Abu Dhabi has been ranked among the world’s top 50 emerging startup ecosystems after its ecosystem value surged 3,057% to $73.4 billion, according to the 2026 Global Startup Ecosystem Report (GSER) by Startup Genome and the Global Entrepreneurship Network. CNN featured the milestone in a segment on Hub71, Abu Dhabi’s global tech ecosystem, highlighting the emirate’s rapid ascent as a startup destination.
The ranking, unveiled at VivaTech Paris, places Abu Dhabi at #41-50 globally, up from #51-60 in the previous year. The GSER 2026 draws on data from more than 5.5 million companies across 350+ entrepreneurial innovation ecosystems worldwide, making the jump a significant indicator of the region’s growing startup momentum.
Hub71, which acts as the anchor ecosystem for Abu Dhabi’s startup community, reported that its portfolio companies have raised more than $2.7 billion in funding and generated $1.5 billion in revenue by the end of 2025. The ecosystem value calculation of $73.4 billion covers the period from July 2023 to December 2025, representing exponential growth compared to the 2018-2020 baseline.
Abu Dhabi also ranked strongly across several MENA categories in the report, including #2 in the region for AI-native startup activity, #4 in R&D engine and performance, and #5 in funding momentum and talent strength. The CNN segment focused on how Hub71 has helped position Abu Dhabi as a competitive global hub for technology startups, attracting international founders and investors to the emirate.
Source: CNN Business | Hub71 Press Release
