Inspired by his own personal journey to health, Ibrahim Soltan has joined forces with two graduates from Texas A&M University at Qatar, Tariq Atiyah and Mohammed Jaffrin, to launch an online platform to book fitness classes and sports venues.

The 2017 graduate from Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar (CMU-Q) created the platform, Bookeroo, as an end-to-end method of finding, booking and paying for fitness classes and sports venues in Qatar. The startup is incubated by the Digital Incubation Center, which is part of the Ministry of Transport and Communications.

Soltan hopes that Bookeroo will be a tool that empowers people to become more active. “We are focused on building a community of active people. We want to give a voice to the coaches, fitness instructors and the owners of sports centers—they are wonderful ambassadors for sport in Qatar.”

For Soltan, the startup is a way to share how sport can transform a person’s life. As a teenager who struggled with his weight, Soltan turned to a series of fad diets. “I tried everything,” he recalls. “The only thing that made me feel good and really improved my health was sport.”

While Soltan was a student at CMU-Q, playing regular sports led to a slow, but profound, transformation. Now 40 kilograms lighter, he believes Bookeroo can help others to find a sport they love, and a new path to health.

Bookeroo is the only platform in Qatar that offers online bookings with end to end payments. Soltan noted: “an efficient method of payment is a big pain point for both the users and the vendors. We are offering a way to make the process simple and without hassle.”

The Bookeroo team continues to develop the platform and add new features. “We want to add places that are free, like parks and outdoor spaces, so anyone can get out an be active.”