Startup Grind Doha honours Qatar’s top startup builders at 2025 Community Awards

Doha, Qatar - Startup Grind Doha announced the winners of the Tech Startup Community Awards 2025, recognising founders, startups, mentors, investors, and ecosystem leaders contributing to Qatar’s innovation landscape. The ceremony took place on 25 January 2025 and brought together founders, innovators, investors, and ecosystem partners for a community-led celebration of impact and collaboration.

About the awards

Now in its second edition, the Tech Startup Community Awards are positioned as a community-led initiative designed to spotlight the people and organisations helping the ecosystem grow. The structure of the awards reflects multiple layers of ecosystem development: company progress (from idea-stage to growth-stage), sector advancement (including AI and fintech), and enabling roles such as mentorship, community-building, and investment.

2025 Tech Startup Community Awards winners

• Community Builder of the Year: Steve Mackie
• Mentor of the Year: Dr. Hanan El Basha
• Tech Disruptor Award: Shipbee
• Idea Stage Startup of the Year: Empowrd
• Growth Stage Startup of the Year: EMMA Systems
• Breakthrough Startup of the Year: PayLater
• Most Value Added Investor: Golden Gate Ventures
• Female Founder: Hissa AlThani
• AI Startup of the Year: Lillia
• FinTech Startup of the Year: Karty

Sponsors and ecosystem support

MBK Global joined as Title Sponsor for the 2025 edition, positioning the partnership as part of wider support for entrepreneurship and innovation activity in Qatar. The event also highlighted the role of ecosystem partners in enabling founder visibility, community momentum, and cross-stakeholder collaboration.

What this signals about Qatar’s startup ecosystem

The 2025 winners list points to a broader and more structured ecosystem story:

1. Wider stage coverage
   By recognising both idea-stage and growth-stage startups, the awards reflect more visible pathways from concept to scaling, and encourage founders at different maturity levels to participate in the same community spotlight.

2. Increasing sector focus
   Dedicated categories for AI and fintech suggest a shift from general “tech startup” recognition toward more specialised tracks that align with priority areas across Qatar’s digital economy ambitions.

3. Stronger ecosystem infrastructure
   Awards for community building, mentorship, and value-added investment highlight the ecosystem’s enabling layer, emphasising that founder outcomes depend not only on product and traction, but also on active networks, experienced guidance, and capital that supports scaling.