Khalifa Fund, Hub71 honour 17 Emirati startup founders

Khalifa Fund for Enterprise Development (KFED) and Hub71, Abu Dhabi’s global tech ecosystem, hosted the first MZN Hub71 Demo Day, bringing together the inaugural cohort of 17 Emirati founders who presented startups developed during the three-month long MZN Hub71 programme.

The MZN Hub71 programme supports early-stage entrepreneurs building ventures across priority and emerging sectors, strengthening Abu Dhabi’s pipeline of homegrown startups that will contribute to the emirate’s long-term economic growth and diversification.

Delivered by KFED and Hub71, the MZN Hub71 programme expands Hub71’s founder journey by creating an earlier entry point for aspiring Emirati entrepreneurs before they progress into later-stage programmes. Through structured venture-building support, expert mentorship and access to Hub71’s global tech ecosystem, founders transform innovative ideas into minimum viable products (MVPs) while gaining the skills, networks and opportunities needed to build scalable businesses.

Basma Ahmed AlBadi AlDhaheri, Head of Value Creation at Hub71, said: “Today’s Demo Day demonstrates what’s possible when founders are given the right environment to build. Seeing what these Emirati founders were capable of achieving after three months is exactly why early-stage support matters. When founders have access to the right guidance, networks and opportunities from the beginning, they’re better positioned to build companies that create lasting impact for Abu Dhabi and beyond.” The MZN Hub71 programme Demo Day took place at MZN Hub Al Ain, bringing together investors, ecosystem partners and government stakeholders as founders presented ventures across AI, HealthTech, ClimateTech, FinTech and AgriTech before a judging panel comprising representatives from Khalifa Fund and Hub71.

Following the competition, the top three startups were awarded in-kind support packages valued at up to AED100,000 to support the next stage of their growth.

Limb, an AI-powered physiotherapy platform enabling remote monitoring and personalised rehabilitation, secured first place, followed by Reach LLM, an AI platform that helps brands optimise visibility and performance across large language models, in second place and Hign Al Khaleej, a digital marketplace for buying, selling and auctioning camels across the Gulf, in third. The startups received AED100,000, AED60,000 and AED40,000, in in-kind support, respectively. Khalifa Fund for Enterprise Development highlighted that the Demo Day reflects the progress these founders have made over the past three months and the potential of the next generation of Emirati entrepreneurs.

Through its strategic partnership with Hub71, the KFED continues to support aspiring Emirati founders from the earliest stages, providing them with the necessary support to transform promising ideas into sustainable businesses that contribute to Abu Dhabi’s long-term economic growth.

Across the 12-week programme, the inaugural cohort participated in 21 workshops, panel discussions and pitch clinics covering every stage of the startup journey, including product development, market validation, AI strategy, go-to-market planning, fundraising and corporate engagement.

Drawing on expertise from leading organisations such as Department of Health - Abu Dhabi, Vertix Holdings, Kraken, and Carzaty & Kavak, the programme equipped founders with the practical skills and insights to build, test and grow their startups.

The MZN Hub71 Demo Day marks the beginning of the next phase for the programme’s first cohort, who will continue benefiting from Hub71’s wider ecosystem of mentors, investors, corporate partners and government stakeholders as they build and scale their businesses from Abu Dhabi.

In June, Emirati startup founders showcased AI-powered and advanced technology solutions during Hub71’s Impact 2026 event at Manarat Al Saadiyat in Abu Dhabi, underscoring the role of the emirate’s innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystem in accelerating business growth and supporting regional and global expansion.

The founders said Abu Dhabi’s startup support programmes, led by Hub71 and Hub71+ Digital Assets, have created an integrated ecosystem for growth through mentorship, funding opportunities and strategic partnerships. This support, they said, has enabled their companies to develop innovative solutions across sectors including digital marketing, healthcare and advanced manufacturing.

Maryam Alabbar, Co-Founder at ReachLLM, said the company focuses on improving brand visibility in AI-powered search results across global platforms such as ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini and Google AI Overviews. She said ReachLLM is continuing to develop products built entirely on AI to help brands maintain a more sustainable and consistent presence across large language models, while also enabling them to measure the impact of that growth.

WAM