Hub71 Opens Gateway for Smart Mobility Startups into Abu Dhabi’s SAVI Ecosystem

Editorial Team

Last updated 19-11-2025

3 min

Hub71 has opened up direct access for startups to Abu Dhabi’s Smart and Autonomous Vehicle Industries (SAVI).

SAVI aims to generate AED 44 billion in economic value and create over 40,000 skilled jobs.

Startups in Hub71’s Access programme will connect with SAVI’s ecosystem and its industry partners.

ADIO and Hub71 are collaborating to foster early-stage growth and innovation in mobility technology.

The initiative aligns with Abu Dhabi’s Falcon Economy strategy and broader sector-focused approach.

Hub71 has opened a fresh doorway for startups working in smart and autonomous mobility, giving them a direct route into Abu Dhabi’s growing Smart and Autonomous Vehicle Industries cluster, better known these days as SAVI. The announcement came during DRIFTx, which is fast becoming one of those events where half the region’s mobility innovators seem to bump into each other. I remember covering DRIFTx last year for Arageek and thinking the energy around autonomous systems felt spot on – a bit chaotic, sure, but in an exciting, “something’s happening here” sort of way.

SAVI, led by the Abu Dhabi Investment Office, has big ambitions. The cluster is designed to bring together technologies across air, land, sea and even robotics, with projections of AED 44 billion in economic value and more than 40,000 skilled jobs down the line. I reckon those numbers show the emirate isn’t just dipping its toes into the future of transport – it’s diving in headfirst.

With this new pathway, startups entering Hub71’s Access programme will be plugged directly into SAVI’s ecosystem. That means access to industry partners, Abu Dhabi’s regulatory sandbox for testing autonomous and smart mobility solutions, and links to players ranging from manufacturers to infrastructure developers and public bodies. On the flip side, the founders get the usual Hub71 package too: mentorship, investor connections and help navigating the local market. It’s the kind of wraparound support that, from what I’ve seen, can save early-stage teams a lot of faff when they’re trying to refine a product and prove it works in the real world.

His Excellency Badr Al-Olama from ADIO highlighted the cluster’s purpose-built nature, saying it’s designed to translate innovation into sector-wide transformation. He noted that the partnership with Hub71 creates a smoother path for early-stage companies to grow within SAVI’s network and even contribute to shaping a competitive mobility sector from Abu Dhabi. Ahmad Ali Alwan, Hub71’s CEO, echoed that sentiment, calling SAVI the next evolution of global mobility and emphasising the importance of giving founders direct access to regulation and opportunity.

What’s interesting here is how this fits into Hub71’s broader shift towards specialised verticals – from AI to ClimateTech to Life Sciences. SAVI becomes another piece of that puzzle, aligning neatly with the emirate’s so-called Falcon Economy strategy. And believe it or not, this kind of sector-focused approach really does make a difference; I’ve spoken with enough founders over the years to know that vague support rarely moves the needle, while aligned ecosystems can be a game changer.

Startups working on smart or autonomous mobility can now apply through Hub71’s website. It’s all pretty straightforward, though the application forms can be a bit of a faff… well, I mean, that’s par for the course with any accelerator, isn’t it? But for teams aiming to test or deploy in a market that’s actively building the infrastructure for next-generation transport, the opportunity looks definately compelling.

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