Entrepreneurship Ecosystem in Qatar
Over the past two decades, the State of Qatar has undergone a remarkable transformation on all levels. This transformation has been driven by its ambitious development plans that focused on investing in strategic fields like education, research, healthcare, infrastructure, culture, and sports. It all comes as the country strives to achieve the four pillars that form its National Vision 2030 and lead to the creation of a knowledge-based economy. Knowing that entrepreneurship plays a key role in building a strong economy that fosters innovation, Qatar invested heavily in developing a sustainable entrepreneurial ecosystem. But despite the improved regulatory systems and policies that have led to remarkable growth in this field and the emergence of successful tech-based projects, challenges still exist. In recent years, HEC Paris in Qatar focused a large part of its research efforts to shed light on every aspect of the entrepreneurial ecosystem in the country. This follows more than a decade of helping thousands of business leaders in Qatar through an array of top-class executive programs. The university’s efforts stem from its deep belief that understanding the phenomenon of entrepreneurship by its consequences is key for any country and its decision-makers to make smarter decisions that achieve economic prosperity.
In late 2022, the university published its annual report on entrepreneurship in Qatar, under the title “Qatar’s Entrepreneurial Ecosystem: Pathways for Innovation.” Prepared by Dr. Allan Villegas-Mateos, Senior Research Fellow of Entrepreneurial Ecosystem Studies at HEC Paris in Qatar, the report updates and expands its first edition: “Qatar’s Entrepreneurial Ecosystem – Empowering the Transformation.” It offers a detailed map of Qatar’s current entrepreneurial ecosystem, while exploring the ways entrepreneurial ecosystems and sustainable development combine to build sustainable entrepreneurial ecosystems. In addition, it explores the aspects that trigger innovation-driven entrepreneurial activities compared to traditional business activities like coffee shops and beauty salons.
The report found that despite the country’s efforts to put in place the structural conditions necessary to build a sustainable entrepreneurial ecosystem, much still needs to be done, as Dr. Villegas-Mateos explains: “Qatar is on the right track; the system developed well over the past few years. However, there is more to be done if we want to build a healthier ecosystem. One of the major challenges that we noticed in Qatar is that most university students don’t actively choose or show enthusiasm for entrepreneurship. This may be due to not considering it a priority or lacking knowledge about where to begin. The key to building a healthier entrepreneurship ecosystem is for them to have access to information and support. They should be given the needed tools and learn about the success stories of those who succeeded in this field. This will lead to creating a pipeline of more projects, more innovation, and more fund raising options.”
Bureaucracy is also a main challenge facing entrepreneurs in Qatar, despite the existence of policies that support them. “We need to ensure the full implementation of policies that support entrepreneurs, remove barriers that may face them, and ease the access of small businesses to strategic sectors like agriculture and manufacturing,” added Villegas-Mateos, who is also a serial entrepreneur, consultant, and angel investor in the technology, manufacturing, and retail sectors.
One of the report’s main recommendations is to integrate entrepreneurship education as part of the curriculum, from schools to universities, and enhance the collaboration between academia, industry, and government.
The Role of Universities
Dr. Villegas-Mateos is also Qatar’s coordinator of the Global University Entrepreneurial Spirit Students’ Survey (GUESSS), an international research project that aims to offer a better understanding of universities’ roles as catalysts for creating entrepreneurial cultures.
A couple of years ago, Qatar became the 59th country in the world to embrace the project and the result was the “2021 GUESSS Qatar Report,” which provides insights into students’ entrepreneurial career choice intentions, their entrepreneurial activities, and the underlying drivers, comparing students in Qatar with students from the rest of the world.
The survey was the first of its kind to be conducted in Qatar and involved 121 students from the Education City universities. Its results showed that Qatar is above the regional and global average for career intentions to become an entrepreneur. On average, students in Qatar reported a higher positive attitude toward becoming an entrepreneur and a higher self-efficacy to undertake entrepreneurial endeavors than that of students from the rest of the world. Among the survey’s key results was that 37 percent of students in Qatar have not attended a course on entrepreneurship, which is above the MENA countries’ average (34%), but below the GUESSS average (44%). It also showed that the share of nascent entrepreneurs in Qatar (48.8%) was significantly higher than in the rest of the world (28.4%).
“The results of these surveys can be a great source of information for policymakers, from there, they should be able to decide what should be done to help students at schools and universities gain the right skills to succeed as entrepreneurs in the future,” said Dr. Villegas-Mateos.
Dr. Villegas-Mateos believes that creating an entrepreneurial culture in Qatar is essential in building a sustainable entrepreneurial ecosystem in the country. “This involves creating awareness of entrepreneurship, its importance, the opportunities it offers, showcasing success stories, and connecting people. It is something that takes time and requires the efforts and commitment of all stakeholders,” he concluded.
Work is underway for the next edition of the survey, with the results set to be published in 2024, and participation is now open to students from all universities in Qatar.
