Hub71 is solidifying its role as a pivotal technology ecosystem in Abu Dhabi, moving beyond its initial successful mandate to launch new verticals in health and early-stage startup support.
Speaking exclusively with The Fintech Times, during the Hub71 Annual Impact Summit, Divya Claudia Nair, who leads the startup journey at Hub71, detailed how the strategic expansion is designed to create a comprehensive funding and development pathway, a pathway she is driving to support founders at every stage of their journey.
A Tailored Approach for Experienced Founders
The organisation’s core strategy has always centred on attracting best-in-class founders who are ready to scale, rather than those at the ideation stage. This is reflected in their highly selective process; a recent cohort saw over 2,400 applications, with an expected selection rate of just 1.5 to 2 per cent.
Hub71’s value proposition for these scale-up companies is not typical accelerator training but contextual support for navigating the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. Nair highlighted the distinct nature of the local business environment. “This region is about relationship building,” she explained. Instead of teaching general pitching skills to a founder who may have already built companies in three different countries, Hub71 focuses on local nuance. “I will tell him, here’s how to pitch in MENA“.
The selection process is stringent, focusing on two key elements: the founder’s commitment and the market’s readiness. Every selected founder must be willing to move and build their team in Abu Dhabi, leveraging Hub71 as a global launchpad. Furthermore, the ecosystem assesses if local partners, such as hospitals for life sciences or the appropriate tech clusters, are ready to support the innovation. This measured approach is a conscious choice to ensure genuine, long-term support.
Deepening Vertical Focus and Early-Stage Support
To achieve its goal of creating a complete ecosystem for technological innovation, Hub71 is launching several targeted verticals. While it remains sector-agnostic in its main funnel—covering mobility, logistics, travel, entertainment, and fintech—it has specific tracks for digital assets and climate tech.
In a major announcement, the organisation is launching Hub71+ Life Sciences, a new health vertical that will focus on biotechnology, digital health, and medicine. This launch was deliberately delayed until the necessary infrastructure and commitment from partners, such as wet labs and key healthcare entities, were in place. The move aligns with the Abu Dhabi Economic Development’s broader ‘Helm’ initiative for health, endurance, longevity, and medicine.
Recognising a gap in the market for founders not yet at the pre-seed stage, Hub71 is also planning a new programme called Initiate. This will address earlier-stage founders with an idea, focusing on helping them build an MVP and test their business plan. This contrasts with the main program which has historically focused on pre-seed to Series A companies.
FinTech and Regulatory Clarity as a Magnet
For fintech and digital assets, Abu Dhabi’s reputation for regulatory clarity and collaboration acts as a powerful draw. Founders can gain direct access to regulators like the Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM), which is a key advantage over more saturated markets.
The ability for founders to receive rapid and clear feedback on their product’s regulatory standing—whether it will be regulated or never touched—allows them to “take my product and actually build on it, or pivot do something else, or leave the market quick answers here,” Nair explained. This transparency, coupled with the commitment to build from Abu Dhabi, has generated a powerful flywheel effect.
Good founders refer other good founders, which in turn attracts top-tier venture capital. VCs who initially questioned the market are now visiting to set up within the ADGM and actively seek out Hub71’s top fintech startups.
The Hub71 team sees its role as building an ecosystem, rather than merely running an accelerator. The focus is on meaningful, sustainable growth, a philosophy reflected in the broader development of Abu Dhabi. This has led to successful, measured experiments like the eight-week immersion programme, which brought scale-ups from places like Hong Kong and Japan who were already keen to enter the market.
Ultimately, the drive is to surprise the market with innovative solutions by sourcing for both what the market needs and the next wave of unexpected technology. “We need to source for what the market wants and what the market needs, and how we can actually benefit… but then the rest is, Let’s surprise them,” Nair concluded.
