Doha: TECHz – News Desk
Yalla Startups is the result of a strategic partnership between Startup Grind Doha and the Olive Suno Radio Network (OSRN). The programme is designed to bridge the gap between emerging businesses and the wider community, giving founders direct access to one of Qatar’s largest consumer audiences.
The show will air weekly on Radio Olive 106.3 FM, while also leveraging OSRN’s digital distribution channels. This includes VoiceCast, the network’s flagship over-the-top (OTT) podcast distribution platform, ensuring the content reaches audiences on air, on demand, and across integrated digital ecosystems. Each episode will feature a different startup, providing founders a platform to share their authentic entrepreneurial journeys, showcase new products and local innovations, and discuss the practical business lessons, successes, and challenges of scaling a company in Qatar.
While funding announcements typically dominate startup media, Yalla Startups shifts the focus toward consumer visibility and market adoption. The programme will primarily highlight business-to-consumer (B2C) startups whose products are designed for everyday consumers. Additionally, the show will feature startups developing innovative solutions aimed at helping small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) become more efficient, productive, and competitive. By shifting the spotlight from capital-raising to customer connection, the initiative aims to help founders build vital brand awareness and accelerate the adoption of locally developed technologies. The collaboration highlights a growing trend of utilizing mainstream media and digital broadcasting to support ecosystem growth.
Ameer Ali, Founder and Managing Director of Olive Suno Radio Network, emphasized the importance of broad engagement: “Qatar’s startup community deserves more than a moment in the spotlight – it deserves visibility and engagement across every platform where its audience is active by creating awareness and educating audiences in their own languages. We believe that when entrepreneurs are heard, ecosystems grow and communities thrive.”
Indica Amarasinghe, Chapter Director of Startup Grind Doha, noted the critical need for market access: ”Startups need more than funding – they need visibility, customers, and opportunities to tell their story. Yalla Startups creates a unique platform for founders to reach consumers and business owners across Qatar while showcasing the incredible innovation being built locally.”
As Qatar continues to strengthen its innovation economy through investments and support programs, initiatives like Yalla Startups represent a pivotal step in expanding ecosystem resources beyond traditional incubation and funding. Founders building startups in Qatar are currently invited to apply to be featured on upcoming episodes.
