Ahmad Ali Alwan, CEO of Hub71, underscored long-term thinking, resilience, and innovation as the cornerstones of sustainable economic growth in Abu Dhabi, speaking at the Hub71 Impact event on June 9, 2026. His remarks highlighted how patient, generational investment and strategic vision have transformed the emirate’s economy and now drive its continued expansion through technology and entrepreneurship.
Alwan praised Abu Dhabi’s leadership for building an economy capable of attracting global talent, mobilizing capital, and creating an environment where innovation flourishes. He emphasized a principle that has shaped the emirate’s development for decades: the willingness to invest and build ahead of demand, with confidence in future opportunities. “In many ways, the same principle sits at the heart of every founder’s journey,” he said.
The Hub71 CEO noted that the UAE’s development story has been founded on long-term vision and strategic investment. “The people who built this nation thought in generations rather than seasons. They were patient when patience was the harder choice, and they invested in foundations that would outlast them,” Alwan stated. This approach has transformed Abu Dhabi into an emirate built with the future in mind, from the generation that converted desert into nation, to institutions that converted natural wealth into long-term prosperity, to founders transforming ideas into companies.
Hub71’s Momentum and Ecosystem Growth
Hub71’s performance reflects the broader appeal of Abu Dhabi’s innovation strategy. Startups within the ecosystem have collectively raised more than $2.7 billion in funding and generated $1.5 billion in revenue by the end of 2025, according to Hub71’s latest Impact Report. In 2025 alone, Hub71 startups secured $599 million in funding and generated $175 million in revenue, continuing an accelerating growth trajectory since the ecosystem’s launch in 2019.
The ecosystem is attracting unprecedented global interest. Hub71 received more than 5,000 startup applications in 2025, a 62% year-on-year increase, and admitted 52 startups into the ecosystem. This surge reflects Abu Dhabi’s rising status as a regional launchpad for technology ventures seeking to expand across the Middle East, Africa, and Asia. Between 2022 and 2025, Hub71 startups secured corporate contracts worth $244 million, including $37 million signed during 2025.
Economic Diversification and Long-Term Strategy
Alwan’s emphasis on long-term thinking aligns with Abu Dhabi’s broader economic diversification strategy, which seeks to reduce dependence on hydrocarbons by cultivating high-growth sectors built around technology, entrepreneurship, and knowledge-intensive industries. Rather than focusing solely on startup formation, policymakers have increasingly concentrated on creating conditions that help companies access investors, corporate customers, regulatory support, and international markets.
Hub71 has deepened its sector-specific approach through the launch of Hub71+ Life Sciences, joining existing platforms focused on artificial intelligence, climate technology, and digital assets. This shift reflects Abu Dhabi’s long-term ambition to build globally competitive clusters in strategically important industries. The organization also introduced an Immersion Program designed to help startups navigate market-entry requirements, regulatory frameworks, and commercial opportunities in Abu Dhabi, and expanded engagement with investors and stakeholders across markets including Japan, India, Ireland, Portugal, the United States, and Hong Kong during 2025.
Alwan described resilience as the ability to continue creating value despite challenges, built on strong foundations, long-term commitment, and shared belief in the future. He concluded that the Hub71 Impact event brought together founders, scale-ups, corporates, investors, and students united by a common goal of building businesses, creating opportunities, and solving real-world problems—a vision that encapsulates Abu Dhabi’s broader economic ambitions.
Sources
- TradingView/Zawya (Reuters) — Ahmad Ali Alwan’s remarks on long-term thinking, resilience, and innovation at Hub71 Impact event, June 9, 2026.
- MIT Sloan Management Review Middle East — Hub71 funding figures, startup applications data, corporate contracts, and ecosystem expansion strategy.
- Hub71 Impact Report 2025 — Startup funding totals, revenue generation, and application growth metrics.
