Abu Dhabi has taken another decisive step toward strengthening its startup ecosystem. At its Impact Event 2025, Hub71—the city’s technology and innovation hub—introduced a set of initiatives aimed at making the path from idea to scalable business faster and less risky for founders. The most notable announcement was Initiate, a new program tailored for early-stage entrepreneurs, alongside an expansion of the Hub71+ AI network, new funding partnerships, and liquidity support for small and medium-sized enterprises.
Initiate targets founders still in the idea or prototype stage, providing hands-on guidance to help them validate concepts and build viable products before approaching investors. Operated by SC Ventures and VentureOne, the program fills a structural gap in the UAE’s startup funnel, where pre-seed support has often lagged behind available acceleration and funding programs. By embedding venture-building expertise early, Initiate aims to create startups that are investor-ready and resilient enough to survive the critical first years of development.
Hub71 also expanded its Hub71+ AI ecosystem with 15 new partners, including prominent names such as ATRC and BECO Capital. The goal is to reinforce Abu Dhabi’s broader ambition of becoming an AI-native government by 2027. The expanded network links founders with investors, corporate partners, and government bodies, helping them secure pilot projects and compute resources faster. This focus on applied AI ties into other national efforts—like TII and NVIDIA’s AI and robotics collaboration and G42’s Stargate UAE campus—to develop an advanced AI infrastructure in the Emirates.
In a significant boost for impact-driven ventures, the Abu Dhabi Early Childhood Authority (ECA) joined Hub71’s Access Programme. The partnership reserves five seats for startups tackling early-childhood challenges, backed by AED 3 million in pilot funding and additional Hub71 incentives worth up to AED 500,000. The structure provides a clear and measurable path from prototype to government-backed deployment—particularly valuable for edtech and family-service ventures.
For SMEs struggling with cash flow, Hub71’s collaboration with Numou, a subsidiary of ADGM, introduces procurement financing options that allow founders to unlock working capital tied up in purchase orders. This move aims to improve liquidity and enable small businesses to accept larger contracts without jeopardizing operations—a practical solution to one of the most common causes of startup failure.
The event also emphasized Abu Dhabi’s global connectivity. Eight Web3 startups from Hong Kong joined through Hub71’s immersion program, designed to integrate international founders into the region’s regulatory and investor landscape. This reflects Abu Dhabi’s strategy to attract cross-border innovation and position itself as a gateway for startups looking to expand into MENA markets.
Impact Event 2025 brought together roughly a thousand attendees and more than 40 speakers, including investor and entrepreneur Daymond John. The theme, “Impactful Momentum,” captured the city’s approach—less about slogans and more about removing barriers between ideas, pilots, and scalable products.
Through initiatives like Initiate, AI network expansion, and targeted funding partnerships, Abu Dhabi is positioning itself not just as a capital of capital, but as a practical launchpad for founders who want to build and scale within a supportive ecosystem that rewards execution over hype.
