Two Indian startups, Uravu Labs and Endimension Technology, were selected for Hub71 Cohort 18 in Abu Dhabi, joining 25 other companies from a record 2,453 applications. Both will enter a 12-month programme offering in-kind and cash incentives, mentorship, and market access to scale from Abu Dhabi into global markets.
A Saudi delegation led by the Saudi Data and AI Authority, in partnership with the World Bank, completed a five-day programme in Brussels and Berlin to review global best practices in data governance, AI and digital policy frameworks and to transfer international expertise to Saudi Arabia.
Prince Sattam bin Abdulaziz University in Al-Kharj secured five US patents for nanotechnology inventions covering sensors, smart materials and doped nanomaterials aimed at energy, environmental and medical applications. The patents reflect the university’s push to commercialize research and support Saudi Vision 2030 objectives.
Saudi Arabia is transforming from an oil-centered economy into a global technology hub via Vision 2030, large projects like NEOM, active investment from the Saudi Public Investment Fund, and R&D and skills institutions such as King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology and the Saudi Digital Academy.
StartupBlink's 2026 Global Startup Ecosystem Index ranks Baghdad and Erbil among the world's top 1,000 startup cities, highlighting growing entrepreneurial activity in Iraq while the country remains outside the top 100 national ecosystems.
Abhishek Rungta, Founder & CEO of INT. (Indus Net Technologies), warns India’s Global Capability Centres must shift from cost‑arbitrage to AI‑native, outcome‑oriented hubs or risk marginalisation as boards reassess value.
Star51 Capital closed the first close of its inaugural medtech venture fund with anchor commitments from Abbott and Mayo Clinic. The operator-led, AI-enabled fund is led by Founding Managing Partners Adam Rosenwach and Tal Wenderow and will invest across interventional therapies, diagnostics, monitoring and digital health.
ZCG Arabia, the Riyadh-based platform of Z Capital Group, has launched a direct financing platform offering Shariah-compliant, senior secured and asset-based financing alongside operational and AI-driven support for SMEs in Saudi Arabia.
Three deals between June 1–6, 2026 drove $258.5M in regional startup funding, led by a $250M logistics round in the UAE and smaller seed and recycling rounds in gaming and circular-economy startups.
Gulf states are now frontrunners in the AI race but competition will only intensify.
JLL has expanded its Technology Solutions offering across the Middle East to provide integrated advisory, implementation and managed technology services, deploying AI, automation and cloud asset-management platforms for investors, developers and occupiers.
Spanish specialty coffee group East Crema Coffee has launched a crowdfunding campaign to finance domestic outlet growth and kickstart planned international expansion across Europe, the Middle East and Asia. The company is positioning the round to fund new cafés, increased roasting capacity and initial overseas market entry.