Hub71 launches 2nd edition of ‘The Outliers Programme’ for startups

Hub71, Abu Dhabi’s global tech ecosystem, has announced the launch of the second edition of “The Outliers Programme”, bringing together leading corporate and government partners including Aldar, Department of Culture and Tourism — Abu Dhabi (DCT) and Department of Health — Abu Dhabi (DoH), and Thales to present business and operational challenges for tech startups to solve.

The Outliers is Hub71’s annual programme designed for tech startups worldwide to solve real challenges set by participating organisations in the public and private sectors. The Outliers facilitates startup collaboration with major corporations and government departments across Abu Dhabi’s diversified economy, offering founders the ability to respond with technology-led approaches that address their challenges. Startups will have the opportunity to customise their product to support the organisation’s business objectives, develop commercial deals, and gain up to Dhs100,000 in value to fund the development of their POC.

The second edition of The Outliers features seven challenges from five leading organisations, including Aldar, DCT, DoH and Thales. For the first time, a dedicated category has been created for unicorns to take part in The Outliers programme, with Cars24, an e-commerce platform for used vehicles valued at $1.84 billion joining this edition.

Through its participation, Cars24 will be supporting Hub71’s innovation ecosystem and helping startups succeed. By participating in The Outliers, corporates and government entities are able to accelerate their corporate innovation efforts by capitalising on cutting edge technologies and impactful digital solutions, in turn accelerating their digital transformation.

This year’s challenges seek to harness next-generation technologies including Web3 to help these organisations gain a competitive advantage and future-proof their operations. DCT is seeking to understand tourist behaviors while shopping or visiting attractions in Abu Dhabi as well as uncovering the future of tourism in the emirate. Meanwhile, DoH is looking to use digital solutions to improve the patient journey and optimise resources.

Addressing the cities of the future, Thales’ goal is to develop integrated solutions to manage drone activity. Meanwhile, Aldar is looking to promote the reduction and reuse of resources throughout the lifecycle of a real estate project. While Cars24, is exploring unique payment solutions and the integration of digital platforms to redefine how consumers purchase cars.

Elodie Robin-Guillerm, Head of Growth and Strategy at Hub71, said, “Beyond fundraising, startups also need to be able to secure commercially viable contracts and partnerships with the business community and government that are increasingly embracing entrepreneurial minds.

The Outliers programme responds to the demand for the public and private sectors to accelerate their digital transformation processes that increases efficiency and strengthens long-term competitiveness.

This mutually beneficial programme is one of Hub71’s many initiatives that enables founders to create true impact and address pressing issues affecting strategically important sectors driving our economy.”

With the advancements of Web3 technologies including AI, IoT, and wearable devices, DCT, which is presenting two challenges this year, is seeking to utilise advanced technologies and the most efficient solution to better understand tourist behaviors while visiting attractions or shopping in Abu Dhabi to help inform future marketing campaigns. Similarly, DCT is focused on using Web3 technologies to uncover what the future of tourism could look like in Abu Dhabi.

In healthcare, DoH is looking to reduce waiting times across its healthcare facilities and enhance patient flow. Ultimately, DoH is seeking ways to reduce operational costs without compromising the quality of care that Abu Dhabi’s healthcare system has been renowned for. The solution would improve the patient experience within its healthcare facilities, regardless of the form of care patients are seeking.

Thales company aims to engage startups to develop a consolidated low airspace and urban air mobility system dedicated to the safety of drones and the identification of threats. Through digital platforms that ensure real time global integration, Thales aims to address future security issues around the increased adoption of drones in cities. By participating in The Outliers, Aldar is seeking ways to support the reduction and reuse of resources throughout the lifecycle of a project from design to construction that minimises waste resources.

Finally, Cars24 is exploring developing a seamless customer experience by making the customer pay just once for the entire cart value and divide payments across multiple partners in real-time.

WAM