In an age where attention is fleeting and ambition is often measured in numbers, some leaders choose a quieter, more enduring path. Their work is less about domination and more about direction, shaping conversations, strengthening confidence, and creating platforms that people instinctively trust. Such leadership does not announce itself loudly; it earns its place through consistency, relevance, and an unwavering sense of responsibility to the communities it serves.
At the heart of this approach lies a belief that progress is not achieved by chasing growth alone, but by asking harder questions about purpose, credibility, and impact. The most compelling ventures today are not those that scale the fastest, but those that understand their audience deeply, respect cultural context, and evolve without losing their core values. It is within this delicate balance of innovation and integrity that enduring influence is built.
This philosophy finds clear expression in the work of Khalifa Al Haroon, Founder & Chief Executive Officer of I Love Qatar and Store974, and the entrepreneur behind ventures such as Raqami, PayLater, and Pets Inc. His leadership reflects a rare blend of cultural awareness and entrepreneurial discipline, in which platforms are designed not just to perform commercially but also to serve as trusted reference points and meaningful experiences. Whether shaping digital narratives, building fintech solutions, or redefining retail and content ecosystems, his work consistently prioritises authenticity over noise and long-term relevance over short-lived visibility.
What sets his journey apart is the intentional way creativity, accountability, and national responsibility intersect. Each initiative carries an underlying commitment to credibility, community connection, and the belief that regions must tell their own stories accurately, confidently, and on their own terms. Recognition has followed, but never driven, this approach.
As this profile unfolds, it reveals how purpose-led thinking, when paired with disciplined execution, can quietly reshape industries and redefine influence in the process.
Discover the leadership philosophy and vision that have made purpose a powerful advantage.
A Vision Rooted in Purpose, Not Scale
For Khalifa Al Haroon, entrepreneurship has never been about chasing scale for its own sake. His guiding lens has always been deeply personal and national in spirit. As the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of I Love Qatar and Store974, his investment philosophy begins with a simple yet powerful question: “Does this make my country a better place?”
When ILQ Media was conceived, the ambition was not to become the largest digital platform in the region, but the most credible one. At a time when speed often outweighs accuracy in digital publishing, Khalifa instilled a different mindset within his team. “In an era where people race to be first, it is more important to be right,” he emphasised. That insistence on integrity has positioned ILQ as a verification point where audiences turn to confirm what they encounter elsewhere online.
With Store974, the intention was equally disruptive, though in an entirely different space. Khalifa challenged the assumption that retail is purely transactional. In a world where nearly everything can be purchased online, he believed physical retail needed to justify its existence through experience. Store974 was therefore built as a sanctuary for gamers curated by enthusiasts, for enthusiasts. The brand does not merely sell products; it delivers assurance. Customers walk away confident that they have the best setup possible, not just another purchase.
Leadership Built on Trust, Values, and Ownership
Leading across technology, fintech, and media requires adaptability, but Khalifa’s leadership philosophy remains consistent. He prioritises values over credentials, choosing to hire for hunger, talent, and what he describes as “intrapreneurship” individuals who operate with the ownership mindset of founders rather than employees.
Academic degrees and polished CVs take a backseat to attitude and intent. His management approach is rooted in trust rather than control. Khalifa avoids micro-management, preferring instead to set a clear vision, provide the necessary tools, and step aside so teams can execute independently. This high-trust model has enabled agility across his ventures while fostering a culture of accountability and pride.
Innovation Through Speed, Experimentation, and Accountability
In fast-moving sectors such as online media and gaming retail, Khalifa believes that speed is the most valuable currency. His organisations operate in what he calls a “forever startup mode,” deliberately resisting the comfort that often follows success. Complacency, in his view, is the silent enemy of innovation.
Team members are encouraged to bring forward unconventional ideas, with one consistent response from leadership: “Test it.” Failure is not penalised but treated as data. Experiments that succeed elevate morale; those that fail still contribute insight. Productivity, rather than presence, defines performance. Hours spent in the office are irrelevant if outcomes are strong. Flexibility is encouraged, provided responsibility is honoured.
Scaling Amid Hyper-Growth and Structural Complexity
Building ventures such as RaqamiTV and PayLater introduced a new set of operational challenges. For PayLater, hyper-growth became both validation and pressure. Launched in March 2025 with an initial goal of 10,000 downloads, the platform experienced such strong market adoption that targets were rapidly revised to half a million users within a year.
As Qatar’s first Buy-Now-Pay-Later solution, PayLater was not just a startup; it was a category creator. The team found itself navigating regulatory conversations alongside product development, helping define the framework for an entirely new sector.
RaqamiTV presented a different challenge altogether. Establishing one of the world’s largest Arabic-language technology channels from Qatar required overcoming logistical barriers, particularly in securing early access to devices at the same pace as reviewers in the United States or Europe. Today, RaqamiTV’s production quality rivals major television networks, reinforcing Khalifa’s belief that geography should never dictate global relevance.
Community as Strategy, Not an Afterthought
Balancing the roles of CEO, content creator, and cultural advocate has become one of Khalifa’s defining strengths. He often refers to content creation as his “unfair advantage” in business. While many companies invest heavily in market research, Khalifa engages directly with his audience, treating his community as a living focus group.
Years of trust mean that new ventures launch with an engaged, receptive audience already in place. This creates a self-reinforcing loop: the community voices its needs, solutions are built, and support follows organically. Recognising his own creative strengths, Khalifa complements them by hiring operational experts to manage execution, allowing him to remain focused on vision, storytelling, and cultural relevance.
Bridging Cultures to Build Sustainable Platforms
Engaging both local and expatriate communities is not optional; it is foundational to the revenue and relevance of Khalifa’s digital platforms. He views content as a symbiotic exchange: platforms deliver value, audiences engage, revenue is generated, and that revenue is reinvested back into community initiatives.
As a Qatari, Khalifa sees himself as a cultural bridge. Through authentic storytelling that speaks directly to expatriates, his platforms work to dismantle misconceptions and foster belonging. When people feel welcome, they engage. When they engage, the business grows.
He remains deeply committed to digital sovereignty, firmly believing that if a region does not tell its own story, others will tell it inaccurately. ILQ and RaqamiTV exist to ensure the Arab world is recognised not only as a consumer of culture and technology, but as a producer of it.
Recognition as a Result, Not the Goal
Awards have never been the motivation behind Khalifa’s work. He views recognition as a byproduct of doing things the right way. Still, certain milestones hold personal significance. Being named Content Creator of the Year 2025 by Qatar Tourism marked a meaningful moment of validation.
Equally impactful is RaqamiTV’s global recognition, now being the first channel invited by every major technology brand worldwide, placing Qatar firmly on the global tech media map. Beyond commercial success, Khalifa finds his greatest pride in humanitarian roles, including his work as a United Nations Ambassador and his involvement with the Animal Welfare Society, commitments driven by responsibility rather than business metrics.
Discipline, Delegation, and Focused Time Management
Khalifa’s approach to time is uncompromising. “If it’s not in my calendar, it doesn’t exist,” he often states. Rather than planning months, he focuses intensely on the next 48 hours, prioritising with precision.
However, he attributes real efficiency not to systems, but to people. By surrounding himself with teams he trusts implicitly, he avoids carrying the cognitive burden of every decision. This allows space for strategic thinking and opportunity spotting. Despite delegation, he maintains a personal standard of respect, reading every document sent his way and acknowledging the effort behind it.
Scaling Ambitions Across Sectors and Borders
Looking ahead, Khalifa’s ambitions are focused and deliberate. For ‘I Love Qatar’, the priority remains maintaining its position as Qatar’s most trusted digital resource, with no immediate plans for geographic expansion.
Store974, having captured approximately 80% of the local market, is now expanding across the GCC, with Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE identified as key growth markets. PayLater’s objective is ubiquity, being present at every checkout point nationwide.
Retail innovation continues with Pets Inc., demonstrating that Store974’s experiential retail model translates across categories. Multiple branches are planned across the country, with Khalifa often adding humorously that while it is a pet store, “humans are welcome too.”
Beyond operational growth, he is currently establishing a venture fund to support Qatar’s next generation of entrepreneurs. His goal is to address what he sees as the region’s real gap, not talent, but access to smart capital and mentorship. By building this infrastructure locally, he aims to prevent the outflow of ideas and enable the next unicorn to emerge from Doha.
Advice Grounded in Experience, Failure, and Resilience
Khalifa’s guidance to aspiring entrepreneurs is practical and candid. Consistency and honesty, he believes, matter more than visibility. He advises founders to choose one primary platform, master it fully, and resist the urge to do everything at once.
Once stability and income are achieved, he encourages thoughtful reinvestment, especially into projects that hold personal meaning. His own journey reflects this philosophy. What began as a hobby blog eventually became ‘I Love Qatar’, simply because circumstances redirected his focus when other plans fell through.
The COVID period served as both a lesson and a turning point. While ILQ Media remained stable and Store974 experienced rapid growth due to increased demand for gaming and work-from-home technology, The Social Studio, once thriving with large-scale events, collapsed entirely when gatherings stopped. Sharing that failure openly, Khalifa highlights the unpredictability of entrepreneurship.
He ultimately measures success not by revenue, but by impact. If his journey inspires even one young Qatari to take a risk, launch a startup, or turn passion into a profession, he considers his work meaningful. For him, true entrepreneurship is not about standing alone at the top, but about widening the path for those who follow.
