MEA market entry and go-to-market strategy
Market assessment, entry sequencing, channel and partner strategy, and the commercial plan to scale across the GCC and Africa.
For: Technology companies and corporates entering or expanding in the region
MEA market intelligence. Built from the inside.
Enter, navigate and win in the Middle East and Africa.
Qlabs Intelligence is a Gulf-based strategy, commercial and impact advisory firm for technology companies, investors and corporates. Since 2020 we have helped organisations choose the right market, the right partners and the right sequence of moves across the region.
20+years of executive commercial leadership
US$240Mlargest portfolio led
20+markets covered across MEA
2020founded in the Gulf
What we do
Four practices, one regional lens.
We advise C-suite and board sponsors where market knowledge, relationships and analysis have to come together to win.
AI adoption and digital transformation
Practical AI and digital programmes for enterprises and governments, from choosing the right use cases to deployment and governance.
For: Enterprises and public-sector bodies
Commercial due diligence
Market sizing, competitive position and growth-plan testing for investors and founders operating in the region.
For: Investors, funds and founders
Impact measurement, disclosure and reporting
Impact measurement and reporting aligned with GRI, the IFC Performance Standards and the UN SDGs, ESG framework assessment, and impact theses and scorecards, proving impact without constraining returns.
For: Investors, funds, portfolio companies and public programmes
How we work
Strategy built on evidence and relationships.
In MEA, presence, patience and the right relationships are the market entry strategy.Six years of guiding companies into the Gulf
Our work rests on market assessment, competitive analysis and financial modelling, turned into prioritised strategy that leadership teams can execute.
We pair nearly two decades of experience at global multinationals with on-the-ground relationships and regional fluency. Strategy firms working from London or New York cannot replicate that combination.
We also run our own applied AI and agentic systems, which automate analysis and reporting across engagements so clients get sharper answers, faster.
Leadership
Ramzi Qannati
Founder and Managing Director
Ramzi founded Qlabs Intelligence in 2020 after nearly two decades at Schlumberger, Procter & Gamble and Dow across the Middle East, Africa and Asia. He advises investors, enterprises and governments on market strategy and on measuring and proving the impact of their capital. He is also co-founder and COO of Maternally, a perinatal mental health platform for the Gulf.
Impact has been a thread throughout his career. At Dow he was regional sustainability ambassador for the Middle East & Africa. At P&G he partnered with the Saudi Ministries of Health and Education on an oral-health campaign that reached 250,000 children, and ran an employee road-safety programme with Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA). He also served on the advisory board of Impactree in India and hosted #ChangeTheirOdds, an interview series with leaders driving social and environmental impact.
He has long been active in building the region’s entrepreneurship ecosystem. As President of the London Business School Entrepreneurship Club for MENA, he led the expansion of the school’s MENA Startup Competition into Saudi Arabia and secured partnerships with Saudi institutions and companies to support it.
He advises government, sovereign and investment institutions across the GCC. He holds an MHS from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, where he was a Fulbright Scholar, an MBA from London Business School and a BSc in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Bahrain.
Insights
Analysis from inside the market.
Our perspective on AI, healthcare, policy and investment across the Gulf, published in English and Arabic.
ANALYSIS · AI SAFETY & HEALTHCAREAI and Mental Health — The Promise, the Risk, and What Must Change
By late 2025, 1.2 million people per week were discussing suicide with ChatGPT. Not a single one of 29 AI chatbots tested provided an adequate crisis response. The technology…
PERSPECTIVE · HEALTHCARE & HUMAN TECHNOLOGYThe Gulf's Quiet Healthcare Crisis — and Why AI Is the Only Answer That Scales
The Middle East has the capital, the infrastructure ambition, and the political will. What it has lacked is the right technology, built the right way, for a market that is unlike…
PERSPECTIVE · SOVEREIGN MARKETS & ENTERPRISE STRATEGYWhy Sovereign Deals in the Gulf Are Unlike Any Enterprise Sale You've Done Before
The playbook that works in Frankfurt, Singapore or Chicago will not work in Abu Dhabi or Riyadh. Here's what changes — and what it takes to…
Let’s talk about your next market.
Tell us where you want to grow. We will tell you what it takes.