Scout startups in Abu Dhabi

Learn where early startup activity happens in Abu Dhabi and how to turn local context into a stronger scouting practice.

Abu Dhabi

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Startup ecosystem standing

Where Abu Dhabi ranks

Rankings that list Abu Dhabi
Ranking	Edition	Position	Since last edition	Trust	What it measures
Global Financial Centres Index	GFCI 40	#13	Up 8	B	Finance, Competitiveness, Business Climate
Global Startup Ecosystem Index (cities)	2025	#175	No prior edition	B	Ecosystem, Activity, Finance, Business Climate
Emerging Ecosystems Ranking (GSER Top 100)	2026	41 to 50	No prior edition	C	Ecosystem, Performance, Finance, Talent

Positions as published in each edition. The ranking name opens its method and trust notes, the edition opens the full list, and publisher sources are listed below. Trust grades cover method, transparency and whether places are paid for.

48 organizations with a profile

Who's based in Abu Dhabi

Investors 24

Investor

ALTÉRRA

World's largest private climate investment fund.

Investor

Plus VC (+VC)

Investing in tech startups across the MENA region.

Investor

BY Venture Partners

Empowering early-stage technology startups.

The 3 most prominent of 24. Browse all investors

Venture studios 13

Venture studio

Hypermind Labs

Building the future of AI and Web3.

Venture studio

VentureOne

Building deep-tech ventures from applied research.

Venture studio

Seam Labs

Building B2B-SaaS startups for smarter business operations.

The 3 most prominent of 13. Browse all venture studios

Accelerators 9

Accelerator

startAD

Empowering startups to innovate and scale.

Accelerator

UAE Independent Climate Change Accelerators

Accelerating climate action in the UAE.

Accelerator

The Catalyst

Accelerating sustainable technology startups.

The 3 most prominent of 9. Browse all accelerators

Incubators 2

Incubator

Krypto Labs

Nurturing a sustainable startup ecosystem in the UAE.

Incubator

Escale Labs

Your trusted partner in the entrepreneurial journey.

Pick what describes you

Your way in

Founders

Raising in Abu Dhabi

Investors based here, and the programs that take teams at your stage.

Founder tools

Investors

Finding startups in Abu Dhabi

Accelerators and incubators here see the earliest teams first.

Explore dealflow

Scouts

Scouting in Abu Dhabi

Campuses and communities are where teams form before anyone funds them.

How scouting works

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Questions about Abu Dhabi

How does Abu Dhabi rank as a startup ecosystem?

Its best position is #13 in GFCI (GFCI 40). It appears in 3 rankings tracked on Superscout; the table above lists each one.

How many startup investors are based in Abu Dhabi?

Superscout has profiles for 24 investors based in Abu Dhabi, including ALTÉRRA, Plus VC (+VC) and BY Venture Partners.

Are there accelerators or incubators in Abu Dhabi?

Yes. Superscout lists 9 accelerators, 2 incubators and 13 venture studios based there, including startAD, Krypto Labs and Hypermind Labs.

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Illustrative

Scout profile Structured activity

Memo drafted

Submitted

Following

Superscout documents Abu Dhabi ecosystem information independently from canonical records and linked sources. Missing facts stay missing.

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Sources and known limits

A reviewed date is not available for this page.

Organizations are placed by their recorded headquarters (Google place, ROR or company record). Only organizations with a Superscout profile are counted, so totals undercount the full ecosystem.

The population value has no measurement date in the canonical record and should be treated as approximate context.

Superscout is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or acting on behalf of the organizations documented here.