Startups in Abu Dhabi’s Hub71 ecosystem have raised more than $2.7bn since 2019, with its ClimateTech vertical part of a specialist strategy as the emirate works to diversify its economy.
Startups based at Hub71, Abu Dhabi’s government-backed technology ecosystem, have raised more than $2.7bn (AED 9.9bn) since the platform opened in 2019, according to figures published on 8 June in the hub’s 2025 Impact Report. The same companies generated $1.5bn (AED 5.4bn) in revenue over the period. The totals mark a milestone in the emirate’s drive to build a diversified, innovation-led economy.
The figures point to a startup base with steadier access to capital and customers. In 2025 alone, Hub71 startups secured $599m (AED 2.2bn) in funding and generated $175m (AED 645m) in revenue. Founder demand rose sharply. The hub received more than 5,000 applications during the year, a 62% increase on 2024, and admitted 52 new companies. Its community now numbers 390 startups, 295 of them supported through its programmes.
Climate technology is one of the hub’s named priorities. Hub71+ ClimateTech runs as a specialist vertical alongside Hub71+ AI, Hub71+ Digital Assets and Hub71+ Life Sciences, the last of which launched in 2025. The tracks concentrate mentoring, investor access and corporate introductions around specific sectors. For founders working on clean energy, emissions and resource efficiency, the vertical gives a route into Abu Dhabi’s capital and regulatory networks.
Corporate demand is growing alongside investment. Hub71 startups have signed corporate deals worth $244m (AED 897m) between 2022 and 2025, including $37m (AED 137m) last year. The ecosystem now works with more than 200 partners. Those links give early-stage companies a path to paying customers, a step that often decides whether a climate or deep-tech venture reaches commercial scale.
Ahmed Jasim Al Zaabi, chairman of Hub71 and the Abu Dhabi Department of Economic Development, said the results reflect “the sustained progress Abu Dhabi is achieving in building a more competitive, innovation-led economy”. Chief executive Ahmad Ali Alwan said the community now spans more than 390 startups and over 200 partners, and credited the calibre of its founders and the strength of its ecosystem.
Hub71 widened its international reach in 2025, building ties with investors and government partners in Hong Kong, Japan, Portugal, India, Ireland and the United States. A new Immersion Programme brought startups from Hong Kong and Japan to Abu Dhabi to test market entry and local regulation. For climate tech founders, a deeper pool of capital and corporate partners in the emirate offers a clearer path from pilot to deployment across the Middle East, Asia and Africa.
