Quick Startup winners one year later: how the competition helped launch their careers
In Gulf Times, March 7, 2017
Image: Ruqaya Alsada speaks with TV presenter Hassan Alsaie at the Doha International Book Fair
Fatima Alansari and Ruqaya Alsada were hooked on entrepreneurship after their first Quick Startup weekend in 2015. “We didn’t know anything coming into it and we learned so much. At the end of the weekend we said to each other, next year we are going to win,” says Alsada.
The pair returned to Quick Startup in 2016 with a plan: “We had an idea for an online venue for microbusinesses in Qatar, we knew the rules, and we knew how to pitch. We were in it to win it,” says Alansari who, along with Alsada, graduated from Qatar University in 2016 with a degree in marketing and entrepreneurship.
Hosted by Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar (CMU-Q), Quick Startup is a three-day competition and training program for college students who are interested in entrepreneurship. Over the weekend, students receive guidance and mentoring from professionals as they build a business plan and investor pitch. The pitches are evaluated by a panel of judges, who award prizes to the top three teams.
“Quick Startup is a great way for students who are interested in entrepreneurship to test out their skills and learn about creating a pitch and business plan. The weekend is a competition, but it is also a learning opportunity,” says George White, distinguished career professor of entrepreneurship at CMU-Q and the organizer of Quick Startup.
On the first evening of the Quick Startup weekend, participants form teams according to their interests and abilities. “If you walk in to Quick Startup without an idea, that’s ok,” said Alansari, “just pitch an idea, it’s a great way to network.” Alansari and Alsada teamed up with a student from CNA-Q, Aisha Al-Derhim.
For the next three days, the team put together plans for revenue stream, marketing, sustainability, scalability, supplier and vendor availability and operations. They sought mentor advice whenever they could, and by the time they were ready to present, they had a compelling pitch. The team took first place at Quick Startup 2016.
After the win, Alansari and Alsada started to develop a new idea called MomsApp, a tool to help mothers book doctor appointments, research schools, and other useful tasks. The idea was incubated under both the Digital Incubation Center and Qatar Business Incubation Center (QBIC). Unfortunately, when it came time to validate the idea through market research, they found there was little demand. “Entrepreneurship is not smooth,” says Alansari, “the idea always changes and you’re never a pro. If you start thinking that you’re a pro, you’ll start to fail.”
Faced with the need for a new idea, they turned to their mutual love of reading. In Qatar, reading is not a common pastime, so they were inspired to create Rwaq, a subscription-style program where each month, customers receive a box based on a theme. The box includes a book and small gifts related to that theme.
“We want to promote that reading is fun. Be your own director, don’t just watch a movie,” said Alsada.
Rwaq has been operating since January 2017, and the team has about 200 customers.
“Even if you are not interested in entrepreneurship, Quick Startup is a way to learn to market yourself and develop communication skills. It is a thrill to step outside of your comfort zone,” says Alansari. “And if you are interested in entrepreneurship, the community in Doha is very small, and you will find everyone in one place here.”