Hub71, Abu Dhabi’s global tech ecosystem, on 29 October 2026 selected 40 startups for Cohort 19, its largest intake to date, after a record 2,502 applications from 117 countries. The announcement is set out in an official Hub71 statement.
The selected startups have collectively raised USD 296 million (AED 1.09 billion), 29 percent more than Cohort 18, the statement says. The acceptance rate was 1.6 percent. The companies come from 14 countries, with 88 percent joining from international markets. With this cohort, Hub71’s ecosystem comprises 644 startups.
AI is central to the intake: 90 percent of the selected startups incorporate AI at the core of their technologies, according to Hub71. More than two-thirds operate in sectors the organisation lists as priorities. The companies span Pre-Seed to Series A, and the cohort includes six Series A companies, up from two in Cohort 18.
All 40 startups were selected for Hub71’s 12-month Access Programme: 12 on the sector-agnostic track, 19 in the Hub71+ Digital Assets, ClimateTech and Life Sciences specialist ecosystems, six through Anjal Z with the Abu Dhabi Early Childhood Authority, and three through a new pathway into Abu Dhabi’s Smart and Autonomous Vehicles Industry (SAVI) cluster — the first intake on that path, after more than 100 applications, the statement says.
Among the AI companies Hub71 names are UK-headquartered TurinTech AI, an AI-powered software-engineering platform that has raised USD 15 million (AED 55.1 million); US-headquartered Remarkable AI, an e-commerce customer-retention platform that has raised USD 14 million (AED 51.4 million); and Emirati-founded Mosadad, which raised USD 540,000 (AED 2 million) in Pre-Seed funding for a system that connects insurers, garages, banks and regulators on motor-accident claims. Those figures appear in Hub71’s statement as funding the companies have already raised, not as new rounds announced by Hub71 that day.
Ahmad Ali Alwan, CEO of Hub71, said: “Cohort 19 reflects the growing depth and maturity of the companies joining Hub71, with founders building across increasingly specialized sectors. They add new expertise, technologies and perspectives to the community, while gaining access to the capital, partners and market opportunities that can help them build enduring companies.”
Through the Access Programme, startups will receive tailored mentorship, expert-led workshops and access to investors and corporate and government partners, alongside up to AED 500,000 in incentives, the statement says. Selected top-performing startups may qualify for further support later.