Web Summit Qatar Announces Star-Studded Lineup for Inaugural Event

Doha, Qatar, September 19, 2023 - Web Summit, the world's premier technology conference, has unveiled its initial lineup of speakers for its debut Middle East event, Web Summit Qatar, scheduled for February 2024 in Doha, Qatar. The distinguished list of speakers includes serial entrepreneur Gary Vaynerchuk and ZhenFund partner Anna Fang.

In its first year, Web Summit Qatar aims to bring together 7,500 founders, leading investors, global media representatives, and more at the Doha Exhibition and Convention Center (DECC).

Joining Gary Vaynerchuk and Anna Fang on the roster of speakers are prominent figures such as 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 legend Gilberto Silva. They will engage in discussions across four stages, exploring how technology is transforming various industries and societies.

Notable journalists from esteemed media outlets such as Al Jazeera, Reuters, TechCrunch, Wired UK, Fast Company, Esquire, Xinhua News Agency, the Wall Street Journal, and Semafor will also be in attendance.

First Set 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

Web Summit Qatar will feature the renowned startup pitching competition, PITCH, open to over 400 startups in the event's startup program. Participating startups will also have access to Mentor Hours, roundtable discussions, and meetings with potential investors. Additionally, the Women in Tech Lounge will serve as a hub for meaningful connections and networking among attendees.

Web Summit Qatar joins the esteemed roster of Web Summit's global events, including the flagship Web Summit in Lisbon, which attracted 71,000 attendees in 2023; Collision, North America's fastest-growing tech event in Toronto; Web Summit Rio, which debuted in 2023; and RISE, returning to Hong Kong in 2025.

Paddy Cosgrave, Founder and CEO of Web Summit, expressed, "Web Summit in Lisbon has become the world's largest technology conference, and our ambition is to make Web Summit even more global. Establishing a new event in the Middle East is part of that broader plan for Web Summit." He continued, "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."

Web Summit Qatar is set to host over 7,500 attendees from around the world during its inaugural year, taking place at the Doha Exhibition and Convention Center (DECC) from February 26 to 29, 2024.

About Web Summit: Web Summit organizes the world's largest technology events, connecting people and ideas that have a transformative impact on the world. Web Summit events, including Web Summit in Europe, Web Summit Rio in South America, Collision in North America, RISE in Asia, and the newly announced Web Summit Qatar in the Middle East, have brought together half a million individuals since Web Summit's inception as a 150-person conference in Dublin in 2009.

Web Summit's mission is to create software that fosters meaningful connections among CEOs, founders, investors, policymakers, cultural icons, and members of the media who are shaping the world.

Forbes has hailed Web Summit as "the best tech conference on the planet," while Bloomberg describes it as "Davos for geeks." Politico likens it to "the Olympics of tech," The Guardian calls it "Glastonbury for geeks," the Financial Times dubs it "the world's largest tech conference," and The Telegraph praises it as the "planet's best tech conference."

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