The Abu Dhabi SME Hub has expanded its offerings to empower SMEs and startups in order to drive the growth of this vital sector and contribute positively to sustainable development.
The SME Hub is the interactive knowledge platform launched in 2021 as a public-private partnership initiative. The platform is a collaboration between the Abu Dhabi Department of Economic Development (ADDED), Khalifa Fund for Enterprise Development, and Dunes Ventures, a venture builder by Mediaquest Business.
Abu Dhabi SME Hub has also upgraded the platform to enhance the experience of entrepreneurs, mentors, and partners. As a result, the user base grew to over 17,000 unique users who benefit from various services and tools to set up and run their businesses.
According to the statement, the platform provides SMEs with updates on initiatives and announcements as well as best business practices by engaging a multi-format educational content, implementing market-tested strategies and technologies through partnerships with key market players, and connecting with the wider business ecosystem, including government entities, regulators, investors, mentors, and peers.
Ms. Mouza Obaid Al Nasri, Executive Director SMEs Sector at ADDED, said that, “Since its launch, the Abu Dhabi SME Hub has made great strides to support startups and SMEs throughout their journey from ideation to setting up and doing business. We are keen to drive the growth of SME as it is one of the vital sectors in the economy and plays a critical role in the diversification strategy by increasing non-oil GDP and creating jobs in knowledge-based, innovation-driven sectors.”
“To this end, ADDED has launched many initiatives to further enhance the business ecosystem, incentivize and stimulate entrepreneurship in the Emirate by simplifying procedures, reducing costs and requirements, and enabling seamless integration of government services. We believe that adding new services to Abu Dhabi SME Hub will immensely help entrepreneurs to move to the next stage of their success journey,” Ms. Al Nasri added.
Abu Dhabi SME Hub is planning to further develop the platform and add new features, and engage new partners from the public and private sectors in the coming months.
“New initiatives will enable business founders to build companies faster, better, and cheaper; facilitate access to banking services, provide a wider scope of educational and advisory offerings,” as per the statement.
