Abu Dhabi awards 3 Emirati startups up to AED100,000 in support packages

Three Emirati startups have been awarded up to AED 100,000 in support packages as Abu Dhabi steps up efforts to strengthen homegrown entrepreneurs and transform promising ideas into sustainable businesses that contribute to the Emirate's long-term economic growth.

Seventeen Emirati startups had participated in the screening process following a three-month programme established by Khalifa Fund for Enterprise Development (KFED) and Hub71, Abu Dhabi's global tech ecosystem.

The programme titled MZN Hub71 creates an earlier entry point for aspiring Emirati entrepreneurs before they progress into later-stage programmes. Through structured venture-building support, expert mentorship and access to Hub71's global tech ecosystem, founders transform innovative ideas into minimum viable products (MVPs) while gaining the skills, networks and opportunities needed to build scalable businesses.

The MZN Hub71 Demo Day brought together investors, ecosystem partners and government stakeholders as founders presented ventures across AI, HealthTech, ClimateTech, FinTech and AgriTech before a judging panel comprising representatives from Khalifa Fund and Hub71.

Limb, an AI-powered physiotherapy platform enabling remote monitoring and personalised rehabilitation, secured first place, followed by Reach LLM, an AI platform that helps brands optimise visibility and performance across large language models, in second place and Hign Al Khaleej, a digital marketplace for buying, selling and auctioning camels across the Gulf, in third. The startups received AED100,000, AED60,000 and AED40,000, in in-kind support, respectively.

"Seeing what these Emirati founders were capable of achieving after three months is exactly why early-stage support matters. When founders have access to the right guidance, networks and opportunities from the beginning, they're better positioned to build companies that create lasting impact for Abu Dhabi and beyond," said Basma Ahmed AlBadi AlDhaheri, Head of Value Creation at Hub71.

Across the 12-week programme, the inaugural cohort participated in 21 workshops, panel discussions and pitch clinics covering every stage of the startup journey, including product development, market validation, AI strategy, go-to-market planning, fundraising and corporate engagement. Drawing on expertise from leading organisations such as Department of Health – Abu Dhabi, Vertix Holdings, Kraken, and Carzaty & Kavak, the programme equipped founders with the practical skills and insights to build, test and grow their startups.