Qatar will be hosting the "Web Summit" for the first time in the Middle East from February 26th to 29th, featuring the latest trends in technology and innovation, networking opportunities, and collaboration for thousands of entrepreneurs, investors, and global tech leaders.
Speaking exclusively to Al Jazeera Net, Web Summit's Executive Director Catherine Maher said that the summit, organized by Qatar, represents a significant opportunity to introduce the Arab world through technology. It provides a platform for the youth and entrepreneurs in this region and the world to express their creativity.
Maher also pointed out that the "Doha Summit" will serve as a platform to explore how technology can be employed to solve problems within communities and how to invest in building startups, as well as developing solutions for climate change.
"Doha represents a fantastic opportunity to introduce the Arab-speaking geographical region, which I'm talking about more than 350 million people living in this area, the vast majority of whom are young, under 40 years of age."
Catherine Maher's presidency of the "Web Summit" comes after the resignation of its former CEO, Paddy Cosgrave, who founded the Web Summit in 2009. Cosgrave resigned following a tweet about the Israeli bombing of Gaza, stating, "Shocked by the speech and actions of many Western leaders and governments (…) war crimes are war crimes, even when committed by allies, and should be named as such."
Several major companies withdrew their participation in the "Web Summit" events after Cosgrave's tweet, forcing his resignation.
Details of the meeting…
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What does Qatar's hosting of the first Web Summit conference in the Middle East represent?
Several reasons underpin this choice:
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Firstly, Doha presents a wonderful opportunity to introduce the Arab-speaking geographical region, where more than 350 million people live, the majority of whom are young people under the age of 40.
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Secondly, the summit offers a chance to ponder on how technology can be used to build businesses and solve problems within societies.
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Thirdly, the aspect I'm truly excited about within the Web Summit is the focus on startups because having a startup ecosystem is not as straightforward as it may seem; it often requires a cultural change in the way people think about building businesses.
It requires the ability to take risks, to gather capital and resources from people who understand these risks, and the ability to move quickly in matters such as registering companies or obtaining infrastructure and support.
The increase in carbon emissions due to travel is a fact that cannot be ignored, but it's important that this increase is necessary to achieve a great outcome that involves finding solutions to this issue.
Therefore, if we're accustomed to traditional business practices, there needs to be a significant change to respond to the needs of startups in a timely manner. I believe that the Web Summit does a fantastic job in giving people a real and immediate sense of what this vital activity requires.
Startup owners can benefit from everything that the "Doha Web Summit" offers in terms of networking, connections, access to experts, and investors.
It also concerns policy makers, whether you are a government member or a first-time investor in startups. Attending the summit will help you understand what you need to succeed; thus, the "Doha Summit" is a great opportunity to bolster all of this generally.
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Is the "Web Summit" still under pressure from global companies which led the former CEO Paddy Cosgrave to resign?
I believe that we have made great strides in taking the necessary steps to bring partners back to the "Web Summit," and many of our partners are looking forward to returning and have committed to it from next year onwards.
The upcoming event in "Web Summit" Lisbon will be as strong as always in terms of record numbers, investors, startups, and attendance; therefore, we truly feel satisfied with what that means for the upcoming conference.
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How can technology be employed to reduce the impact of global warming and climate change?
This was one of the topics I wanted to raise in the past "Web Summit" in Lisbon, so it's currently an interesting issue because there's a huge market for climate technology.
We know the transition to clean energy will be a trillion-dollar endeavor, which means there are business opportunities everywhere, from fundamental research and development for energy storage solutions to go beyond intermittent power solutions like wind or solar energy to continuous energy production.
Other matters relate to maintaining smart grids and the opportunities they provide, or what can be done around software solutions or startups and employing that for climate issues. At the "Web Summit," issues of global warming and climate change are at the forefront of the matters we discuss and we remind people that this is essential for the life of the world.
At the "Doha Web Summit," we will need to confirm this as we expect temperatures to rise and we'll need more resilient solutions for adaptation and to understand the opportunities that the summit provides; hence the importance of the Doha Summit in presenting all of this to the world.
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Don't large-scale events like the "Web Summit" held in various capitals contribute to increased carbon emissions due to the travel of participants?
The increase in carbon emissions through travel is a fact, but what's important is that this increase is necessary to achieve a great result that involves finding solutions for this puzzle.
We've followed the climate summit in Dubai, which had over 100,000 attendees, and this event is even bigger than what we will hold in Doha. However, the goal is to reach agreements on how we can contribute to the transition to clean energy, how to reduce carbon production, and how to invest in the necessary types of resources to do that in a fair way that offers everyone opportunities for accessible outcomes.
All of this is worth the effort, time, and energy. We hope that what is offered by the "Web Summit in Doha" will serve as a catalyst for finding technological solutions for climate change.
