Abu Dhabi Youth Council and Hub71 Partner to Propel Young Startups Globally

Abu Dhabi’s push to become a global base for youth-led startups gained fresh momentum this December, with the Abu Dhabi Youth Business Council sealing a new cooperation agreement with Hub71 during Abu Dhabi Finance Week. I’ve always noticed how these big events tend to spark unexpected alliances, and this one feels spot on for the city’s wider ambition to keep young founders at the heart of its innovation story.

The agreement was formalised by Mansoor Abduljabbar Al Sayegh, who chairs the Council, and Hub71’s CEO Ahmad Ali Alwan, in the presence of several senior figures from the Council and the Abu Dhabi Chamber. What struck me, reading through the details, is how both sides seem determined not just to announce another partnership on paper, but to actually expand the pipeline for young innovators trying to get their foot in the door. Anyone who has ever tried to build something from scratch knows that early-stage support can be a bit of a faff, especially if you’re navigating new ecosystems.

This collaboration sits neatly alongside the Council’s other initiatives this year, including the Young Founders Forum, which gathers ambitious entrepreneurs across major global cities. It’s designed to open their eyes to Abu Dhabi’s tech sectors and its surprisingly accommodating business environment. And believe it or not, when I first started covering startup programmes for Arageek, I genuinely didn’t realise how much these cross-border forums could shift a young founder’s trajectory until I sat in on one a few years back. You could almost feel the gears turning in the room.

Under the new agreement, ADYBC and Hub71 will work together to guide youth-led ventures into Abu Dhabi’s tech community, giving them access to mentorship, specialised programmes and knowledge-sharing platforms. The aim is to help young founders move from raw ideas to viable startups with commercial potential. I reckon this bridging work is where many ecosystems either shine or stumble.

Al Sayegh said the agreement represents “another important step” in building opportunities for young entrepreneurs, highlighting the timing during Abu Dhabi Finance Week as a reminder of how central youth are to the emirate’s economic goals. He emphasised that connecting them to Hub71 gives rising founders the visibility and guidance they need to scale from Abu Dhabi to global markets.

Echoing that sentiment, Alwan explained that Hub71 is focused on helping founders build “enduring companies” from the capital. The cooperation, he said, gives emerging entrepreneurs a guided route to mentorship and partner networks—essentially the practical scaffolding behind the city’s big innovation ambitions.

The framework laid out by both organisations is intended to raise the profile of youth-driven startups and help more of them take part in major economic platforms across the emirate. On the flip side, it also supports ADYBC’s mission to keep positioning Abu Dhabi as a go-to destination for launching and scaling new ventures.

Hub71 itself continues to operate as a major anchor for the city’s tech ecosystem, backed by the Government of Abu Dhabi and Mubadala. With its mix of global partners, regulatory support and investor networks, the ecosystem has become a familiar stop for founders looking to build technology with real-world impact—though keeping that momentum going is always a challange.

All in all, this partnership feels like a natural extension of the growing entrepreneurial energy in the city. And for young founders watching from across the region, it’s one more sign that Abu Dhabi is serious about opening doors, not just talking about them.

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