• A total of AED 40 million raised for founding teams to co-build their startups and access capital and revenue deals from Hub71 partners
  • Up to $450K allocated to each startup, in addition to external funding raised

Abu Dhabi, UAE – Hub71, Abu Dhabi’s global tech ecosystem, and Modus, the Venture Platform comprising VC funds, Venture Builders, and a Corporate Innovation arm, will expand Ventures Lab – the venture building program by increasing the next intake to 28 founding teams, which is almost a 65% increase from last year. To date, Hub71 and Modus have successfully raised AED 40 million for founding teams to co-build startups and access capital through Ventures Lab.

Abu Dhabi’s global tech ecosystem and Modus launched Ventures Lab one year ago to support early-stage founders from around the world to develop successful and scalable startups from Abu Dhabi. The nine-month program enables founders to work with Modus to co-build ideas into operational companies, while testing and validating product-market fit and developing Minimum Viable Products (MVPs) that are market-ready. Startups onboarded to the program will also benefit from Hub71’s vibrant community of entrepreneurs, funds, and corporate and government partners.

Ventures Lab has attracted almost 1,700 applications from entrepreneurs seeking to build startups through the venture builder, with over 60% of those accepted into the program being Emirati Nationals or female founders. Fit on Click, a UAE-based fitness, wellness and sports solution provider, successfully closed a funding round as part of Ventures Lab, raising $1.5M in Pre-Series A funding. Other successes include Koble, a UK-based AI-powered platform that supports investors with making better investment decisions, which is finalizing a seven figure Pre-Seed funding round. Meanwhile Oscar, a sustainability-focused procurement company created and developed at Ventures Lab, is now being trialed by large stakeholders and is in talks to close significant distribution deals in the region. Mayadin, an online booking platform for sports venues across the UAE, also built their MVP and launched out of Ventures Lab and is starting to onboard some of the most prominent and in-demand venues in Abu Dhabi and Dubai. The remaining startups in the program are operating in stealth mode and will be launching soon.

The companies built are diversified across several sectors, including FinTech, HealthTech, CleanTech, SportsTech, EdTech, and Artificial Intelligence, with up to US$450,000 allocated to each startup during the program.

Peter Abou Hachem, Head of Strategy & Product at Hub71, said: “Ventures Lab is truly gaining traction in the Abu Dhabi market that is ripe with opportunity for game changing concepts and disruptive business models. Partnering with Modus is benefiting founders with the right level of support needed to co-build their MVPs, improve their product-market fit and launch their businesses, which is why we’re expanding the program to put more startups in the best position to succeed long-term.”

Kareem Elsirafy, Managing Partner at Modus, commented: “Hub71 has built an incredible and supportive tech ecosystem that has been integral to taking our venture-built companies to the next level. Ventures Lab provides a critical support system and safety net to founders with its operations heavy approach, providing substantial value to all onboarded companies and founders. We look forward to working alongside Hub71 and our founders to build even bigger, better, and game-changing startups in the year ahead.”

Hub71 has created a vibrant ecosystem of venture capital funds, and global and local tech companies. The tech ecosystem is designing value-driven programs to position founders for commercial opportunities and increased fundraising potential, allowing them to capture growth opportunities and fulfill their ambition. Since inception, Hub71 startups raised AED 3.2 billion from renowned investors globally and generated AED 2.7 billion revenues.

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About Hub71:

Hub71 is Abu Dhabi’s global tech ecosystem that enables founders to build globally enduring homegrown tech companies in any sector by providing access to global markets, a capital ecosystem, a global network of partners, and a vibrant community filled with highly skilled talent, governed by forward-thinking regulation.

Backed by the Government of Abu Dhabi and Mubadala Investment Company, Hub71 is growing its vibrant community of tech startups, investors, government, and corporate partners to ensure the availability of investment, commercial activities, and incentives from the public and private sectors. Through Hub71’s entrepreneurial infrastructure, value-add programs, enabling services and support packages, founders can build and scale widely adopted technologies with purpose and impact. Hub71 is on a mission to introduce new minds and technologies to Abu Dhabi, finding new ways to build globally enduring technology companies and sustain the nation’s continuous economic development.

For more information visit www.hub71.com and follow us on @Hub71AD #Hub71.

About Modus Capital:

Modus is a holistic Venture Platform that invests in people first and provides entrepreneurs with more than just the financial investment needed to succeed. By combining operational, institutional, and financial capital, it provides a foundation for the development of innovation ecosystems through building and supporting startups in MENA and other emerging innovation markets.

Media contacts:
Arvin Rivera, TechHubEdelman@Edelman.com
Zara Choudhary, comms@modus.vc