Web Summit, the world’s largest technology conference, today announced that the startups, partners, and women in tech programmes for its first-ever event in the Middle East, Web Summit Qatar, have all sold out with more than 1,000 startups, and 100 partners coming from 80 plus countries. 

Web Summit Qatar is going to be double the size expected with more than 12,000 attendees already registered, up from the original target of 7,500. 

Web Summit Qatar has selected – from thousands of applicants – 1,000 startups from 80 countries and counting, including Qatar, The United States, Egypt, Brazil, Italy, Nigeria, the United Kingdom, and India. Attending startups represent almost 30 industries. It will be the most global representation of startups ever for a first year Web Summit event. 

100 partners will be exhibiting on the sold-out event floor in 2024, including Microsoft, Qatar Investment Authority, Deloitte, and Palo Alto Networks. Trade delegations from countries including Canada, Türkiye, Bahrain, Pakistan, Nigeria, and Kenya – will be attending Web Summit Qatar to explore business opportunities in Doha and in Qatar in general.

The women in tech programme, which runs across all Web Summit events in its commitment to balance gender in the technology sector, has also sold out. The women in tech lounge will welcome organisations like Women of Qatar and Woman Techmakers along with thousands of women in tech attendees from all over the world, reflecting the true global nature of the women in tech programme. 

Stars such as Emmy Award-winning South African comedian, Trevor Noah will join Sara Sabry, astronaut, founder and CEO of the Deep Space Initiative; Amjad Masad, co-founder and CEO of Replit; Builder.ai founder and chief wizard Sachin Dev Duggal; YouTuber Felipe Neto; soccer legend and Brazilian World Cup winner Gilberto Silva; and Tabby co-founder and CEO Hosam Arab at Web Summit Qatar in February.

“The incredible global representation at our first Middle East event is a powerful reminder that technology is international and opportunity is everywhere. Selling out the startups, partners, and Women in Tech programmes weeks before the event is set to take place speaks to the quality and calibre of the Web Summit events, alongside the support of the GCO, as we expand into a region with an incredible generational opportunity and dynamism. I’m particularly excited to celebrate women’s empowerment at the Women in Tech lounge, and look forward to meeting the Women in Tech community from around the world,” - says Web Summit CEO Katherine Maher. 

“We believe emerging technologies will transform the world of work and business, as well as across education, government, public services and the private sector. We are pleased to host the first Web Summit event in the Middle East, which will build on the unique blend of opportunity, innovation, and connectivity our country has to offer,” - says Sheikh Jassim bin Mansour Al Thani, Chairman of the Web Summit Qatar Organising Committee.

Web Summit Qatar joins the company’s global roster alongside its flagship event, Web Summit, which draws 71,000 attendees to Lisbon each November; North America’s fastest growing tech event, Collision, in Toronto; and Web Summit Rio, which will take place for the second time in 2024. 

The first year of the event will take place at the Doha Exhibition and Convention Center (DECC) from Feburary 26 - 29, 2024. 

About Web Summit 

Web Summit runs the world’s largest technology events, connecting people and ideas that change the world. Web Summit events – Web Summit in Lisbon, Web Summit Rio in South America, Collision in North America and RISE in Asia and now Web Summit Qatar – have gathered half a million people since Web Summit’s beginnings as a 150-person conference in Dublin in 2009. 

Web Summit’s mission has been to create software that enables meaningful connections between the CEOs, founders, investors, members of the media, politicians and cultural icons who are reshaping the world. 

Forbes says Web Summit is “the best tech conference on the planet”; Bloomberg calls it “Davos for geeks”; Politico “the Olympics of tech”; the Guardian “Glastonbury for geeks”. In the words of the Financial Times, Web Summit is “the world’s largest tech conference”, and the Telegraph calls it the “planet’s best tech conference”. 

Useful links 

Web Summit website: https://websummit.com 

Web Summit Qatar website: www.qatar.websummit.com 

About Web Summit: www.about.websummit.com 

Web Summit Qatar Twitter: https://twitter.com/websummitqatar 

Web Summit Qatar TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@websummitqatar 

Web Summit Qatar Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WebSummitQatar Web Summit Qatar Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/web-summit-qatar Web Summit Qatar YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@websummitqatar Web Summit Qatar Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/websummitqatar/