{
  "id": 17255557,
  "title": "Focus and execution drive start-up success, experts note",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/30/focus-and-execution-drive-start-up-success-experts-note",
  "topic": "business",
  "section": "Business",
  "published": "2026-10-30T16:25:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Gulf Times Business",
    "slug": "gulf-times-business",
    "url": "https://www.gulf-times.com/article/737055/business/focus-and-execution-drive-start-up-success-experts-note"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "In the artificial intelligence era, focus and execution emerge as the crucial factors for startup success, according to experts at the 9th World Investment Forum in Doha. Jonathan Greechan, co-founder and Chief Innovation officer at Founder Institute, highlighted that smaller enterprises can focus on a niche market and deliver a perfect product and experience to a small audience. Smaller companies possess a speed to learning and avoid corporate bureaucracy, enabling them to cycle quickly and question their approach constantly. Professor Wen Jung Li, vice-president of Talent and International Strategy at City University of Hong Kong, stressed that higher education must train students in interdisciplinary skills, combining industry work, governance, and investor perspectives. Li emphasized the need for future leaders to possess cross-cultural understanding and empathy, alongside technical capabilities. Salal Hasan, founder and CEO of Ahya, stressed that teams in sustainability and technology should build solutions based on strong first principles, as problem-solving approaches should not rely solely on qualitative assessments. Hasan also pointed out the unique challenges faced by climate tech ventures in the Middle East due to localized compute infrastructure and regional data sets. Luca Bucken, executive director of Government Relations at 500 Global, noted that venture investors value adaptability in both founders and teams, rather than just quick learning. Hasan Haider, founder and managing partner at Plus VC, reiterated that early-stage investors still seek a team with a bias toward execution, as customer acquisition and generating early revenue are crucial benchmarks for evaluating new ventures.",
  "summary": "Speed of learning, niche market focus, and interdisciplinary human capabilities will serve as the primary differentiators for businesses in the artificial intelligence era, according to a panel of exp...",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}