Doha: A panel held on Monday on the sidelines of the third edition of Web Summit Qatar discussed the main challenges and opportunities facing startups in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states as they seek to break into global markets. The session stressed the importance of human capital, regulatory flexibility, and building products with a global mindset from day one as core pillars for international expansion.

According to Qatar News Agency, Hamad Mubarak Al Hajri, founder and CEO of Snoonu, said that attracting global talent and building multinational teams had been central to the company's success. He noted that Snoonu now includes employees from more than 90 nationalities, reflecting its adoption of a global mindset even before it became a company with an international presence.

Al Hajri explained that expansion is not limited to geography, but also includes horizontal and vertical growth through diversifying services and building an integrated logistical and technological ecosystem, in addition to developing software solutions and digital platforms that are currently used outside the GCC. He emphasized that the real challenge for startups does not lie in access to capital, but in the limited availability of qualified talent. He pointed out that corporate culture, talent, and long-term commitment cannot be replicated and represent the most important competitive advantage in the face of global competition.

Al Hajri added that expanding into global markets requires understanding the local specificities of each market and adapting the product to its needs. He said that speed of execution and regulatory flexibility give Gulf startups a relative advantage over their counterparts in more developed markets.

For her part, Amal Dokhan, Managing Partner at 500 Global MENA, said that the ability to navigate regulatory frameworks and build strategic relationships is a decisive factor in the success of startups in the region. She noted that strategic capital, particularly from local investors, helps transfer knowledge, build trust, and open market doors for founders. She explained that a company's success is not always tied solely to the quality of its product, but also to its ability to execute efficiently, distribute at scale, and build networks. She underlined the importance of thinking with a global mindset from the early stages of company formation, at the levels of the team, governance, and product design, to avoid expansion hurdles at later stages.

The session also touched on growing interest from international investors in the region's markets, noting that liquidity has become available at early stages, while the main challenge lies in growth and exit phases. Participants expressed expectations that larger growth funds will emerge as the entrepreneurial ecosystem in the Gulf matures. The panel concluded that the region's advanced infrastructure and clear national visions in Qatar and other GCC countries are creating a favorable environment for building companies capable of competing globally and expanding from the region into international markets.