Hub71, Lisboa partner to boost UAE-Europe startup expansion

Hub71, Abu Dhabi's global tech ecosystem, and Unicorn Factory Lisboa, an initiative of the Lisbon City Council, have signed a strategic partnership to advance cross-border innovation and entrepreneurship between the UAE and Portugal.

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The agreement was signed at Web Summit 2025 in Lisbon, witnessed by Mohammad Abdulrahman Alhawi, Under-Secretary of the UAE's Ministry of Investment; Ahmed Almahmoud, Ambassador of the UAE to the Republic of Portugal, and Margarida Figueiredo, Director-General for Economy and Innovation, Lisbon City Council.

The partnership builds on Hub71's strategy to position the Middle East and Europe as a corridor for innovation, enabling global founders to access new markets, capital and growth opportunities.

Launched in 2022, Unicorn Factory Lisboa empowers entrepreneurs through incubation, acceleration and scale-up programmes. Since its inception, it has supported over 820 startups with a combined valuation of exceeding IBE.

Under the agreement, Hub71 and Unicorn Factory Lisboa will establish a coordinated framework enabling startups to expand internationally through shared resources and market access. The partnership includes startup exchange programmes, mutual promotion of initiatives and cross-market pathways that allow founders to scale across Europe, the UAE and the wider Mena region.