Doha, Qatar: HERO, a startup project pioneered by two students and one alumnus from Weill Cornell Medicine-Qatar (WCM-Q), advanced to the 2026 EF Hult Prize Global Accelerator, becoming the second team from Qatar to reach this stage of the global competition since 2021.
HERO is one of 21 startups that were selected to participate in the 2026 EF Hult Prize Global Accelerator, a four-week, in-person programme held in the UK, which brought together promising student ventures from around the world.
The HERO project team comprises final-year WMC-Q medical students Mlaak Rob and Mahmoud Yousef, plus WCM-Q Class of 2026 alumnus Dr. Yousef Al Najjar.
As part of the Global Accelerator, the HERO team received intensive mentorship, participated in workshops, connected with industry experts, and learned how to prepare for investor engagement. Rob said: “The Global Accelerator has been one of the most valuable parts of our journey as a company and as entrepreneurs so far. Being surrounded by such passionate ambitious teams from around the world, learning from experienced mentors, and constantly challenging each other has pushed us to think bigger. More than anything, it has shown us how much stronger an idea becomes when you are surrounded by the right people.”
On August 27, HERO pitched at Google Demo Day in front of a global panel of investors and experts. This allowed the team to showcase its solution, receive valuable feedback, and connect with potential investors and partners from around the world.
Director of innovations in global precision health at WCM-Q, Dr. Max Renault, said: “We are immensely proud of the success of HERO and of the spirit of innovation and entrepreneurship embodied by our students, Mlaak and Mahmoud, and our alumnus Dr. Al Najjar. To reach the final 21 from an initial pool of 18,000 entrants is a truly remarkable feat and I am very pleased that they found participating in the Global Accelerator so rewarding. We wish them the very best of success as they continue to develop their excellent project.”
Middle East and North Africa Regional Manager, EF Hult Prize, Yana Dabaghie, said: “HERO’s advancement to the Global Accelerator is an important milestone for the team and for student entrepreneurship in Qatar. As the second team from Qatar to reach this stage of the EF Hult Prize since 2021, HERO is demonstrating the ambition, creativity, and global potential of student founders in the country. We are incredibly proud of the team and grateful for our partnership with the Al Fikra Competition, which helped create a strong national platform for students to participate, compete, and progress through the EF Hult Prize journey.”
Al Fikra manager Juha Peralampi said: “We are extremely proud to see HERO progress from Al Fikra in Qatar to the EF Hult Prize Global Accelerator. Their journey demonstrates exactly what we hoped to achieve through this collaboration: to provide talented student entrepreneurs in Qatar with a strong national platform, while also creating a pathway for the very best teams to compete and succeed internationally.”
