Abu Dhabi real estate regulator pairs market problems with startups under Hub71 deal
A two-year agreement signed at LIVEX 2026 gives founders a route into Abu Dhabi's regulated property market, with ADREC supplying the challenges and Hub71 the technology.
Abu Dhabi's real estate regulator has signed a two-year agreement with Hub71 to route startup technology into the property sector, matching companies with specific problems the market needs solved.
The memorandum of understanding between Abu Dhabi Real Estate Centre (ADREC) and Hub71 was signed at LIVEX 2026, the Liveability and Investment Exhibition. ADREC is an affiliate of Abu Dhabi's Department of Municipalities and Transport and acts as custodian and regulator of the emirate's property sector.
How the pairing works
ADREC will identify priorities and problems in the property market, then work with Hub71 to find technology companies able to build or adapt solutions. Selected startups may be introduced to real estate use cases and test their products through pilots before wider adoption is considered.
The arrangement gives ADREC early sight of emerging technologies and startup talent. Startups get a way into a regulated sector, with access to government and industry stakeholders. ADREC will also refer companies from its own network to Hub71 programs and supply sector expertise to Hub71's startup-selection process.
Rashed Al Omaira, Director General of ADREC, said technology had become central to keeping Abu Dhabi's property sector competitive and growing. He said the partnership links real estate directly with companies working on priorities that run from regulation to the way people buy, sell and manage property. ADREC intends to test practical solutions and adopt technology that proves its value, he said, with the goal of a market that is transparent, efficient and prepared for future change.
Pilots before adoption
Ahmad Ali Alwan, chief executive of Hub71, said working directly with sector and government stakeholders lets founders test products against practical use cases and refine them with a clearer path to adoption. That matters most for technology aimed at heavily regulated industries, where a regulator's feedback shapes whether a product can reach the market at all.
Hub71 connects startups with investors, corporations, government entities and market opportunities, and runs programs for companies establishing and scaling operations from Abu Dhabi. For ADREC, the ecosystem offers a pipeline of startups without the cost of building its own startup-development platform.
The exchange runs both ways. Hub71 supplies technology and access to founders; ADREC supplies real estate expertise, challenges and market connections. The two will also collaborate on community events, workshops and mentorship, with ADREC able to bring specialists from its network to advise startups on regulation, market structures, property transactions and asset management.
The point of the framework is the feedback loop. A regulator that names its own problems hands founders something close to a specification, and a specification shortens the distance between a working demo and a product a government can actually buy. Startups working on property technology otherwise tend to build without hearing from either the users or the officials who set the rules.
LIVEX 2026 runs at ADNEC Centre Abu Dhabi from September 29 to October 1, gathering government entities, investors, developers, technology companies and infrastructure providers. Organisers expect more than 1,500 investors and participants from over 50 countries. The ADREC-Hub71 agreement was among the real estate and investment initiatives announced around the event.
