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Flat6Labs Abu Dhabi, the leading digital media accelerator in the UAE supported by twofour54, has announced the formation of its new Advisory Board consisting of nine top leaders from a wide range of industries to help steer the development of global startup accelerator.

The advisory council brings together exemplary business professionals from the public and private sector. The members are:

• H.H. Sheikh Mohammed Bin Nahyan – Chairman at Dhabi Holding
• Maryam Al Mheiri – Acting CEO of Media Zone Authority and twofour54
• Adib Mattar – Head of Private Equity at Mubadala
• Khuloud Hasan Al Nowais – Chief Strategy & Sustainability Officer at Emirates Foundation
• Majid Al Mail – Senior Manager of Projects at Technology Development Committee
• Najla Al-Midfa – General Manager at Sharjah Entrepreneurship Center (Sheraa)
• Ruba Al Hassan – Senior Advisor to the UAE ambassador to the US
• Salem Al Noaimi – CEO & MD at Waha Capital
• Todd Ruppert – Venture Partner at Greenspring Associates

Alongside its partners, Flat6Labs Abu Dhabi is proud to have formed an Advisory Board that is composed of experts who are deeply passionate about startup growth, the maturation of the investment community, and matching talent to opportunity to generate strategic value.

“It is very important for modern entrepreneurs to find a nurturing environment which will enable them to fulfil their vision and add to the economy of our growing nation.  I personally have deep rooted interest in this sector, and feel that the UAE is well positioned to provide a springboard for new technologies,” explained H.H. Sheikh Mohammed Bin Nahayan Bin Mubarak Al Nayahan, Chairman of Dhabi Holding.

“I am extremely delighted to be part of Flat6Labs Abu Dhabi’s advisory board and feel that this is an important group, contributing to our nation’s development, ” added H. H. Sheikh Mohammed.

Maryam Al Mheiri, Acting CEO of twofour54, said: “There is a growing interest in entrepreneurship across the region for its appeal that provides creative individuals with the opportunity to make an impact in society, the freedom and autonomy to be in charge of their careers, as well as its impact on national economies. twofour54 places great emphasis on entrepreneurship. We invested in developing low set-up cost programmes such as the Entrepreneurship Scheme which provides entrepreneurs with the option to obtain a license without the need to rent office space, in addition to launching the Business Centre facility which allows multiple users to utilise a single work station at different times”.

“We have worked with Flat6Labs to bring the global accelerator to Abu Dhabi in 2014 and that has resulted in launching 13 start-ups to date. I am delighted to be joining the advisory board of Flat6Labs Abu Dhabi and look forward to providing the necessary resources to drive its growth in order to serve a larger group of entrepreneurs in the future.” She added

Flat6Labs Abu Dhabi is championing the growth of the entrepreneurial ecosystem in Abu Dhabi and the UAE. Flat6Labs connects entrepreneurs to a strong network of regional and global mentors who provide support, expertise, and local knowledge focused around several sectors including but not limited to mobile applications, analytics, and digital content.

“I’m excited about supporting Flat6Labs Abu Dhabi to achieve its mission and become the innovation hub of Abu Dhabi,” said Khuloud Hasan Al Nowais, Chief Strategy & Sustainability Officer at Emirates Foundation and Advisory Board Committee member. “By offering youth an enabling environment that will allow them to realize their dreams, create jobs for themselves and for others,” added Al Nowais.

Since its launch in November 2014, Flat6Labs Abu Dhabi has successfully graduated 13 technology startups over two cycles. The first cycle’s startups were able to secure follow-on funding of more than two million US Dollars, a metric that all global accelerators are benchmarked on.

“The newly formed advisory council will enable Flat6Labs Abu Dhabi to identify best-in-class approaches for the expansion of the network and drive growth within the overall ecosystem,” said Ramez Mohamed, Flat6Labs CEO. “We are confident that the wealth of expertise each member of the advisory council brings will allow for a leap forward in the development of Flat6Labs Abu Dhabi and its ability to cultivate an innovation support program in the UAE,” he added.

The newly inaugurated Advisory Board will build on the program’s early success in an effort to review and advise on the strategic direction to support Flat6Labs’ mission of making Abu Dhabi a hub for entrepreneurs to scale globally.

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