News

Startup Funding At Abu Dhabi’s Hub71 Reaches $871M

According to the deputy chief executive, companies within the organization have generated over $680 million and created hundreds of direct jobs.

Published

3 years ago

October 14, 2022

Nour Nasir

startup funding at abu dhabi's hub71 reaches $871m

Hub71, Abu Dhabi’s global technology ecosystem, has raised more than $871 million in funding for startups and created 800 jobs since its creation in 2019, until September of this year, according to the latest figures. The organization now boasts around 200 members, and is contributing significantly to the region’s economy, intending to grow 20 startups into companies worth over $1 billion.

“There was a resurgence in investor interest at Hub71 after the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic wore off. The momentum has been helping the ecosystem and partner network to support Abu Dhabi, which is increasingly positioning itself as one of the global epicenters of technology. There was a huge thirst to get out there to engage with partners to identify opportunities, and that momentum continues to this day,” says Ahmad Alwan, Hub71 deputy chief executive.

Abu Dhabi has invested heavily in initiatives that contribute to technology and innovation, and Hub71, in particular, is helping the country to promote entrepreneurship as the UAE government aims to become “the entrepreneurial nation by 2031“.

Also Read: Hybrid Cloud As A Driver Of Digital Transformation In Saudi Arabia

Globally, the money generated by startups is close to $3 trillion — a staggering figure that almost matches the output of the G7 economy — Mr. Alwan said Hub71 had “several initiatives in the pipeline that are being planned with its partners”, which are rumored to include wealthy venture capital companies and funds, with the hope that one day, a local Abu Dhabi startup will become a global technology corporation.

Hub71 is open to the idea of expanding its “bilateral relationships” with partners in different regions, though right now, the ecosystem is focused on helping to develop its member companies by taking advantage of its existing partnerships.

In August, Hub71 welcomed 16 new startups to its platform and recently joined forces with Siemens Energy to support Abu Dhabi’s fight against climate change.

News

EDT&Partners Buys eFlow To Bolster AI Learning Push

The Middle East-founded platform is adding engagement tech as the consultancy firm widens into regulated workforce training.

Published

2 days ago

January 13, 2026

Joanna Melki

edt&partners buys eflow to bolster ai learning push

EDT&Partners has bought eFlow, an AI conversational learning platform founded in the Middle East, for an undisclosed sum. The deal marks a push by the consultancy business to tighten control over last-mile learning across education and workplace training.

EDT&Partners, long rooted in universities and public-sector work, is targeting a broader “knowledge economy” in which learning is continuous and embeds into daily workflows. Clients in regulated industries are pressing for digital learning that is both responsible and actually completed — not just designed.

“Education remains at the core of who we are,” said Pablo Langa, founder and managing partner at EDT&Partners. “At the same time, we are intentionally expanding into the broader learning ecosystem, particularly in highly regulated industries”.

eFlow delivers courses through chat-style interactions, using AI prompts to keep students and employees on task. The premise is blunt: engagement is the bottleneck in digital learning, and completion rates lag unless the platform actively supports the learner.

The acquisition folds eFlow’s engagement layer into EDT&Partners’ strategic and technology work, including Lecture, the firm’s open-source GenAI framework. The pitch is that institutions and employers can launch programs that people actually finish.

Co-founder Bassel Jalaleddine said the deal gives eFlow “the strategic and operational backbone needed to scale responsibly,” and stressed the platform’s intent to support educators rather than replace them.

Also Read: OpenAI’s ChatGPT Health Is A Private Space For Health Data

The move also strengthens EDT&Partners’ footing in the Middle East. The region is pushing workforce reform and talent development, and low-bandwidth, messaging-based learning travels well across emerging markets and community training programs.

eFlow’s co-founders, Jalaleddine and Samer Bawab, will join EDT&Partners as senior leaders. Both brands will run in parallel for now while teams and platforms are aligned ahead of industry events next year, including Bett 2026 in London.

The deal underlines demand for tools that move beyond content libraries toward engagement and completion — a direction echoed in corporate training budgets and government skills agendas.