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Highlights
- DisruptAD enables start-ups and venture capital funds to benefit from Abu Dhabi’s start-up ecosystem
- The platform sets ambitious target to support and nurture over 1,000 start-ups by 2025
ADQ, one of the region’s largest holding companies with a broad portfolio of major enterprises spanning key sectors of Abu Dhabi’s diversified economy, has developed DisruptAD to consolidate the entity’s venture capital (VC) efforts under a unified platform. DisruptAD’s activities will include investments in start-ups and venture capital funds, as well as the creation of new incubators and accelerators to support Abu Dhabi’s evolution as a global start-up destination and accelerate the development of its innovation ecosystem.
DisruptAD aims to support and nurture over 1,000 start-ups over the next five years to create a thriving local community of founders, fund managers, incubators and accelerators. This will cement Abu Dhabi’s position as a world-class technology hub where new ideas are born and transformative companies get created, maximizing value creation and delivering long-term economic benefits for the UAE.
Beyond the UAE, DisruptAD will target global innovators across other markets including the broader Middle East and North Africa region, India, China, South East Asia and the United States. The platform will partner with companies and funds that can benefit from ADQ’s commitment to the development of clusters including Healthcare and Pharma, Food and Agriculture, Mobility and Logistics, and Energy and Utilities. DisruptAD will also be responsible for the Alpha Wave Incubation (AWI) Fund, the AED 1.1 billion venture fund that focuses on Indian and South East Asian start-ups, and will manage the AED 535 million Ventures Fund, a flagship initiative of the Ghadan 21 programme.
Start-ups in the UAE attracted 56 per cent of all investment deals in the Middle East and North Africa region in 2020, despite the effects of the global pandemic, according to MAGNiTT.
About ADQ
Established in 2018, ADQ is an active global sovereign investor with a focus on critical infrastructure and supply chains. As a strategic partner to the Government of Abu Dhabi, ADQ invests in the growth of business platforms anchored in the Emirate that deliver value to local communities and long-term financial returns to its shareholder. ADQ’s expanding portfolio has a total book value of USD 225 billion (as at 30 June 2024) and encompasses companies across numerous core sectors of the economy, including energy and utilities, transport and logistics, food and agriculture, and healthcare and life sciences.
For more information, visit adq.ae or write to media@adq.ae. You can also follow ADQ on Instagram, LinkedIn, and X.
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