News

Hub71 Accepts 16 New Tech Startups To Join Its Community

The selected startups specialize in industries including fintech, healthtech, foodtech, cleantech, and logistics.

Published

4 years ago

August 31, 2022

Nour Nasir

Hub71

Launched back in 2019 as a means of bringing together investors, organizations, and strategic partners, the tech ecosystem known as Hub71 has recently accepted 16 new startups into its fold from the USA, UK, Italy, and more to further the progress of innovation and entrepreneurship in Abu Dhabi. The recent news comes as the company plans to expand its operational reach, scaling into other markets along with the UAE.

Over the next two years, the new startup additions will join Hub71’s incentive program that will include large-scale funding, access to a rich ecosystem of academic and corporate investors, and potential government partners. The latest round of financing at Hub71 has raised $467 million overall and will help drive progress in diverse industries, including fintech, healthtech, cleantech, edtech, foodtech, and logistics.

“Our value-driven programs continue to attract high-tech startups to Abu Dhabi that are driving transformation within key sectors of the economy. As partners to over 170 startups in our community, we always strive to connect founders to our global network of blue-chip corporations, government bodies, and investors. With our ability to unlock real growth opportunities for founders, we expect this new cohort to gain tremendous traction over the next few months within the vibrant tech ecosystem that Abu Dhabi offers,” says Badr Al-Olama, Acting CEO of Hub71.

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Hub71’s startups include the Green Future Project, a platform supporting climate projects that track and trace environmental impact, Amwal, a platform enabling people to pay or send money based on their phone number, and Abhi, a fintech startup that lets salaried employees draw on their wages when needed.

In the first half of 2022, Hub71 helped startups land deals worth $700 million in revenues through the ecosystem’s corporate partners. Hub71 has also helped create around 1000 jobs.

News

Syria Just Got Its First Super App Featuring Built-In Digital Payments

Built by UAE-based Syrian founders with the Ministry of Tourism’s backing, My Syria lands as visitor numbers more than double.

Published

5 days ago

August 1, 2026

Nour Nasir

syria just got its first super app featuring built-in digital payments

For most of the past decade, paying for anything in Syria with an international card was effectively impossible. Sanctions, a collapsed banking sector, and years of isolation left the country running on cash. That is what makes the launch of My Syria — the country’s first super app — more than a routine product announcement.

Developed by 121 Living, a company founded by four UAE-based Syrian entrepreneurs — Rami Kaiem, Feras Kaiem, Waseem Qudmani, and Kinan Madi — the app launched in Damascus on July 30 under the patronage of Minister of Tourism Mazen Al-Salhani. It bundles hotels, restaurants, transport, attractions, food delivery, and other lifestyle services into a single platform, currently offering eight services with plans to expand to more than 40 verified tourism and hospitality providers across the country.

Although the app already sounds enticing, the headline feature is its built-in payments. My Syria is the first platform in Syria to support cross-border digital payments through Apple Pay, Google Pay, Visa, Mastercard, and American Express — familiar tools for international visitors, and a route into the digital economy for local businesses that have long operated outside it.

my syria super app launch event

The launch rides on a sharp rebound for the troubled country. Syria’s tourism sector recorded 3.52 million visitor arrivals in the first half of 2026, a 111 percent increase over the 1.67 million during the same period in 2025 — a mix of returning expatriates, regional visitors, and international tourists.

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The Ministry of Tourism, which supported and supervised the app’s development, frames the launch as proof of concept for a wider strategy. “Digital transformation is one of the Ministry’s strategic priorities because it enables us to build a more competitive, connected and investment-ready tourism sector,” Al-Salhani said, inviting technology companies “globally, regionally and locally” to explore opportunities across the wider economy.

For 121 Living, this is phase one, with additional services and expanded geographic coverage planned. Whether a super app can flourish in a market still rebuilding its infrastructure is an open question, but for the first time in years, a visitor to Damascus can pay for dinner with their phone.