Interview: Inside Abu Dhabi’s fast-track system for deep-tech startups

Abu Dhabi is accelerating its intention to develop into a worldwide hub for deep expertise, and on the centre of this effort is VentureOne, a government-backed enterprise builder turning cutting-edge analysis into market-ready startups.

In simply 18 months, it has launched 4 deep-tech corporations, a tempo that underscores how the UAE’s coordinated method to innovation is reshaping the journey from laboratory breakthroughs to industrial success.

That tempo is not any coincidence. VentureOne sits throughout the Superior Know-how Analysis Council (ATRC), alongside Aspire, which identifies real-world challenges, and the Know-how Innovation Institute (TII), which develops the expertise to unravel them. VentureOne then takes these breakthroughs and turns them into industrial ventures.

“Our tempo comes from having a totally built-in innovation ecosystem underneath ATRC,” says Reda Nidhakou, CEO of VentureOne.

“This pipeline minimises fragmentation and accelerates the journey from lab to market. Early inside funding offers every startup room to validate its expertise and rent as wanted, making certain each pace and high quality.”

The method displays a broader nationwide ambition – to make the UAE not solely a client of worldwide expertise but in addition a creator of it. By linking analysis, innovation, and commercialisation underneath one umbrella, Abu Dhabi has constructed a mannequin designed to ship homegrown, high-impact startups at scale.

Not like conventional incubators, VentureOne doesn’t chase tendencies – it focuses on fixing crucial challenges. “We don’t select sectors, we select issues,” says Nidhakou. That has led to ventures in AI, autonomous robotics, post-quantum cyber safety, and local weather expertise, fields that usually require heavy R&D and long-term imaginative and prescient however ship transformational worth as soon as commercialised.

The method begins with Aspire, which collaborates with authorities entities, business leaders, and end-users to pick out issues price fixing. TII’s researchers then develop prototypes or proofs of idea, and VentureOne steps in to judge scalability, pilot with shoppers, and design viable enterprise fashions.

“This demand-led, data-driven mannequin replaces hypothesis with validation,” Nidhakou says. “It dramatically will increase our probabilities of delivering measurable, real-world influence.”

A significant differentiator in Abu Dhabi’s mannequin is expertise. VentureOne has efficiently attracted researchers and engineers from world tech giants corresponding to Google, DeepMind, Meta, and Microsoft. In accordance with Nidhakou, that is about greater than aggressive salaries or high quality of life: “At ATRC, folks get to construct one thing precious from begin to end. They work on high-impact challenges and see their improvements deployed. That sense of objective is deeply motivating.”

Supporting this ecosystem is the UAE’s agile regulatory framework and unified innovation agenda. Authorities-backed funding reduces early-stage danger, whereas clear pathways to licensing and market entry make it simpler for startups to develop.

“The federal government needs to export deep tech,” Nidhakou says. “They create an surroundings the place applied sciences will be developed, validated, and scaled quickly.”

After all, turning analysis into viable merchandise will not be with out challenges. The hardest half, Nidhakou admits, is bridging the “final mile” between technical readiness and market deployment. Many prototypes fail as a result of they aren’t designed for integration or compliance. VentureOne tackles this by embedding engineering and advisory groups alongside shoppers to co-develop scalable, market-ready options.

The outcomes are already seen. 4 startups have launched throughout a number of sectors, every addressing real-world issues with superior expertise and strategic market validation, and extra are set to comply with over the following 12 months.

“We’re seeing nice traction domestically and internationally,” says Nidhakou. “VentureOne helps place the UAE as a worldwide hub for daring, high-impact deep-tech ventures. Our aim now’s to maintain the momentum and construct a robust ecosystem of profitable, homegrown corporations.”