New Delhi, May 15 -- Qatar Science & Technology Park (QSTP), a technology hub focussed on research, development, and technology commercialization, has launched a Tech Venture Fund.
The Doha-based firm, which is a member of the state-backed non-profit organization Qatar Foundation, said the vehicle has a corpus of $30 million. It will partner and co-invest alongside leading local, regional, and global venture capital firms across West Asia and North Africa, Southeast Asia, North America, Europe, and Asia. Additional partners will be announced in the coming weeks.
The first set of co-investment partners includes Dubai-based technology-focussed venture capital firm Global Ventures, Southeast Asia-focussed early-stage investor Golden Gate Ventures, multi-stage investment firm White Star Capital, GCC-focussed VC firm VentureSouq, and Builders VC, which is backed by Qatar Investment Authority's Fund of Funds programme.
Tech Venture Fund will back early-stage deeptech startups headquartered in Qatar that are aligned with its Third National Development Strategy (NDS3) and Qatar Foundation's mission, particularly those delivering social or climate impact.
The fund will primarily invest in pre-seed and seed-stage startups, with follow-ons planned in Series A rounds. The companies should be headquartered in Qatar with the capability to expand across the GCC and globally. They should also have a developed product, demonstrated product-market fit or customer traction, a strong founding team, and plans to raise institutional capital with a lead investor identified.
The fund will invest in founders building in areas such as AI, machine learning, robotics, biotechnology, advanced materials, and clean technology, with Qatar serving as a launchpad for regional and global expansion. Its sectors of interest include edtech, healthtech, cleantech, agritech, proptech, smart infrastructure, aviation technology, and mobility, among others.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from VC Circle.