• Ten Indian startups will be supported through Hub71's programmes, with access to Abu Dhabi's capital, customers, regulators, and partner network.
  • The first edition drew strong demand from founders across India, several of whom have already secured places in Hub71's Access and Immersion Programmes.

Abu Dhabi, UAE – Hub71, Abu Dhabi's global tech ecosystem, has announced its support for the second edition of the UAE-India Start-Up Series, the cross-border innovation programme run by the UAE-India CEPA Council to help high-potential Indian startups scale through the UAE. Announced at the annual Hub71 Impact Event 2026, Start-Up Series 2.0 deepens a partnership designed to strengthen startup expansion between India and the Emirate of Abu Dhabi.

The new edition marks the next phase of a collaboration first announced in November 2025, which established a framework for Indian startups in a range of cutting-edge innovation fields to access Abu Dhabi's technology ecosystem through Hub71. Since then, the partnership has delivered its first outcomes across Hub71's Access and Immersion Programmes.

Start-Up Series 2.0 will identify and support Indian startups with strong potential for regional and global growth, focusing on sectors aligned with Abu Dhabi's innovation priorities, including HealthTech, FinTech, ClimateTech, Advanced Manufacturing, and other emerging technologies. Selected founders will gain opportunities to engage with Hub71, investors, corporates, regulators, and ecosystem partners as they assess Abu Dhabi as a base for expansion.

Under the Start-Up Series 2.0 partnership, participating founders will receive a defined package of support to help them establish in Abu Dhabi. Three startups will be shortlisted into Hub71's Access Programme, with one onboarded to the programme, with access to tailored mentorship, investor introductions, regulatory support and access to Hub71’s corporate and government partners alongside to AED 250,000 in in-kind incentives and AED 250,000 in cash via a SAFE note. Seven will join the Hub71 Immersion Programme, which pairs a week of virtual preparation on the Abu Dhabi and UAE ecosystem with a week of in-person, curated sessions at Hub71 focused on market entry and introductions across its partner network.

As part of the first edition, Endimension, an AI-first radiology platform, was accepted into Hub71's Access Programme as part of Cohort 18. The company, backed by notable investors including Inflection Point Ventures, SucSEED Indovation, and SINE IIT Bombay, accelerates medical imaging analysis across X-rays, CT scans, and MRIs, serving more than 800 hospitals and diagnostic centres, having analysed more than 1.5 million scans.

A further four startups – BioReform, Docket Run, Data Sutram, and SBNRI – from the inaugural UAE–India Start-Up Series have entered Hub71's Immersion Programme, taking part in tailored 1:1 needs assessments, market-entry sessions, investor and corporate engagement, regulatory briefings, ecosystem introductions, and a startup showcase at the Hub71 Impact Event.

H.E. Abdulnasser Alshaali, PhD, Ambassador of the UAE to India, said: "The UAE-India relationship is one of the most consequential bilateral partnerships of our time, rooted in deep historical ties and given new momentum by the CEPA. What matters now is translating that framework into tangible opportunity, and the UAE is firmly committed to building a genuine innovation corridor with India. The UAE-India Start-Up Series, delivered with the strong support of Hub71, is how we turn that ambition into reality: connecting Indian founders with Abu Dhabi's capital, customers, and ecosystem, and giving them a clear route to scale across borders. With more than 10,000 applications to its first edition, it is already one of the largest initiatives of its kind in India, and I am confident it will establish Abu Dhabi as the natural gateway for Indian innovators reaching global markets."

Ahmad Ali Alwan, Chief Executive Officer of Hub71, said: “Through the UAE–India CEPA Council Startup Series, Hub71 is welcoming a cohort of ambitious founders building innovative companies with strong market validation and global potential. The programme provides entrepreneurs with access to the expertise, networks, and opportunities needed to support their next stage of growth and international expansion. We look forward to working with these founders as they scale their businesses and enter new markets.” 

Start-Up Series 2.0 will build on the success of the first edition with a more rigorous selection process and deeper engagement with the emirate's investment and corporate community, with applications opening in July. For Hub71 and its partners, the goal is consistent: a durable corridor that connects India's entrepreneurial talent with the capital, customers, and infrastructure to scale globally from Abu Dhabi.

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 the UAE-India CEPA Council

The UAE-India CEPA Council (UICC) is a dedicated bilateral platform established to advance trade, investment, and innovation under the UAE-India Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement. It facilitates strategic collaborations between businesses, governments, and institutions across both countries to unlock shared economic opportunities, and serves as a convening, research, and advocacy body supporting exporters, investors, and entrepreneurs in navigating the bilateral relationship. The Open Majlis is the Council's flagship convening format.

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