Throughout 2025, Startup Qatar continued to connect global innovation with local opportunities. By serving as the single comprehensive national resource for information, support and opportunities, the initiative has simplified the journey for innovators and entrepreneurs to access Qatar’s world-class startup ecosystem. A significant development this year was the enhancement of the Startup Qatar Investment Program. Powered by QDB, the program increased its financial commitment to $1.1 million for seed-stage and $5.5 million for growth-stage startups. Since its launch, the program has received over 5,000 applications, with 37 startups selected, reflecting the program’s strong global demand and highly competitive selection standards. Startup Qatar continued to gain international visibility in 2025 through its participation in leading global technology conferences, including Web Summit Lisbon, Web Summit Qatar and London Tech Week. These engagements have elevated Qatar’s global profile, successfully converting international interest into a robust pipeline of innovation-led investment leads for Invest Qatar. The Invest Qatar Gateway is the country’s first integrated digital platform designed to support investors across the full business lifecycle, from market entry to expansion. Developed as a one-stop interface, the gateway enables investors to establish operations, build strategic business relationships and access investment opportunities through a single digital channel. The platform continues to deliver on Invest Qatar’s mandate to enhance the investor experience by leveraging digitalisation and strategic partnerships across the national ecosystem. Notable 2025 enhancements include the integration of a banking onboarding service, established through partnerships with leading local financial institutions. This development allows eligible businesses to access tailored financial solutions and facilitate corporate bank account openings in as little as three working days. This is complemented by new telecom onboarding services, which enable investors to manage connectivity requirements directly through the Gateway to further accelerate time-to-market. Currently hosting more than 14,000 registered users, over 900 connected companies, and 19 active partnership opportunities, the Invest Qatar Gateway remains central to streamlining the investor journey. By improving coordination across the investment ecosystem and removing operational friction, the platform reinforces Qatar’s value proposition as a premier, business- friendly destination. 15 Invest Qatar Annual Report 2025