Every week, ILQ features a different Qatari startup in our ‘Startup of the Week’ segment. Qatar has some of the most creative, unique, and impactful startups in the region, and we cover them all across a variety of industries in Doha, from fashion and beauty, to food and dining, health, education, and more!

Presently, everything in the modern world is moving fast and loose. Digital lead is a must. Everybody wants a lion’s share of the newest technological innovations, the finest developments and remarkable breakthroughs in the digital stage. Amidst all these prevailing businesses that guarantee numerous technical and scientific advancements, ibTECHar Digital Solutions was born in Qatar driven for change.

ibTECHar Digital Solutions is a leading educational technology company in Qatar, providing educational services and integrated solutions for governments, schools, institutions, educators, and individuals to create an effective educational environment that is constantly adapting to global technological developments.

From budding entrepreneurs to universities and schools under the Ministry of Education and Higher Education, ibTECHar provides an umbrella of services to facilitate immersive learning by using digital fabrication technologies such as 3D printing and designing.

Humble beginnings

Time stand still for ibTECHar when it was just starting. The idea of putting up a new and promising business started in the biggest reality show in Qatar, the Stars of Science in 2012. The startup’s founder and chairman, Khalid Aboujassoum who was competing then, emerged as the winner of the show by prototyping his idea of an automated cooking pot that dispenses various ingredients of a dish at the right time with minimal human intervention.

Still in the peak of his success, Aboujassoum wanted to convey the experience he got at the show to the youth in Qatar and started ibTECHar with fellow technology enthusiasts now founding partner & CEO Nayef Al Ibrahim and as they say the rest is history.

ibTECHar was incubated by Qatar Business Incubation Center. QBIC provided the company with financial support, offices, and environment to work, and delivered training to the team to enhance their skills, as well as the guidance and counseling to achieve success in the technology area. Qatar Development Bank has also played a major role in supporting startups and entrepreneurs.

The Sanea Program

The first project launched by ibTECHar is called the Sanea program (the term is in Arabic which means maker in English), aiming to promote the culture of innovation within the local community. Enhancing the growth and development of educational and economic sectors is one of its primary objectives. There are three projects under the Sanea program:

The Sanea Competition

The Sanea Competition is conducted annually in partnership with the Ministry of Education and Higher Education, Qatar Scientific Club and other sponsors. It is designed to take local high school students through the process of making things and challenges them to solve real-world problems by building prototypes.

The Sanea Bus

The Sanea Bus is a digital mobile fab lab and is designed and equipped with the latest digital fabrication technologies to introduce those aged 6 to 18 to these technologies through hands-on workshops. It’s the first digital mobile fab lab in the MENA region to be certified by the global fab network, the Fab Foundation.

The Sanea Camp

The Sanea Camp is a seasonal edutainment program to spur interest in these technologies among children and teenagers. The camp allows participants to explore scientific concepts by engaging in experiential learning activities and it shows them how these concepts are applied in the real -world through field trips to different institutions and factories.

The Sanea Program’s educational methods:

• The Sanea Program combines four important methodologies: find a solution, design it, and execute it. (Think, Design, Innovate, Make).
• Project-Based Learning is the latest methodology adopted by educators all around the world to stimulate analytical and critical thinking among children.
• The Makers Approach is an extension of the Do It Yourself (DIY) culture which is meant to encourage people to try and do things by themselves.
• The 21st Century Skills comprise skills, abilities, and learning dispositions that have been identified as being required for success in 21st-century society, which is an international movement focusing on the skills required for students to master in preparation for success in such digital society.
• The Engineering Design Process is a methodical series of steps that engineers use in creating functional products and processes.

Changing the digital landscape of Qatar

Technology and education are the two major components that ibTECHar wants to instill in its pursuit for technological transformation in Qatar. The education in the country focuses on making innovation and knowledge generation at the heart of the teaching-learning process, through the development of mechanisms in this field. Furthermore, no one can deny that technology has made a profound difference in education.

ibTECHar has a unique position established by the deep local understanding in Qatar. Most importantly, it possess an understanding of the proper way of implementing and integrating the domains of technology and education. Thus, ibTECHar provide a tailored educational experience where the aspects of technology and education are merged effectively.

“The success was beyond our expectations, our projects have received much attention, with a high turnout of students,'' said Mr. Nayef Al Ibrahim, Founding Partner & CEO of ibTECHar.

Today, ibTECHar is an exponentially growing startup whose clientele and sponsors include the Ministry of Education and Higher Education, the Ministry of Transport and Communications, Hamad Bin Khalifa University, Boeing, Es’hailSat, and Qatar Scientific Club. This only proves how slowly the company is reaching its goal towards the modern Qatar era.

Moving forward

Along with the Sanea Program, ibTECHar is working on other projects including Qatar Business Incubation Center Fab Lab, Qatar School of Science and Technology Fab Lab, Hamad Bin Khalifa University Green Makeathon, and Qatar Science and Technology Park QampTech Event. You can know more details for each project using these following links:

Qatar Business Incubation Center Fab Lab: http://www.ibtechar.com/en/portfolio/qatar-business-incubation-center-fab-lab/

Qatar School of Science and Technology Fab Lab: http://www.ibtechar.com/en/portfolio/qatar-school-of-science-and-technology-fablab/

Hamad Bin Khalifa University Green Makeathon: http://www.ibtechar.com/en/portfolio/hamad-bin-khalifa-university-green-makeathon/

Qatar Science and Technology Park QampTech Event: http://www.ibtechar.com/en/portfolio/qst-qamptech-event/

Reaping success

Recently, ibTECHar was selected by The World Economic Forum and the Bahrain Economic Development Board (WEF) committee to be one of the 100 startups in MENA region shaping the 4th Industrial Revelation (4iR). The company was also awarded by the SME, Excellence Awards 2018, the most prestigious awards taking place in Qatar. It also ranked as the 23rd company among the best 50 SMEs who excelled in their respective businesses.

ibTECHar Digital Solutions

Contact numbers: +974 3385 9404
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ibTECHar/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ibtechar/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ibTECHar
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ibtechar

Get it into the change! Get yourself transformed and let ibTECHar take the lead. They provide many services targeting individuals in Qatar, including Content Creation, Educational Program, Management & Consultation, Equipment & Technologies, and Innovation Spaces. You can check the details for each service via this link: http://www.ibtechar.com/en/what-we-do/

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Arvin Garcia

Content Writer

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