Abu Dhabi tech center Hub71 announces best UAE startups to compete in Saudi Arabia

Hub71, a center for new global technology development and startups, announced the winners of the UAE’s Entrepreneurship World Cup 2020 (EWC), adding that the winners would go on to represent the UAE and compete at global EWC hosted by the Misk Global Forum in Saudi Arabia in October, UAE news agency WAM reported Monday.

The winners of EWC and representatives from the UAE at Misk are Pure Harvest, an agriculture-focused startup; Key2Enable, a company focused on technology for people with disabilities; and Awecademy, an online and offline education startup.

The winners were selected from 128 applicants from across the UAE and each team received $100,000 in awards. The global finalists selected from the EWC 100, the top 100 global startups, will receive an additional $700,000.

For all the latest headlines follow our Google News channel online or via the app.

To qualify for entrance to the UAE nationals, 10 startups based in the UAE were shortlisted from a variety of sectors, including cleantech, edtech, big data and assistive tech, 30 percent of which were Emirati nationals, WAM reported.

“All 10 shortlisted applicants have unique and innovative offerings and have built quality businesses. We hope to see these start-ups continue to grow, and we welcome them to join us within the Hub71 community to benefit from our network of mentors and global market opportunities,” Ahmad Alwan, head of strategy and corporate development at Hub71, said, according to WAM.

The EWC is hosted by the Misk Global Forum, set to take place in mid-October in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Competitors will then fight to win a selection of prizes including $1 million in cash, access to startup accelerators, further funding opportunities, resources, and other prizes worth more than a combined $75 million.

Read more:

Uber buys food-delivery startup Postmates for $2.65 bln

Coronavirus: UAE health providers form ‘Alliance to fight COVID-19’ startup scheme

Dubizzle, Bayut to merge, forms Middle East’s only unicorn startup, $1 bln valuation