Bedaya to launch ‘Start Up Weekend 2018’ competition

A business modelling competition where more than 50 contestants prepare a business plan

Bedaya Centre for Entrepreneurship and Career Development (Bedaya Centre), a joint initiative by Qatar Development Bank (QDB) and Silatech, is gearing up to launch the “Start Up Weekend 2018” competition, which will be held from November 15 to 17 at the Panorama Hall at Tawar Mall.

The three-day event is a business modelling competition targeting university students or professionals looking for potential partners to build business ideas.

More than 50 contestants are expected to take part in the competition, where they will formulate a business plan and work in teams to present their ideas to a panel of judges during a weekend filled with workshops and mentorship. Winners of the competition will be rewarded with prizes.

During the competition, contestants will meet mentors, investors, managing partners, sponsors, who are all ready to help and assist them to start their businesses.

Participants will also experience the feeling of achievement and frustration, fun and action, success and failure, as well as psychological pressure to emulate the reality of what entrepreneurs go through when establishing their projects.

The contestants will be briefed about the rules and regulations required to establish a startup business.

“Through the ‘Startup Weekend Doha’ we seek to provide young members of the society the opportunity to demonstrate their skills and transform their passion into reality by participating with their ideas for projects and present them to the jury of specialist who will choose the wining team,” Bedaya Centre general manager Reem alSowaidi said. “All what it needs is to create the proper team together and choosing the right concept and idea”.

“Startup Weekend Doha will include educational sessions, workshop, guidance mentorship advising, in addition to meeting with expertise, introducing the participants to investors and showcase their ideas to them,” she noted.

“This is to get the needed finance and finally the competition will end by selecting the winners and honour them with awards, which will enhance their self-confidence and support them to continue to develop their projects,” al-Sowaidi added.

QDB learning and development head Abdulla al-Saeed said they strive to support entrepreneurs and to embrace and adopt unique and creative ideas for the economic development that contribute positively to the country’s economic diversification.

“Today’s competition paves the way for entrepreneurs, be it professionals or university students to present their ideas and the integrated action plans of their projects that will add to the diversity of the national economy, open new horizons and help them build their future,” he added.