Abu Dhabi, UAE: startAD, the Abu Dhabi-based startup accelerator powered by Tamkeen and anchored at NYU Abu Dhabi (NYUAD), and MENA-based venture capital firm VentureSouq, has hosted the Angel Rising Investor Education Symposium at COP28 under the theme, ClimateTech for Change.

Aligned with the UAE’s ambitions to achieve net-zero carbon emission by 2050, the 8th annual edition of Angel Rising was organized in partnership with The US Mission to the UAE and The Catalyst to support and invest in clean-tech startups that are creating and scaling solutions to address climate change. 

The event offered investor-focused education sessions on the ClimateTech space through two programs:

  1. Angel Rising Roundtable with UICCA: Conducted on Wednesday, December 6, 2:30-4 pm at the UAE Independent Climate Change Accelerators (UICCA) Pavilion at the COP28 Green Zone. The discussion explored how the UAE can build a climate-resilient economy and the role ClimateTech startups can play. It has featured a spotlight session on Climate Change in the GCC: the next decade with Patricia Keating, Scale-Lead, Senior Manager, PwC, and a deep dive into a local case study, ‘ From the UAE to the world: The Seafood Souq Story, with Tariq Alimohamed, CFO, Seafood Souq, followed by an intentional conversation on How can the UAE build a climate-resilient economy? The role of ClimateTech startups, with 15 curated thought leaders.
  2. Angel Rising Symposium: Conducted on Thursday, December 7, 2-5 pm, at the Climate Action Innovation Zone, Madinat Jumeirah Conference Centre, Dubai, UAE. The conference spotlighted world-class global and local experts in their fields who delved into ClimateTech for Change, highlighting the need to act fast and catalyze technology adoption through startups to serve the 2050 vision and address global warming. Programming included a keynote address by Thomas Debass, Managing Director of the Office of Global Partnership (GP) at the U.S. Department of State, spotlight sessions, panel discussions, and fireside chats, and networking.

Managing Director of startAD Ramesh Jagannathan said: “As the world discusses the biggest challenges of our time at COP28, it is more apparent than ever that the region’s financial sector must contribute to combating climate change and hold global temperatures below the 1.5C threshold. As an annual collaboration between startAD and VentureSouq, Angel Rising has once again provided a significant opportunity for stakeholders to unite, surface critical priorities, and champion urgent change through impact and conscious investment in climate action. Our program explored multiple ways that investments in ClimateTech startups can catalyze groundbreaking projects, drive technological advancements, and fuel the growth of entrepreneurial ventures committed to addressing environmental challenges. Now more than ever, we must support the process of investing in climate action to ensure that we are taking active steps to preserve the wellbeing of the planet.” Jagannathan added.

John Tate, CEO of Tamkeen, added, "This year’s Angel Rising symposium set out to catalyze new partnerships between green-tech startups and leading global investors. Tamkeen and startAD understand how critical these collaborations are as the world comes together to combat climate change here in the UAE at COP28 and beyond."

U.S. Ambassador to the United Arab Emirates Martina Strong stated, “The U.S. Mission to the United Arab Emirates is proud to partner with NYUAD startAD, Tamkeen, and VentureSouq to highlight the critical need for regional investment in “ClimateTech for Change.”  At COP28, Vice President Kamala Harris announced an additional $3 billion to the Green Climate Fund, with the goal of galvanizing financing to tackle the climate crisis. This funding will increase the resilience of populations in Least Developed Countries, protect Small Island Developing States threatened by climate change, and support the transition to low-emission, climate-resilient development around the world.  A landmark deal to help the world’s poorest and most vulnerable countries pay for the irreversible impacts of climate disaster was also agreed on the first day of COP28, with $429 million pledged already.

The UAE is a crucial partner in advancing our shared objective of combating climate change and sustainable development.  Our partners include, for example, VentureSouq – one of the region’s first female-led venture capital funds focused on climate technology.  We hope this initiative will inspire more regional investments in transformative technologies to meet our net zero ambitions and showcase the very best of the U.S.-UAE innovative leadership.”

Co-Founder and General Partner at VentureSouq Sonia Weymuller continued: We are proud of convening an incredible roster of global speakers at Angel Rising, who collectively engaged in thoughtful discussions on pivotal subjects during COP28. These topics include a stocktake of the early-stage Climate investment space, an exploration of developments in the Global South from a ClimateTech stack and capital injection perspective, an inquiry into the forefront of climate data and intelligence with AI, and an introduction to pioneering founders dedicated to driving disruptive solutions to address climate change over the next decade.

Speakers in this edition included: John Tate, CEO of Tamkeen, Thomas Debass, Managing Director of the Office of Global Partnerships (GP) at the U.S. Department of State, Suleiman Amin, CEO at  The Catalyst, Peter Hirsch, Head of Sustainability at 2150.vc, Jessica Matthews, Managing Director and Global Head of Sustainable Investing at J.P. Morgan Private Bank, Swapna Gupta, Founding Partner of Avaana Capital, Francisco Jardim, Managing Partner of SP Ventures, Robert Bartrop, CRO of SOURCE Global, Susan Graham, Co-Founder and CEO of Dendra Systems, Dick Cameron, Vice President of Science at Pachama, Sonia Weymuller, Co-Founder and General Partner of VentureSouq, Nihal Shaikh, Assistant Director of Communications and Strategic Projects at startAD, Phil Hart, Chief Researcher and Head of Renewable and Sustainable Energy Research Center at TII, Sean Dennis, Co-Founder and CEO of Seafood Souq, Rick Fox, Co-Founder and CEO of Partanna,  Aby Sam Thomas, Editor in Chief of Entrepreneur Middle East, and Patricia Bubner, Co-Founder and CEO of Orbillion.

Angel Rising is targeted towards GCC-based family office funds, venture capitalists, angel investors, institutional investors, corporate and government investors, and stakeholders who are interested in investing in impact-driven technology startups that can bring positive change in the future of climate and the economy. Over seven years, Angel Rising has convened 100 global experts, 3000 participants, and reached 11 million people worldwide. Ecosystem partners for this edition include The UAE Independent Climate Change Accelerators and the European Women’s Association.

For more information, please visit startad.ae/programs/angel-rising/.

About startAD

startAD is an Abu Dhabi-based accelerator, steering local and global startups to scale in the UAE and beyond. Powered by Tamkeen and anchored at NYU Abu Dhabi, startAD is a new model for innovation that creates customized and impact-driven programs in partnership with stakeholders, including governments, corporations, investors, and innovation entities, furthering UAE’s transition into a knowledge-based economy. startAD’s unique sprint accelerator model enables corporations to further innovation by partnering with startups disrupting their core businesses while equipping startups with the training and opportunity to pilot their solutions with industry leaders.

startAD offers unparalleled business advancement opportunities to local and global tech startups, SMEs, researchers, investors, and youth through an extensive range of programs, state-of-the-art facilities, and a strong global network. Driving innovation in construction, retail, finance, and other priority industries in the UAE, startAD alumni startups have raised USD 240 million in investment, generated USD 180 million in revenue, secured over 80 global pilot projects with corporations, and created over 360 jobs worldwide.

About Tamkeen

Tamkeen LLC is an Abu Dhabi company that partners with leading local and international institutions to deliver projects that enrich the emirate’s social, cultural and educational landscape in support of its Economic Vision 2030.

About NYU Abu Dhabi 

NYU Abu Dhabi is the first comprehensive liberal arts and research campus in the Middle East to be operated abroad by a major American research university. NYU Abu Dhabi has integrated a highly selective program with majors in the sciences, engineering, social sciences, arts, and humanities with a world center for advanced research. Its campus enables students to succeed in an increasingly interdependent world, and to advance cooperation and progress on humanity’s shared challenges. NYU Abu Dhabi’s high-achieving students have come from some 125 countries and speak over 100 languages. Together, NYU's campuses in New York, Abu Dhabi, and Shanghai form the backbone of a unique global university, giving faculty and students opportunities to experience varied learning environments and immersion in other cultures at one or more of the numerous study-abroad sites NYU maintains on six continents. 

About VentureSouq

VentureSouq (VSQ) is a MENA-based venture capital fund manager with a global portfolio. It manages thematic funds, with a current investment focus on FinTech and ClimateTech. VentureSouq is proud to have been an anchor member of MENA's entrepreneurial ecosystem and continues to invest heavily as a firm in education, content and programming.