Abu Dhabi’s premier global tech ecosystem, Hub71, has officially announced the selection of 27 high-growth startups to join its prestigious Access Programme as part of Cohort 18. This latest intake highlights Abu Dhabi’s growing prominence as a primary launchpad for international technology companies looking to expand across the Middle East, North Africa (MENA), and global markets.
The selection process for Cohort 18 was exceptionally competitive. Hub71 received a record 2,453 applications from 112 countries, resulting in a highly selective 1.1% acceptance rate.
Significantly, for the first time in the ecosystem's history, 100% of the selected startups are headquartered outside the UAE. This milestone underscores the capital's strong international appeal and the structural ease with which foreign entities can establish, license, and scale operations directly from Abu Dhabi.
Driving the UAE-India Innovation Corridor via CEPA
A key highlight of Cohort 18 is the continued reinforcement of the bilateral innovation pipeline between India and the United Arab Emirates. Backed by the UAE-India Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA), the cross-border flow of technology and capital has accelerated, allowing Indian founders to leverage Abu Dhabi's robust financial framework.
Two pioneering Indian deep-tech startups have been selected to establish their international operational bases within the Hub71 ecosystem:
Uravu Labs: A disruptive ClimateTech enterprise dedicated to scalable, renewable water solutions. The company utilizes advanced atmospheric water generator technology to create 100% renewable water from air, addressing critical global water scarcity challenges.
Endimension Technology: An AI-first healthtech and radiology platform. The startup builds advanced artificial intelligence models designed to automatically detect abnormalities in medical imaging, helping global radiologists minimize diagnostic errors and improve patient triage.
Cohort 18 by the Numbers: Capital Readiness and Market Maturity
The startups composing Cohort 18 demonstrate an exceptional level of market readiness, commercial traction, and capital maturity. Rather than early ideation-stage companies, this cohort brings substantial institutional backing and validated products into the MENA region.
Key Financial and Operational Indicators:
Total Venture Capital Raised: The 27 incoming startups have collectively secured nearly AED 844.7 million in funding prior to joining the ecosystem.
High Average Capitalization: The average funding raised per startup sits at an impressive AED 31.2 million, spanning across Pre-Seed to Series A investment stages.
Community-Driven Sourcing: Demonstrating strong ecosystem network effects, 31% of all applications were directly referred through Hub71’s existing partner and founder networks.
Ecosystem Scale: The inclusion of Cohort 18 expands Hub71’s total active startup community to 525 companies, cementing its position as one of the fastest-growing emerging innovation networks in the MENA region.
Specialized Clusters: Aligning with Abu Dhabi's Strategic Vision
Rather than applying a generalized approach, Hub71 funnels incoming startups into specialized sub-ecosystems. These clusters align perfectly with Abu Dhabi's national economic priorities across regulated digital finance, sustainability, and health infrastructure.
Hub71+ Life Sciences (7 Startups Selected)
This cluster focuses on bio-tech, healthcare operational infrastructure, and precision medicine.
Featured Startup:Amilis (UK) — Raised AED 5.9 million to develop an AI-powered clinical decision support platform. The system integrates complex patient data arrays to optimize the diagnosis, clinical mapping, and management of intricate reproductive health conditions.
Hub71+ Digital Assets (6 Startups Selected)
This specialized ecosystem supports companies pioneering Web3, tokenization, and decentralized infrastructure.
Featured Startup:Wingbits (Sweden) — Secured AED 34.5 million in funding. Wingbits operates a decentralized global network of flight tracking stations that streams high-fidelity flight data, offering unmatched real-time air traffic visibility and data commercialization.
Hub71+ ClimateTech (5 Startups Selected)
Focused on industrial decarbonization, circular economy mechanics, and clean energy deployment.
Featured Startup:Persium (UK) — Secured AED 6.2 million to fast-track the manufacturing of miniaturized air quality sensors. The hardware works alongside AI-powered digital twins to map, measure, and systematically mitigate urban air pollution.
Sector-Agnostic Access Programme Solutions
Other notable startups focused on core municipal and enterprise tech have joined the primary Access framework:
EchoTwin AI (US): Raised AED 29.4 million to transform standard municipal fleets into mobile sensing networks, creating live digital twins to help cities predict and resolve infrastructure compliance issues.
Duck (Kenya): A retail data access engine that has secured AED 1.1 million to synthesize fragmented sales and inventory workflows into a single interface, enabling brands to optimize restock cycles.
Converting International Engagement: The Hong Kong Pipeline
Abu Dhabi’s international outward missions are successfully converting global engagement into permanent regional relocations. Three prominent startups from Hong Kong—Pubrio, Craftt, and KPay—officially joined Cohort 18 following their participation in Hub71’s Hong Kong Immersion Programme.
Most notably, KPay, an advanced financial technology platform, has raised AED 238.7 million to date. The fintech enterprise is aggressively expanding its core merchant payment, financial operations, and business management software suites across the Middle East using Abu Dhabi as its primary corporate headquarters.
The Hub71 Value Proposition: Structured Capital and Incentives
To ensure seamless operational integration, the selected startups enter a comprehensive 12-month Access Programme. Hub71 provides a robust financial and operational support package designed to de-risk market entry:
Financial Incentives: Startups receive up to AED 250,000 in in-kind incentives (covering licensing, corporate setups, and office space) alongside AED 250,000 in direct cash deployed via a Simple Agreement for Future Equity (SAFE) note.
Market Integration: Direct corporate and government matchmaking to secure immediate commercial traction and pilot contracts within the UAE.
Regulatory Guidance: Tailored support to navigate regional compliance frameworks, financial free-zone regulations, and immigration requirements.
Follow-On Capital Potential: Exceptional, top-performing teams from the cohort can unlock further follow-on equity funding to accelerate cross-border scaling.
