Doha, Qatar: Builders VC recently led a delegation of senior executives from four of its portfolio companies to Doha, engaging with Qatar’s innovation ecosystem at a time of accelerating national focus on advanced digital and AI-enabled technologies. The visit, which preceded the announcement of QAI, underscored growing alignment between global frontier technology companies and Qatar’s long-term innovation agenda.

Collectively representing more than $11 billion in enterprise value, the companies met with senior Qatari institutions and innovation leaders to assess pathways for long-term market integration, localized operations, and participation in the country’s rapidly scaling national AI and advanced-technology ecosystem.

“Qatar has laid out a clear national strategy to build a diversified, innovation-led economy anchored in advanced technologies and global collaboration,” said Jim Kim, Managing Partner at Builders VC. “Our focus is to introduce world-class companies that can contribute real operating capability, talent development, and long-term value to that vision. This delegation reflects the alignment we’re seeing with Qatar’s national AI trajectory.”

The delegation featured four of Builders VC’s high-growth portfolio companies, each exploring early opportunities in the region: Colossal Biosciences, a biotechnology company developing advanced genetic engineering and de-extinction technologies; Augment.Market, a platform enabling accredited investors and shareholders to buy and sell shares in privately held companies before they go public; Argus Cognitive, an AI-driven behavioral diagnostics platform that uses smartphone-based assessments to help identify early indicators of autism and neurodevelopmental conditions (the technology was originally developed at Qatar Foundation); Native Microbials, a biotechnology company producing next-generation probiotics and microbiome solutions to improve livestock productivity, sustainability, and animal health.

The delegation visited Doha as part of Builders VC’s broader strategy to deepen its engagement in the Middle East and support high-growth global companies exploring regional expansion. The visit also aligned with Qatar’s broader innovation and diversification priorities, at a time when the country is stepping up investment in advanced digital and AI infrastructure, most recently through the launch of QAI and its strategic initiatives to strengthen national digital capacity.

During the visit, Builders VC held an exclusive networking reception in collaboration with the Qatar Investment Authority (QIA) and the Qatar Venture Capital Association (QVCA). Over 100 private-sector leaders, investment firms and emerging innovators came together for discussions on market entry, pilot opportunities, and areas of potential collaboration.

The delegation also explored opportunities for technology localization, reviewed regulatory considerations, and assessed possibilities for early market testing and R&D initiatives in meetings with key national institutions, including the Qatar Research, Development and Innovation Council (QRDI), Qatar Science & Technology Park (QSTP), Qatar Development Bank (QDB), the Qatar Financial Centre (QFC), Hassad Foods, and Earthna.

Additionally, as part of their engagements in Doha, the delegation took part in major ecosystem events, including Sidra Medicine’s PMFG 2025 Conference, WSJ Tech Live Middle East, QFC Family Office Forum, and the MENA Fintech & Insurtech Festival, offering global sector insights and advancing knowledge exchange with the growing innovation and research community in Qatar.

“What stood out during this visit was Qatar’s readiness to move with purpose,” said Tarik Sultan, General Partner and Head of MENA at Builders VC. “The institutions we met were aligned, strategic, and deeply committed to accelerating the innovation priorities outlined in NDS3 and Qatar National Vision 2030. It’s exactly the kind of environment where our companies can scale, build local capabilities, and contribute meaningfully to long-term national development.”

The 2025 delegation represents the latest milestone in Builders VC’s growing presence in Qatar and the wider MENA region. With 13 portfolio companies having visited the country this year to explore expansion opportunities, the firm continues to work closely with public and private-sector partners to identify collaboration opportunities across healthcare, biotechnology, agriculture, industrial technology, and financial infrastructure.

About Builders VC
Builders VC is a global venture capital firm investing in companies modernizing the world’s most foundational industries. With teams across North America and the Middle East, the firm partners with founders solving complex challenges in healthcare, agriculture, biotech, and industrials. Builders VC’s mission is to help exceptional entrepreneurs build enduring companies that drive meaningful economic and societal impact.