From immersive fashion shows to becoming a launchpad for tech startups, Qatar 365 takes a look at how the country is embracing its future by diversifying its economy.
Category
🗞
NewsTranscript
00:00In terms of fashion designers specifically, I do definitely believe that technology is
00:06a tool to help them distribute their ideas and creations globally.
00:10So the goals in Qatar are shared by organizations across the ecosystem.
00:15By 2030, we'd like $100 billion in foreign direct investment.
00:18It's an ambitious target, but I think we're up to it.
00:22Hello, welcome to Qatar 365 with me, Adil Halim.
00:27On this episode, we look at how technology is changing the game in business and fashion.
00:33Laila Humaira visits Qatar's leading tech hub, driving innovation by supporting startups.
00:39But first, I'm at M7 in Masharab for the TEFA Conference, which stands for Technology, Education,
00:45Finance, Fashion, and Art, to see how fashion meets tech.
00:51Could this be the future of fashion?
00:53Augmented reality runway shows.
00:56Artisanal artist Ramiro Alban uses AR technology to create multidimensional experiences, so
01:02art is not just observed, but experienced.
01:26For the runway show, Ramiro collaborated with renowned fashion designer Debra Sawaf's
01:39The Power of Words by interpreting the brand's seven spirit animals and bringing them to life.
01:45I'm hoping that through fashion, we can create change.
01:49Part of that change also involved organizing a workshop around The Power of Words' mission
01:55to raise mental health awareness and empowerment.
01:59What we did is create a program where people can actually understand the emotions of each
02:04other because it's seven words and seven emotions, and you use the emotions in both ways.
02:10You express your emotion or you ask for an emotion.
02:14So you can be reminding yourself to be compassionate or you can be asking for compassion.
02:20The brand also partnered with Los Angeles-based digital artist Logic on a live painting exercise.
02:26The former creative director at Google says he aspires to inspire.
02:31This particular piece is featuring my two characters called Good and Evil, G-U-D and
02:36Evil E-V-O-L, which is like love backwards.
02:39Both of these entities both harbor the halo and the horn.
02:43The reason why I do that is because no one is totally one thing, no one is totally good,
02:47no one is totally evil.
02:49Artistic freedom was a major theme of the three-day TEFA conference hosted by the Doha
02:54Design District, an innovation hub supporting creatives in downtown Mesherab.
03:02Then there's also art and how technology is impacting art and how it's changing the landscape
03:08for artists and artwork alike, especially with the use of NFT, which protects the IP
03:13rights for the artists.
03:14So it's a very important step for creatives.
03:18One of the highlights of this year's TEFA event is the Middle East's first ever Fashathon,
03:22which is a hackathon for fashion.
03:25It's a way for designers to use AI to create their own 3-D fashion pieces, either from
03:30existing templates or by using their own imported designs.
03:35Nitin Sharma believes fashion is an old and outdated industry that has not yet been disrupted.
03:41So he co-founded a tech company with the hopes of democratizing digital fashion.
03:46Fashathon is designers who want to showcase their creations, who want to contribute their
03:52templates to earn royalties, and it is aspiring non-fashion designers who are creating templates
03:58using artificial intelligence.
04:00That said, these people have never been trained formally in fashion, but they are creative
04:04people and now with artificial intelligence coming, they kind of become a fashion designer.
04:08Back on the runway, Ramiro believes adding tech to art can bring even more people and
04:14groups together.
04:15I think art is what communicates to the whole world.
04:18It's the universal language.
04:19I don't speak English, but my art conveys everything.
04:26As Qatar positions itself as a regional hub for innovation, the country is making significant
04:30investments to reshape and diversify its economic landscape.
04:34I got a chance to sit down with Invest Qatar's Fahad Al Khawari to learn more about the Investment
04:39Promotion Agency's initiatives to spearhead entrepreneurship and innovation within the region.
04:46Fahad, earlier this year, the country's tech sector took center stage at Web Summit Qatar.
04:52That was when the $1 billion investment was announced, revolutionizing the startup ecosystem.
04:58How significant was that moment to say Qatar is open for business?
05:02What it signaled was our seriousness about the whole tech sector.
05:06We've always been digitizing our economy for the past 10 to 15 years.
05:11We've been doing that with foreign corporations as partners.
05:14We've been serviced by them, and we have serviced them in order to do so.
05:17Microsoft has been a big partner, and there's been other large partners as well.
05:20But what we've done here is we've opened up the space for small to medium-sized enterprises
05:25to actually participate in our digitization.
05:27The best way to do that is to incentivize them.
05:30Startup Qatar offers $500,000 for startups that want to commence their journey in Qatar,
05:37and then up to $5 million for those that want to scale up using Qatar.
05:40And all that signals is that we're serious about all sizes of companies,
05:44and we're very serious about digitizing our own economy.
05:46You just mentioned Microsoft.
05:48Google and Tesla have also recently opened operations here in Qatar.
05:52What does that tell you about the country becoming the tech hub of the Middle East?
05:56So I think rather than look at it as us becoming a tech hub,
06:00I think what you should look at is how responsive we are to change.
06:03Because for companies like Google, Microsoft, and Tesla to land anywhere, not only Qatar,
06:09you need to have laws concerning data that are up-to-date,
06:13that protect the data of the consumer but also help the business grow.
06:19Tesla themselves will tell you that they're a data company rather than they are an automotive company.
06:24So hopefully what the presence of these big companies signals is our seriousness
06:28to make sure that the landing is safe and that it's sustainable.
06:31Because we're after long-term partnerships.
06:34We're not after short-term stays.
06:36Now you're taking that message on the road.
06:37I caught up with you in Toronto at Collision 2024.
06:40What's the message you're trying to convey to businesses looking to put their footprint in the region?
06:44The message is that we're open for business.
06:46The best we can do is convey what the value proposition is,
06:49tell them what opportunities are available, showcase our incumbent market,
06:53but also it's important to have a regional view when you do business in this region.
06:57The MENA region comprises of over 20 countries.
07:00There's around $8.5 trillion in combined GDP within six hours flying time.
07:05So Southeast Asia, North Africa, Central Asia and so on.
07:08And all we're doing is we're facilitating access to these markets through Qatar.
07:13That's the end goal.
07:14Also at Collision you mentioned there's 300,000 locals approximately
07:18with the infrastructure for 5 million people.
07:21So how do you hope to meet that goal?
07:22So as a result of the last decade of building the country and the World Cup,
07:26we have an infrastructure that can house around 5 million people,
07:29just over 300,000 locals and just over 2 million in terms of population total.
07:33So we could double in size tomorrow.
07:35The way we want to do that is to fill the rest of the infrastructure with the right kind of talent
07:39so that we create ecosystems that function on their own
07:43and then hopefully what that does is it contributes to a knowledge-based economy
07:47and it also hopefully inspires our own to disrupt and create their own startups and compete.
07:55Now one of the entities Invest Qatar is collaborating with
07:58is the Qatar Science and Technology Park,
08:00the tech hub that is leading the country's economic diversification through innovation.
08:05QSTP provides a launchpad for startups aspiring to take their product from idea to reality.
08:11Laila Humaira takes a closer look at how that strong support
08:15is giving wings for one company to fly high.
08:20This is what it feels like to walk through an airport
08:24that's been voted one of the best in the world.
08:27Everything just runs so seamlessly at Qatar's Hamad International Airport.
08:32But behind all the systems working as they should is an AI-powered machine.
08:38One of the pioneers of this application is a software developed by Emma Systems.
08:44One of the biggest liabilities for the airline industry is flight delays,
08:49which costs an estimated $33 billion a year.
08:52By using algorithms and real-time data,
08:55Emma Systems is helping to reduce that cost by optimising efficiency and enhancing safety.
09:01Beyond adding this level of complete visibility
09:04across all the people on the ground and the air traffic control,
09:07we also add a level of predictability through machine learning and AI to certain elements
09:11like trying to help the decision makers on the ground at the airport
09:15better foresee what could possibly happen.
09:18From innovation programmes to a tech incubation centre to direct funding,
09:23the support from QSTP has helped Emma Systems develop its AI-powered platform
09:28to ensure the smooth running of airports all over Europe.
09:33Startups like Emma Systems is just one of many companies incubated at QSTP,
09:38headed by Dr Jed Lau, who wants to go further than just providing a launchpad.
09:43In the new era, of course we do have the funding opportunities,
09:47but it's more important that you actually sit down with the aspiring occupants of this QSTP
09:54and find out what you can offer them.
09:57Emma Systems has attracted the attention of venture capital firm Golden Gate Ventures.
10:02Founded by Silicon Valley natives,
10:04the firm launched Qatar's first international VC fund in May.
10:08It is going to be impactful for founders that we are going to be backing and investing in.
10:13We're going to be supporting the ecosystem with, of course, the other local VCs on the ground.
10:18We are going to be doing events for the startup community.
10:20The $100 million MinaOne fund is backed by major Qatari investors,
10:26including Alcor Holding, Alatia Group and Qatar Financial Centre.
10:31If you look at Qatar itself, it has come a very long way in terms of being hospitable
10:35to venture firms like ourselves, but also to founders, to the fintech community.
10:41And then I think a very supportive ecosystem in terms of the government.
10:442024 is proving to be a landmark year for Qatar's startup scene,
10:49with more VC players entering the field, like Qatari VC firm Rasmal Ventures,
10:54which also revealed its first homegrown $100 million fund.
10:59We're seeing more and more creative and innovators that are daring to think differently
11:07and wanting to be part of creating things from scratch from their home ground.
11:11And while it's still early days for Qatar's startup industry,
11:15stronger collaboration and strategic partnerships are the fuel that will help boost growth.
11:21Venture capital is a proximity profession.
11:24And so when we see people seeing the strategic value of Qatar,
11:27we can only be smart money for them and excited to help,
11:30excited to open doors in Qatar and in the region and rise all of us together.
11:35From hosting innovative fashion shows to becoming a launchpad for tech startups,
11:40it's clear Qatar is prioritizing its investments by embracing its future and diversifying its economy.
11:46Now that's all the time we have for now, but we hope you enjoyed this episode.
11:49For more, check out euronews.com and connect with us through our hashtag.
11:52Thanks for watching and we'll see you next time on Qatar 365.