Doha, Qatar: With the aviation industry gradually emerging from the deep sleep imposed by the pandemic and the ongoing shifts in regulations, airports are looking more than ever for more efficient operations to result in enhanced convenience and safety for passengers.

EMMA Systems, an AI-powered Airport Management Systems provider, works with aviation stakeholders to increase the efficiency and sustainability of their operations by optimizing aircraft turnaround processes and by reducing delays and fuel wastage. Streamlined operations contribute to passengers’ priorities, such as on-time arrival and departure of aircrafts, swift check-in process and smooth navigation to the gates, or to the baggage reclaim area.

Adaptable to each airport’s unique operating procedures, EMMA (which stands for Environmental & Movement Monitoring for Airports) Systems created a new standard for internal airport system communication. Its centralized cloud based dashboard visualizes live data providing a secure and centralized view of the entire airport’s operations – resulting in safer, more efficient and more integrated operations.

Recalling early days in 2010 when EMMA Systems was born, Wisam Costandi, CEO and Co-Founder, said: “We deployed the first version of EMMA at Qatar’s Hamad International Airport, later crowned the ‘Best Airport in the World’ by Skytrax in 2021, which boosted our recognition in the industry.”

Since then, EMMA initially received support from the Qatar Science and Technology Park’s (QSTP) Product Development Fund (PDF) for the development of its technology, and later received seed investment from the Tech Venture Fund (TVF) to continue its commercial efforts.

“Qatar is a springboard for startups. It’s a small country with large, world-class projects and startup-friendly programs. Once QSTP invested in us, they became part of EMMA. They didn’t ask ‘How are you doing?’, but rather ‘How are we doing?’. It was important to have an institutional ally to help us navigate the startup ecosystem and the entrepreneurial journey at each stage,” said Costandi. “The Tech Venture Fund essentially allowed us to double down on commercial outreach, and to invest in sales and marketing.”

Since then, the company has grown significantly and its pipeline has expanded across the globe.

Having successfully navigated the challenges of working through the pandemic, the startup has secured deployment in Brussels South Charleroi Airport (BSCA) and its network is soon set to expand even more.

“Another 25 global airports are in the pipeline for us. We saw things come to a halt given the pandemic’s impact on aviation, and we were disheartened; however, air traffic is gradually returning back to normal, and we have witnessed a renewed interest in solutions that can help improve airport efficiency and sustainability,” Costandi remarked.

Like EMMA Systems, promising entrepreneurs and innovative startups find their seed-stage funding and follow-on capital with the QSTP Tech Venture Fund, a strategic venture capital fund designed to support Qatar’s burgeoning tech and innovation ecosystem that targets a growing regional and global market.

To apply and find out more about QSTP’s TVF, please visit: https://qstp.org.qa/tech-venture-fund/

To learn more about EMMA Systems, please visit: https://emma.aero/

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Qatar Science & Technology Park

Qatar Science & Technology Park (QSTP), part of Qatar Foundation Research, Development and Innovation (QF RDI), is a Free Zone, accelerator and incubator for tech-product development in Qatar. The Park fosters an innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystem in Qatar that works to accelerate commercialization of market-ready technologies to realize Qatar’s national diversification drive.

QSTP’s focus ranges across four overarching themes, comprising Energy, Environment, Health Sciences and Information & Communication Technologies (ICT), in line with the Qatar National Research Strategy announced in 2012.

Located in Qatar Foundation's Education City, QSTP has access to the vital resources of a cluster of leading research universities. Members of QSTP’s Free Zone include Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs), international corporations and research institutions. They are collectively committed to investing in new technology development programs, creating intellectual property, enhancing technology management skills and developing innovative new products.

QSTP supports QF RDI’s economic and human development objectives for Qatar and is increasingly recognized as an international hub for applied research, innovation, incubation, and entrepreneurship.

For more information, please visit the QSTP website at www.qstp.org.qa

Qatar Foundation Research, Development and Innovation (QF RDI)

The Qatar Foundation Research, Development and Innovation (QF RDI) division’s role is to play an integral part in identifying and addressing challenges and opportunities across ICT, energy, environment and healthcare, in alignment with Qatar’s national RDI strategy and priorities. QF RDI is at the forefront of Qatar’s innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystem, accelerating economic development through supporting the commercialization of market-ready technologies and facilitating the creation of new high-tech products and services.

QF RDI is responsible for translating Qatar’s national RDI strategy into specific initiatives and actions for Qatar Foundation’s (QF) RDI entities. It also directs their efforts in relation to economic value creation, knowledge transfer and the establishment of mutually beneficial national and international RDI partnerships. To ensure these efforts deliver maximum impact, the QF Vice President for Research, Development and Innovation plans, coordinates and oversees all RDI-related activities across QF.

Qatar Foundation – Unlocking Human Potential

Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development (QF) is a non-profit organization that supports Qatar on its journey to becoming a diversified and sustainable economy. QF strives to serve the people of Qatar and beyond by providing specialized programs across its innovation-focused ecosystem of education, research and development, and community development.

QF was founded in 1995 by His Highness Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, the Father Amir, and Her Highness Sheikha Moza bint Nasser, who shared the vision to provide Qatar with quality education. Today, QF’s world-class education system offers lifelong learning opportunities to community members as young as six months through to doctoral level, enabling graduates to thrive in a global environment and contribute to the nation’s development.

QF is also creating a multidisciplinary innovation hub in Qatar, where homegrown researchers are working to address local and global challenges. By promoting a culture of lifelong learning and fostering social engagement through programs that embody Qatari culture, QF is committed to empowering the local community and contributing to a better world for all.

For a complete list of QF’s initiatives and projects, please visit: www.qf.org.qa 

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