University of Doha for Science and Technology has signed a technology support contract with Be My Sense, a startup founded by its students, in a move that underlines Qatar’s push to turn campus innovation into commercial and social-impact ventures. The agreement links the university more closely with a company built around artificial intelligence, smart wearables and digital assistance for deaf and hard-of-hearing users.
The startup was developed by students Mohamed Ali and Ahmed El Abed under the mentorship of Dr Wagdi Alrawagfeh, Assistant Dean for IT Student Affairs at UDST’s College of Computing and Information Technology. University officials said the contract sets out a framework to support the company’s continued development, scalability and market readiness, extending the role of the university beyond teaching and into venture-building.
Be My Sense emerged through UHUB, the university’s incubator, which says it provides mentoring, training, networking, funding access and workspace for startups. That matters because higher education institutions across the Gulf are facing growing pressure to show that entrepreneurship programmes can produce businesses with commercial potential rather than one-off student projects. In that context, the UDST agreement is as much a signal about the university’s innovation model as it is about one startup’s progress.
The company says its product uses AI and the Internet of Things to provide real-time sign-to-voice and voice-to-sign language translation. Its stated aim is to reduce communication barriers in everyday settings, including education, workplaces and public services. That positions the venture in a fast-growing segment of assistive technology where startups are trying to combine machine learning with more practical accessibility tools for live communication.
UDST President Dr Salem Al-Naemi described the contract as part of the university’s commitment to support student entrepreneurship and applied learning. Mohamed Ali, the startup’s co-founder and chief technology officer, said the agreement marked a major milestone for a business that began as a university project and moved towards real-world deployment with institutional backing. Those remarks reflect a familiar challenge in startup ecosystems: converting awards and prototypes into durable, market-ready products.
Be My Sense arrives with a measure of external validation. UDST said the project secured second place in the Innovation Track at the Huawei ICT Competition 2024–2025 Global Final in Shenzhen, where the university team represented Qatar against more than 40 teams worldwide. Huawei’s own competition results page lists University of Doha for Science and Technology Qatar - BeMySense among the second-prize winners, reinforcing the chronology and the standing of the project on the international circuit.
That competition pedigree gives the startup visibility, but it does not by itself guarantee commercial success. Assistive technology ventures often face a harder road than mainstream software firms because they must prove technical reliability, user trust, affordability and institutional adoption at the same time. Sign-language and hearing-access tools also operate in a complex space shaped by linguistic nuance, regional variation and the need for strong community acceptance. Other companies in the broader sector have found that scaling from prototype to dependable service requires sustained testing and deep user involvement.
Still, the timing favours ventures tied to accessibility and inclusion. Qatar has been putting greater emphasis on inclusive technology through institutions such as Mada, while universities and public bodies have been expanding partnerships around innovation, skills and applied research. UDST itself has used UHUB and events such as Web Summit-linked activities to present student-founded startups to investors and industry networks, suggesting that Be My Sense is being developed within a broader ecosystem rather than in isolation.
The startup was developed by students Mohamed Ali and Ahmed El Abed under the mentorship of Dr Wagdi Alrawagfeh, Assistant Dean for IT Student Affairs at UDST’s College of Computing and Information Technology. University officials said the contract sets out a framework to support the company’s continued development, scalability and market readiness, extending the role of the university beyond teaching and into venture-building.
Be My Sense emerged through UHUB, the university’s incubator, which says it provides mentoring, training, networking, funding access and workspace for startups. That matters because higher education institutions across the Gulf are facing growing pressure to show that entrepreneurship programmes can produce businesses with commercial potential rather than one-off student projects. In that context, the UDST agreement is as much a signal about the university’s innovation model as it is about one startup’s progress.
The company says its product uses AI and the Internet of Things to provide real-time sign-to-voice and voice-to-sign language translation. Its stated aim is to reduce communication barriers in everyday settings, including education, workplaces and public services. That positions the venture in a fast-growing segment of assistive technology where startups are trying to combine machine learning with more practical accessibility tools for live communication.
UDST President Dr Salem Al-Naemi described the contract as part of the university’s commitment to support student entrepreneurship and applied learning. Mohamed Ali, the startup’s co-founder and chief technology officer, said the agreement marked a major milestone for a business that began as a university project and moved towards real-world deployment with institutional backing. Those remarks reflect a familiar challenge in startup ecosystems: converting awards and prototypes into durable, market-ready products.
Be My Sense arrives with a measure of external validation. UDST said the project secured second place in the Innovation Track at the Huawei ICT Competition 2024–2025 Global Final in Shenzhen, where the university team represented Qatar against more than 40 teams worldwide. Huawei’s own competition results page lists University of Doha for Science and Technology Qatar - BeMySense among the second-prize winners, reinforcing the chronology and the standing of the project on the international circuit.
That competition pedigree gives the startup visibility, but it does not by itself guarantee commercial success. Assistive technology ventures often face a harder road than mainstream software firms because they must prove technical reliability, user trust, affordability and institutional adoption at the same time. Sign-language and hearing-access tools also operate in a complex space shaped by linguistic nuance, regional variation and the need for strong community acceptance. Other companies in the broader sector have found that scaling from prototype to dependable service requires sustained testing and deep user involvement.
Still, the timing favours ventures tied to accessibility and inclusion. Qatar has been putting greater emphasis on inclusive technology through institutions such as Mada, while universities and public bodies have been expanding partnerships around innovation, skills and applied research. UDST itself has used UHUB and events such as Web Summit-linked activities to present student-founded startups to investors and industry networks, suggesting that Be My Sense is being developed within a broader ecosystem rather than in isolation.
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