Mubadala’s Injazat give Hub71 startups a chance to work on real-life client solutions

04 Aug, 2020

In June 2020, Hub71 announced its partnership with Injazat, a Mubadala owned company that supports public and private sector clients across the region with their digital transformation and technology integration.

In a nutshell, the Hub71 Corporate Engagement Program works in two ways. One, to help startups get their proof of concepts (POCs) validated and to corporate mentorship; and two, to help corporate partners innovate alongside nimble startups to achieve better outcomes for their commercial partners.

This synergistic relationship cements the ethos of Hub71 – partnership. Startups at Hub71 are working alongside the Injazat Innovation team to not only receive mentorship, but to have a chance to deep-dive into a selection of Injazat’s real-life client problems to design innovative client solutions.

At Hub71, we believe that it’s that kind of collaborative approach that provides maximum value for the entire ecosystem – entrepreneurs, corporations and investors alike. To understand more about Injazat, we talked to Mohamed Al Qubaisi, Chief Technology Officer of Injazat.

Tell us a bit about Injazat?

Injazat was created in 2005 as a managed services company then later also became a world-class data center provider in the region. Our aim was to develop and introduce new opportunities for economic growth, job creation and to improve technology services within governments and increasingly, corporate entities in the UAE.

As a wholly Mubadala owned company, Injazat is in a unique position to be at the forefront of the Emirate’s growth and development, providing essential digital solutions to meet the needs of almost every organization.

Our mandate is to work in partnership with our clients to support them where needed, from end to end. We were created to transform how technology is used across the UAE and we’re very pleased to be partnering with the Mubadala powered Hub71 – a tech ecosystem based in Abu Dhabi.

In your opinion, what are the key success factors to the UAE’s digital transformation over recent years?

The UAE is strong on ‘people’ and ‘leadership’ and those are two of its keys to success. As a young country, it has always been very tech savvy. It understands technology well and is a country that embraces new ideas and tools quickly. And we see that in the local UAE national talent too; where our digital natives apply their creative, innovative thinking in really powerful ways.

From the top down, the leadership understands the impact that technology and innovation can have on an economy and society like ours.

What is your opinion on COVID-19 and its impact on how people view technology?  

Any previous apprehension towards adopting digital apps or tools are now reduced. I’d even go as far as to say that digital has been embraced by the majority and has been a savior of sorts – in some cases it was out of necessity (online banking and food delivery) and in other cases, for survival (keeping doctor appointments during lockdown).

How will Injazat help Hub71 startups succeed?

We are the startup’s playground, a safe and creative environment if you will. A testbed for Proof of Concepts (POCs) and for testing new concepts on real problems; qualifying startup products for the market.

Without a POC or prior experience, credibility for startups is hard to come by, and we have plenty of customers who have problems to ideate, innovate and play around within a controlled and governed environment, that is safe for the startup, the customer and for us.

We are here to be a part of this community, to grow this partnership organically and to create a wholistic dynamic ecosystem that can fuel local startups and to provide us with innovative solutions for our customers.

What practical things will Injazat be doing to help Hub71 startups?

To kick off, we will meet a lot of the startups and connect them with our Subject Matter Experts and other specialists that can provide guidance and mentorship to the entrepreneurs.

Then, once every quarter, we hope to host an event where we bring our clients to Hub71 around industry influencers and experts to talk about best practices and the innovation heatmap and inspiring projects within the verticals of interest.

Our clients expect the best and most reliable solutions from Injazat and we are very pleased to be able to blend the radical innovation from the start up world with reliable long-term solutioning capabilities. It’s a win-win situation. 

Lastly, what advice would you give startups during this highly volatile and uncertain time?

When working with customers, focus on their specific problems and articulate clearly how you are going to help solve them. Differentiate yourselves from the others, now is not the time to be a copycat.

And don’t forget to take your prospective clients on the product development journey. 

To find out more about the Hub71 Corporate Engagement Program.

To join our community of startups, apply to the Hub71 Incentive Program today!