Web Summit Doha Debrief: Takeaways from Centre Stage

I’m still catching my breath after the incredible time I had at Web Summit Qatar in Doha. It was my second experience speaking at a Web Summit event having spoken in November at the globally renowned Web Summit - Lisbon. 

While it was the organizers’ first foray into the region, the professionals of Web Summit, from every producer, coordinator, Speaker Success Manager, and every other unsung hero made it feel seamless. 

With a sold out crowd of 15,453 attendees from 118 countries, 401 investors, 380 speakers, 896 members of international media, it truly was a global affair and the largest startup conference in the Middle East with 1,043 startups. Women in tech were on display, and 37% of attendees and 30% of all speakers were women. 

My hat is off to organizer Casey Lau and MC Sunil Sharma - somehow they managed to make a crowd of 15,000+ feel intimate and inclusive. I can’t wait for Collision in Toronto this June.

Why global conferences matter – now more than ever

Networks and networking are oxygen for growing businesses. Big, international conferences are a way to kickstart tech ecosystems and infrastructure building by bringing the best in the world to you, the “mountain coming to Muhammad.” 

Conferences contribute to local host economies in buying from local businesses, but more than that it showcases local tech builders to the world, and no price can be put on that. Web Summit and its Canadian counterpart, the Collision Conference, set the bar for showcasing that innovation is global by nature and that there are no borders in tech. Successful tactics in one ecosystem apply to startups in other ecosystems. 

As many of us live and work in silos, the idea-sharing of knowledge for founders, investors, and startups available at Web Summit makes it well worth the time and expense needed to leave your silo and get together in person with a curated, global network. 

What can startups and attendees learn from attending Web Summit?

As COVID showed us, humans are social creatures and while virtual meetings were essential when they had to be, they were not and could not have been as meaningful as in-person, facetime in building relationships. If you go, go and talk to people! Having these face-to-face interactions allows startups to meet with and learn from successful founders from all over the world, engage with them, ask them questions, and forge substantive bridges to future opportunities. 

A founder who pitched at the Web Summit Qatar Pitch Competition got in front of an executive from a large company who said they had use for this startup’s product. Talk about a game changer for that startup; the founder had been trying unsuccessfully to get a meeting with this company for years! 

Everyone can learn something, whether you’re a startup or a seasoned entrepreneur. 

I learned something from a startup in Egypt about a creative customer acquisition strategy and I shared it with a portfolio founder in a different sector and different market. We wouldn’t have thought of it in a million years, but it was brilliant. 

Another piece of advice - always be pitching. And just as important - always be listening.

“Winning traits” successful founders demonstrated

I spoke on a number of panels pertaining to early stage investing, hosted a roundtable of global investors on ‘What makes startups fundable’, as well as being a judge for the Pitch Competition. I am partial to creative founders who’ve invented ways to improve large established businesses and have a possible global application and positive impact on the world. If this founder has charisma, it is a train that’s not stopping for anybody. 

These panels were an opportunity to share my knowledge and experience, and learn from the bright minds of my co-panelists. 

You can check them out here:

• Center Stage Panel on early-stage investing - 'Pitch perfect How to fix your pitch' 

• Venture Stage Panel on early-stage investing - 'The winning traits of early-stage founders'

Tips for future attendees

The Web Summit app is invaluable in finding out who’s speaking and who’s attending. 

Touching base with people you want to speak to in advance of getting there is very useful in maximizing your time. The app has a map and a dynamic schedule that will help you with your planning and for finding everything when you’re on-site. 

Being prepared ahead of time is highly recommended, whether it’s your first Web Summit or Collision Conference, the caliber of content is such that you will want to make your plans before you get there, knowing that you may run into some people or topics you didn’t plan on. Different tracks run concurrently, so you may have to triage your own agenda. The app will help! 

Top 6 benefits for Canadian companies to attend/exhibit

It’s hard to summarize everything positive about attending Web Summit and global innovation conferences. But, here are my top 6:

1. You hear from the best minds on the business - unfiltered, live and in-person.

2. The top businesses in the world share new innovations that they are implementing.

3. There is so much knowledge to absorb, it almost hurts your brain, in the best way.

4. You meet people from everywhere in the world and learning is phenomenal.

5. You never know who you are going to run into! Rubbing shoulders with celebrities, hanging out with your life long heroes, meeting new clients, new investors/investees, new business partners  - all is possible, you just have to be open to the opportunities. Mindset matters.

6. There is an excitement and buzz when bright minds meet, it is infectious. 

Innovation is global by nature, so when we attend conferences like Web Summit or Collision in Toronto this June, we’re part of kickstarting tech ecosystems where they are hosted while shaping the very future of the next big things. 

There are numerous other great innovation conferences happening all across the world and some great local ones to Canada, too. Alberta Innovates’ Inventures is not to be missed and Uniting the Prairies is a heavy hitter in up and coming tech from the Prairies and beyond. 

Web Summit keeps adding new host cities offering people from around the world to step into innovation, wherever they are. No one has a monopoly on good ideas, so the more opportunities you can take to get out there and meet the world, the better off you’ll be as a professional, the bigger your network will grow – and if you’re a startup, you can’t put a price tag on the opportunities these sorts of events offer. 

Maninder Dhaliwal is the Managing Partner of Startup Studio – Accelerator and Venture Fund. She is the founding chair of TiE's worldwide Incubation Lab, TiE Canada-India Trade Council, and serves on the global steering committee for TiE Global Angels – the largest angel investor network in the world.

• READ MORE: Maninder Dhaliwal is investing in scalable founders