Business Incubator

Overview

Qatar University provides you with a great opportunity to receive personal coaching, training for your business idea, or further develop your existing business and entrepreneurial skills. Business Incubator offers high-quality one-to-one coaching services, a network of fellow entrepreneurs, incubation space, and access to funding.

Services

Depending on the stage of the idea, below are the services offered by the business incubator:

Admission Criteria

To be admitted to the Business incubator, you must be a Qatar University student; graduate or undergraduate, Qatar University alumnus, or faculty member. We encourage as many applicants as possible to apply for our programme. However, we can only accept so many applicants, and therefore there has to be clear guidelines on how we make our final decision.

First of all, there has to be a business idea, or existing company, which has clear evidence of becoming profitable, and down the road also growth-oriented. We also emphasize innovativeness and uniqueness of the idea, as long as they seem to be profitable. A very important factor is the quality of the start-up team and the level commitment and persistence towards turning the idea into a real business.

Commitment

Incubatees are committed to attending biweekly training sessions. In addition to training, incubatees are committed to working constantly on developing the business model canvas or business plan and setting up a profitable business. Coaches and incubatees are committed to working in an ethical and respectful manner together making ventures as successful as possible and meeting the goals determined in the beginning of the Business Incubation process. The length of the process is at minimum one semester and at maximum two semesters, equal to 12 months.

1. Business Model Canvas or Business plan
2. Market survey
3. Sales and marketing plan
4. Profitability calculation and other financial tools applicable for the venture
5. Continuation plan after QU Business Incubator including a funding scheme

Physical Facilities and Infrastructure

Qatar University will provide the coaches with state-of-the-art facilities. Office space will be offered free of charge for student-based companies. There will be separate facilities for female and male students.