Most startup funding in Qatar runs through Qatar Development Bank (QDB). Its Startup Qatar Investment Program offers technology startups up to US$1.1 million when launching in Qatar and up to US$5.5 million when expanding there, paid against milestones. QDB also invests up to QAR 250,000 pre-seed in its incubated companies and finances Qatari-owned firms that bring a feasibility study. No programme guarantees funding.
Who funds startups in Qatar
Three public bodies sit behind most of the programmes a founder will meet. Startup Qatar is an initiative of Invest Qatar, the investment promotion agency, and lists the programmes in one place. Qatar Development Bank is fully owned by the State and runs financing, incubation, training and advisory programmes for the private sector. Qatar Science & Technology Park (QSTP), part of Qatar Foundation in Education City, runs its own incubation programme and a venture fund.
Qatar Development Bank and other startup funding programmes
| Programme | For whom | Up to | Condition |
|---|---|---|---|
| Investment Program, START | Tech startups with a proof of concept or MVP, launching in Qatar | US$1.1 million | Paid in tranches against agreed milestones |
| Investment Program, GROW | Established startups expanding to Qatar | US$5.5 million | Paid in tranches against agreed milestones |
| QDB pre-seed | Companies in QDB’s incubation and acceleration portfolio | QAR 250,000 | Convertible; up to QAR 100,000 cash and QAR 150,000 in kind |
| QDB direct financing | Companies under a Qatari citizen’s ownership, based in Qatar | Not stated | A feasibility study; a sector QDB supports |
| QSTP Tech Venture Fund | Pre-seed and seed deep-tech startups based in Qatar | A US$30 million fund | Invests alongside a lead VC |
| QRDI Technology Development Grant | Technology development projects | QAR 10 million, over up to three years | The applicant co-funds the project |
The Investment Program is provided by QDB and open to innovative startups, with priority sectors listed on its page. Besides funding, it lists registration and licence renewal cost waivers, visa issuance, subsidised co-working and housing, talent support and access to R&D grants. When we checked, the page showed an open “Apply now” button and no fixed deadline, with applications on QDB’s website.
QDB direct financing for Qatari-owned companies
Direct financing is QDB’s lending route, separate from the Investment Program. It covers projects in manufacturing, education, healthcare, services, agriculture, livestock and fisheries. One of its products, Initial Working Capital, is for Shariah-compliant SMEs in the start-up phase. QDB sets five conditions.
- The application is under the ownership of a Qatari citizen, with a Qatari ID.
- The project is in a sector QDB supports.
- A feasibility study comes with the application.
- The company’s headquarters are in Qatar.
- The company complies with the Commercial Companies Law.
QDB’s backing also appears on other official pages. A founder who wants QDB to finance a new factory gives the Single Window’s factory establishment service a financial study on QDB’s template, a bank comfort letter, consent to a credit report, the owner’s CV and a statement of personal net worth. In government tenders, Article 14 of Law No. 24 of 2015 allows small and medium companies to be exempted, fully or partly, from bid, final and advance payment bonds on an undertaking from QDB.
QDB and the Ministry of Commerce and Industry also published the SME Guidebook 2024, which sets out the procedures, documents and costs at each stage of a business.
Incubators come first for many programmes
QDB’s pre-seed investment is only for companies in its own incubation and acceleration portfolio, so for many founders the route to money starts in an incubator. QDB’s incubation hub includes the Qatar Business Incubation Center (QBIC), Digital & Beyond with Ooredoo, Qatar FinTech Hub, Scale7, Factory One and Qatar SportsTech. QSTP’s programme has two stages, Sprint and then Incubation, and Sprint takes applications on a rolling basis with three cohorts a year.
What funders ask for
Each programme sets its own file, but two documents come up again and again. QDB’s direct financing asks for a feasibility study for the project, and QDB’s Feasibility Study Assessment reviews studies and business plans against its own minimum requirements. The Investment Program releases money against milestones agreed with you, so a clear plan with dated milestones is part of the application.
Duties that start once the company exists
Funding does not replace the ordinary duties of a mainland company. These dates apply from the start.
- Before you sign a lease
Get the Ministry of Commerce and Industry’s initial approval for the premises.
- Within 60 days
Register for tax and get the tax card, counted from the CR entry, the approval to start or the first income.
- Every month
Pay salaries through the Wage Protection System within seven days of the first of the month.
- 30 days before expiry
Ask to renew the commercial registration and licences.
- Within four months of the year end
File the company’s tax return.
How we help
Bring us the idea, or the deck if you have one. We look at your stage and your shareholders, tell you which of these programmes you could apply to, and prepare the feasibility study, the milestone plan and the company itself. The programmes make their own decisions, and we do not represent any of them.
