Abu Dhabi Just Gave Mobility Startups a Fast Lane. Here’s How to Get In.

Abu Dhabi has been busy turning “future of mobility” talk into a real industry. The latest move: Hub71 has become the official gateway for smart and autonomous mobility startups that want to plug straight into the emirate’s Smart and Autonomous Vehicle Industries (SAVI) cluster.

Announced at DRIFTx during Abu Dhabi Autonomous Week, the new pathway routes selected startups from Hub71’s Access programme directly into SAVI. That means faster access to testing zones, regulators, manufacturers, infrastructure players and government partners – all from day one in the UAE.

For founders working on autonomy across air, land, sea or robotics, this is now the front door to Abu Dhabi’s transport ecosystem.

Hub71’s new role in Abu Dhabi’s mobility stack

Hub71 is no longer just a tech community in Abu Dhabi Global Market. With this move, it becomes the on-ramp for mobility startups that want to operate inside the SAVI cluster rather than just watch from the sidelines.

• Hub71 is positioned as the primary gateway for smart and autonomous mobility startups into SAVI.
• The pathway was launched at DRIFTx, part of Abu Dhabi Autonomous Week.
• SAVI is led by the Abu Dhabi Investment Office (ADIO) and covers air, land, sea and robotics.
• The goal is to turn innovation into real deployments across the emirate’s transport network.

In practice, this means that joining Hub71’s Access programme is now more than an acceleration badge. For mobility teams, it has become a structured route to the wider ecosystem. Abu Dhabi has already been using events like DRIFTx at Yas Marina to show off its ambitions around autonomy; this gateway turns that showcase into a repeatable pipeline for startups. 

What startups actually get through the SAVI gateway

If you are a high-potential mobility startup and you make it into Hub71’s Access programme, you do not just get office space and a logo wall. You get dropped straight into SAVI’s network.

• Direct integration into the SAVI cluster for selected Access startups.
• Access to SAVI’s industry partners, infrastructure providers and manufacturers.
• Use of Abu Dhabi’s regulatory sandbox for testing smart and autonomous mobility.
• Structured support from Hub71: mentorship, funding connections and market access.

The regulatory sandbox piece is important. Testing autonomous systems is hard in most cities because rules, road access and airspace are messy. Abu Dhabi is trying to flip that by offering a controlled environment where startups can test on the ground, in the air or at sea without spending months just getting approvals.

Inside Hub71, founders already get structured support and access to investors; now, for mobility teams, that support stretches into SAVI’s industrial base and public-sector partners.

SAVI: economic upside and a new transport industry

The SAVI cluster is not a side project. It is built to be a core part of Abu Dhabi’s next-generation economy, led by ADIO.

• SAVI is designed as a dedicated ecosystem for smart and autonomous mobility.
• It spans air mobility, road transport, maritime and robotics.
• The cluster is expected to generate around AED 44 billion in economic value.
• It is also forecast to create more than 40,000 skilled jobs across the emirate.

By hard-wiring startups into SAVI, Hub71 is feeding that pipeline with new technology and teams. On the mobility side, this links neatly with Abu Dhabi tests like eVTOL air taxis and autonomous racing under the SAVI umbrella, which already involve ADIO and other government bodies.

For founders, those big numbers matter less than the signal: the emirate wants a full transport industry around autonomy, not just a few pilots. Being in the cluster means building in a place that is already lining up regulation, infrastructure and demand.

How this fits with Hub71’s sector playbook

This smart mobility gateway is not a one-off. Hub71 has been building vertical ecosystems for a while, using “Hub71+” tracks to connect startups with specialised partners.

• Hub71 already runs sector-focused verticals like:
  • Hub71+ AI
  • Hub71+ ClimateTech
  • Hub71+ Digital Assets
  • Hub71+ Life Sciences
• These verticals connect startups to capital, technical expertise and market access in each sector.
• The smart mobility gateway follows the same logic but plugs into SAVI instead of a single Hub71+ track.

If you have been following Abu Dhabi’s tech push, this is consistent with recent moves like Hub71’s AI-heavy Cohort 17, where most selected startups were building applied AI products across key sectors. 

The new mobility pathway extends that model. Instead of just helping startups sell to a few local partners, it funnels them into a full industrial cluster where testing, manufacturing, infrastructure and regulation sit much closer together. For teams working on autonomous systems, that kind of integrated setup is rare.

You can also see the pattern in how Hub71 keeps adding early-stage support and partner networks, like its Initiate programme for idea-stage founders.  The SAVI gateway is simply the mobility version of that “clear path from idea to real deployment” story.

Who should apply – and what Abu Dhabi expects in return

The gateway is open to startups working on smart and autonomous mobility. That is broad on purpose, but the bar is not low: Hub71 talks about “high-potential” companies, and the SAVI cluster is built for teams ready to test and scale.

• Target startups:
  • Smart mobility platforms and software.
  • Autonomous driving and driver-assist tech.
  • Air mobility, drones and eVTOL-related systems.
  • Maritime autonomy and robotics linked to transport and logistics.
• Location: Startups join Hub71’s global community but are expected to build from Abu Dhabi.
• Status: Applications to the Hub71 Access programme are open via hub71.com.

For UAE-based founders, the draw is access: a single programme that connects you to capital, pilots and a serious regulatory framework in your home market. For international teams, Abu Dhabi offers something many other hubs still lack – a mix of live testbeds, cluster-level support and clear public-sector backing.

In exchange, the emirate is looking for more than pitch decks. SAVI is supposed to deliver economic value and skilled jobs, so there is a clear push towards real deployments, local hiring and long-term growth rooted in the UAE.

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