Mubadala Partners With Microsoft, SoftBank Vision Fund, and ADGM To Launch Hub71 With An AED535 Million Tech Startup Fund The founding partners of Hub71 have committed AED535 million fund to invest in tech startups.
By Tamara Pupic
You're reading Entrepreneur Middle East, an international franchise of Entrepreneur Media.
Mubadala Investment Company, Abu Dhabi's largest wealth fund and one of the world's biggest investors, has opened its doors to tech startups. Hub71, a tech ecosystem founded by Mubadala Investment Company, Microsoft and SoftBank Vision Fund, working in close collaboration with Abu Dhabi Global Market, is aimed at accelerating the Emirate's goal of becoming the nucleus of a vibrant tech startup ecosystem.
The founding partners have committed to an AED535 million fund to invest in tech startups.
The fund will be administered by Abu Dhabi Investment Office and, starting from April 28, 2019, it will be co-investing with venture capitalists in Hub71-based tech startups through a government matching scheme, as well as in first-time fund managers to support their establishment and growth in the Emirate. Hub71 will also be offering fully subsidized housing, office space and health insurance for seed-stage tech companies, while more established tech ventures will be offered 50% subsidy packages.
"As an active investor, we have a strong track record of deploying capital and building partnerships in the tech sector all over the world," H.E. Waleed Al Mokarrab Al Muhairi, Deputy Group Chief Executive Officer and Chief Executive Officer of Alternative Investments and Infrastructure of Mubadala Investment Company, said at the launch event. "Hub71 is the perfect platform for Abu Dhabi to drive a tech transformation, bringing together our global networks, investment experience and strategic expertise so that early and growing tech companies who are ready to scale up, can do so successfully within this region."
Related: The How-To: Setting Up A Business In Abu Dhabi
Hub71 is a key initiative of the Government's Ghadan 21 economic accelerator program announced last September by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces. "Abu Dhabi has proven itself as a place where innovation can succeed and inspire," added H.E. Jassim Mohammed Buatabh Al Zaabi, Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Executive Office. "Through the Abu Dhabi Government's economic programs and plans, we're doubling down on our efforts to make Abu Dhabi a global beacon for technology and innovation."
Masayoshi Son, founder and CEO of SoftBank Group Corp., said that Abu Dhabi's Hub7 was a groundbreaking project that would see technology companies, startups, academics and investors collaborating to create something truly exciting for the tech sector across the region and beyond.
The launch event of Hub71 by Mubadala Investment Company, Microsoft, SoftBank Vision Fund, and Abu Dhabi Global Market. Source: Mubadala Investment Company
WIth this initiative, Abu Dhabi brings together three key pillars that are essential for the success of its tech ecosystem– capital providers, business enablers and strategic partners. The founding partners explain that the tech hub has been established to address the financial and regulatory roadblocks facing startups all around the world and is finalizing talks with global investor firms to deploy funding to exceptional startups.
Related: Abu Dhabi Global Market Introduces New Tech Startups License And Professional Support Program
