Two Ways into Abu Dhabi’s SME Economy: How Hub71 Connects FinTechs to the Market

Hub71’s role does not end when a startup joins the ecosystem. Much of the value comes next: connecting companies to the customers, partners and markets where their technology is put to work. Hub71’s relationship with Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM)’s Numou platform is one example, and an unusual one, because the value runs in both directions.

Numou is Abu Dhabi’s SME financing platform. Through Hub71’s relationship with it, companies in the Hub71 startup community are reaching it as businesses that need capital and as the FinTechs building the tools to provide it. Several Hub71 companies are already exploring financing through Numou, with one receiving an offer for procurement financing.

At the same time, Hub71 FinTech companies Abhi and FlapKap, alongside Zelo, have joined the platform as financing partners, giving them a direct route to offer their products to SMEs across the Emirate.

It is this two-way relationship that makes the collaboration particularly relevant to Hub71: companies within the same startup community are engaging with Abu Dhabi’s SME financing market from both sides at once, seeking capital to grow and supplying the finance that helps other businesses do the same.

A Different Kind of Financing Challenge

A growing company can be commercially healthy and still face pressure on cash flow. A contract is secured, an order confirmed or an invoice issued, while payment lands weeks or months later. That can leave cash tied up at exactly the point the business needs it to fulfil new orders. Equity does not solve this, but working capital does.

This is the gap Zelo is addressing. The Hub71 FinTech focuses on financing linked to commercial transactions and receivables, working with UAE businesses that have credible customers and confirmed contracts but are constrained by the timing of payments. In one case Zelo has shared, its financing helped a manufacturer quadruple its contract-fulfilment capacity.

Abhi approaches the same problem through eligible B2B invoices, allowing businesses to access liquidity against receivables, while FlapKap provides revenue-based funding to established SMEs financing their next stage of growth.

All three are now financing partners on Numou, offering SMEs financing models that sit alongside those from banks and government funding programmes on the platform, and giving the three Hub71 companies another channel to reach customers.

Building Commercial Relationships Beyond the Startup Community

Connecting startups to customers and commercial opportunities is a core part of what Hub71 does once a company joins the Access Programme.

It takes a clear understanding of what a startup offers and where the market needs it, and Hub71’s relationships with government entities and corporate partners across Abu Dhabi are what create those points of connection.

With Numou, the need is SME finance: Zelo, Abhi and FlapKap each address different parts of that market, while other Hub71 companies stand to benefit from the financing the platform opens up.

Similar relationships are taking shape across the ecosystem. Some begin with a corporate looking for technology to solve a business challenge; others with a government entity seeking solutions for its sector. A growing number have progressed into pilots, procurement and commercial agreements.

Growth That Connects Back Into Abu Dhabi’s Economy

For Abu Dhabi, attracting technology companies is only part of the picture. What those companies do once they are here is what turns their presence into economic value.

A startup that secures financing is better placed to pursue its next stage of growth. A FinTech that begins serving other businesses builds its own commercial track record while putting its technology to work on a real market need. The relationship with Numou creates room for both to happen.

As more of these connections grow into commercial relationships, the impact reaches past any individual startup. Companies building from Abu Dhabi become more closely woven into its businesses and institutions, generating activity and capability that strengthen the wider economy. This is what Hub71 does: turn startups into value for Abu Dhabi.