Hub71, Abu Dhabi’s global tech ecosystem, has teamed up with GetFundedAfrica, a tech-enabled marketplace that matches startups, investors, corporations and government to support the growth of tech startups.
The new cross-border programme aims to support Hub71 startups seeking to expand into Africa, and for startups in the continent seeking to penetrate the UAE and the Middle East region from Abu Dhabi.
Startups will gain support from both Hub71 and GetFundedAfrica with introductions to potential customers and investors through their respective networks of corporate partners and investment funds.
Additionally, UAE startups will be able to utilise the Ogun Technology Hub as a soft-landing entry point into sub-Saharan Africa. Both Hub71 and GetFundedAfrica will also provide startups with access to local universities to unlock young and highly skilled talent in their respective markets.
Badr Al-Olama, acting CEO of Hub71, said: “Forming a partnership with a dynamic organisation like GetFundedAfrica reinforces our commitment on enabling startups to expand from Abu Dhabi into new high-growth markets in Africa. This new partnership facilitates cross-border investments, enables access to competitive and highly skilled talent, and brings new opportunities in untapped markets that are at the advent of technological transformation.”
Debo Omololu, CEO & co-founder of GetFundedAfrica, added: “The partnership with Hub71 helps African companies become global players leveraging a global ecosystem developed in Abu Dhabi. On the same note, UAE based companies are able to access opportunities in Africa through a transparent cross-border ecosystem developed by GetFundedAfrica. Partnerships like this pave the way for long-term growth in our mutual economies”
At GITEX 2022 in Dubai this October, Hub71 and GetFundedAfrica hosted a panel alongside Khalifa Fund to discuss how collaboration between tech ecosystems in the MENA region and Africa can help accelerate startup growth in domestic markets.
