing director of Cleo Capital
● Robby Yung, CEO of Animoca Brands
● Sri Viswanath, general partner of Coatue Management
● Edith Yeung, general partner of Race Capital
● Ladi Delano, co-founder and co-CEO of Moove
● Kathleen Breitman, co-founder and CEO of Tezos
● Oliver Steil, CEO of TeamViewer
● Annelie Ajami, founder and general partner of Anamcara
● Mohamad Ballout, CEO of Kitopi
● Jalak Jobanputra, founding partner of Future\Perfect Ventures
● Harry Hui, founder and managing partner of ClearVue Partners
● Rebecca Parsons, CTO of Thoughtworks
● Mikayel Vardanyan, co-founder and chief product officer of Picsart
