From Hyderabad to Abu Dhabi: How Hub71 Is fuelling a new era of cross-border innovation - The Economic Times
Published 8 hours ago• 6 minute read
From Hyderabad to Abu Dhabi: How Hub71 Is fuelling a new era of cross-border innovation
By , ET Online
’s Hub71, located on Al Maryah Island, I was immediately surrounded by a palpable sense of innovation and activity. The air crackled with the energy of ideas in motion. Sunlight streamed through the tall glass walls, illuminating the polished floors where startup founders worked intensely on their laptops and prototypes. A faint scent of coffee hung in the air, alongside the consistent sounds of typing and video conferencing. Wall-mounted screens streamed live data from AI and climate-tech ventures, while mentors and investors moved between groups, offering feedback. Global innovators were everywhere, intensely discussing solutions to critical global issues.Launched in 2019, Abu Dhabi's Hub71, a global tech ecosystem in the Abu Dhabi Global Market, has quickly become a leading tech hub in the Middle East. Established under the UAE’s 50 billion AED Ghadan 21 economic diversification program, it fosters innovation, entrepreneurship, and global collaboration. Hub71, supported by Abu Dhabi's Mubadala Investment Company, aims to make Abu Dhabi a leading center for tech innovation and entrepreneurship. “At Hub71, we are building more than just startups. We are building a launchpad that brings together global companies and forward-thinking investors to turn bold ideas into global ventures, all from the heart of Abu Dhabi,” explains Ahmad Alwan, Deputy CEO, Hub71. The hub centers its knowledge on supporting startups and scale-ups with a complete set of aid. Its Company Building Program stands out for offering financial and practical support, such as equity-free incentives, investor/mentor/corporate partner access, plus subsidized housing and office space. Alwan, a Hub71 founding member since 2019, notes its holistic strategy empowers startups of all levels to amplify their worldwide reach.
Hub71's key advantage is connecting startups to substantial funding sources. Over 30 venture capital firms, family offices, and commercial partners are part of its ecosystem, offering founders unparalleled opportunities to secure funding. It also attracts top talent from around the world, with its community comprising more than 450 founders from 60 nationalities as of 2025. This diversity fuels creativity and cross-pollination of ideas, enhancing Abu Dhabi’s position as a global innovation hub.
Since its inception, Hub71-backed startups have collectively generated AED 4.3 billion in revenue and attracted AED 7.2 billion in funding, underscoring its role in fuelling innovation-driven growth.
The majority of Hub71's startups are seed-stage companies (80%), while 15% are Series A and 5% are Series B or later, showcasing a robust early-stage innovation pipeline, says Ahmad Alwan, Deputy CEO, Hub71.
The majority of Hub71's startups are seed-stage companies (80%), while 15% are Series A and 5% are Series B or later, showcasing a robust early-stage innovation pipeline. Alwan mentions that hub’s support for startups is multifaceted. Incentives include AED 250,000 in-kind, AED 250,000 cash (SAFE note), and a further AED 250,000 for high-achieving startups completing the year-long program. Startups in the Bright program may get up to AED 750,000 more in investment. These offerings include access to over 40 service providers in legal, audit, marketing, and operations.
Hub71's extensive support network includes 23 government, 30 market, 51 capital, 10 talent, 11 cross-border partners, and 48 family offices, fostering a comprehensive ecosystem for collaboration and growth. It rigorously selects high-potential startups. For Cohort 15 announced in September last year, Hub71 received 1,228 applications, narrowed down through several rounds of evaluations to just 48 finalists who were selected to join the program.
Hub 71 states its sectoral breadth allows Hub71 to address some of the world’s most pressing challenges, from climate change to financial inclusion. The sectoral synergies it offers spans fintech, healthtech, climate tech, edtech, AI, robotics, big data analytics, and mobility. Beyond these, the ecosystem is also active in health and life sciences, cyber security, IT, e-commerce, travel and tourism, agritech, foodtech, gaming, telecommunications, legaltech, aviation and space, insurtech,Blockchain, and venture labs.
In fintech, Hub71 has become a destination for startups driving innovation in digital payments, lending, and financial inclusion. In the healthtech space, it supports companies focused on telemedicine platforms, digital health records, and AI-powered diagnostics. Climatetech is another key area, with Hub71 backing solutions that address sustainability and climate change in line with global priorities. The hub's commitment to AI and digital transformation is underscored by the launch of the region’s first AI Center of Excellence (AI CoE), developed in partnership with e& enterprise (formerly known as Etisalat Group).
Lately, Hub71 has become a focal point for deepening Indo-UAE ties in the technology and startup sectors. According to HUb71, the aggregate valuation of Hub71 startups, including Indian ventures, stands at AED 5.87 billion. These figures highlight the tangible economic benefits of Indo-UAE collaboration within the Hub71 ecosystem.
The tech hub's sectoral alignment with Indian startups creates opportunities for knowledge exchange, joint ventures, and co-development of solutions tailored to both markets.
Hub71, in 2023, partnered with T-Hub, one of India’s largest startup incubators and a leading tech hub in Hyderabad. The organisation says its T-Hub partnership has significantly increased interest from Indian startups, with around 30% of applications to its programs now coming from India. Moreover, the collaboration helped foster stronger ties between the two startup ecosystems. A good example of successful collaborations is Stride Ventures, an Indian venture debt fund that has joined Hub71 as a capital partner. Stride actively engages with Hub71 to source deal flow from the region, while also playing a role in startup selection. Recently, it invested $1M in Maalexi, a Hub71 startup. Similarly, Cars24, a used car marketplace, was the first Indian company to join Hub71. It has since become the largest used car platform in the UAE, boasting a valuation of $1.84 billion and annual revenues exceeding $600 million. Ultrahuman, a Bengaluru-based longevity and health platform, is also leveraging Hub71’s global network of investors, corporate partners, and mentors to expand beyond India. The company says Hub71’s programs are helping it access capital, navigate regulations, enabling it to scale its healthtech solutions internationally. Three more Indian startups are now operating from Hub71. Arcab is a mobility service transforming work commutes through shared vans, collaborating with over 40 operators and managing a fleet of more than 3,000 buses. Hafla claims to be the world’s first AI-based event ideation and sourcing platform, offering comprehensive solutions for venues, equipment, and services. And, Funder AI is a digital financing platform serving SMEs and salaried professionals, providing innovative funding solutions.
Abu Dhabi’s strategic advantages further sweeten the deal: ranked the world’s second most stable economy by the U.S. News & World Report (2024) and named the fastest-growing emerging startup ecosystem in MENA by the Global Startup Ecosystem Report (2024), the emirate offers 0% income tax, 100% foreign ownership, on‑ and offshore licenses, and a 10‑year Golden Visa. “It’s also one of the safest cities in the world, with 80% of the global population just an eight‑hour flight away,” Alwan highlights. “These factors make Hub71 a formidable choice for founders.”
The author recently visited Abu Dhabi at the invitation of the Abu Dhabi Media Office.
