Abu Dhabi - Sharikat Mubasher: Khalifa Fund for Enterprise Development (KFED) and Hub71 hosted the first MZN Hub71 Demo Day, bringing together the inaugural cohort of 17 Emirati founders of startups developed through the three-month program.
According to the official statement released today, the Demo Day gathered 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.
After the competition, the top three startups were awarded in-kind support packages valued at up to AED 100,000 to support the next stage of their growth. The three startups are: Limb, an AI-powered physiotherapy platform enabling remote monitoring and personalized rehabilitation; Reach LLM, an AI platform that helps brands optimize visibility and performance across large language models; and Hign Al Khaleej, a digital marketplace for buying, selling, and auctioning camels across the Gulf.
The MZN Hub71 program helps founders transform innovative ideas into minimum viable products (MVPs) through structured venture-building support, expert mentorship, and access to Hub71's global tech ecosystem.
Basma 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.”
Throughout 12 weeks, 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.
