Ethara champions sports innovation and investment with landmark pitch in Abu Dhabi

ABU DHABI: Ethara has launched its inaugural E1H Pitch, during which eight business founders presented their startup projects to investors at an event held at the Yas Conference Centre in Abu Dhabi.

The management company, which organizes some of the region’s biggest sporting events such as the Formula 1 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, UFC and the NBA games.

The event brought together more than 100 key stakeholders from sport, entertainment, government, and investment sectors to witness the unveiling of the regional startups hoping to secure funding for their development.

As the UAE’s first dedicated sports ecosystem and incubator, the Ethara 1TW Innovation Hub (E1H) was established to accelerate innovation and entrepreneurship in the UAE and the wider region by providing startups with access to expertise, commerce and capital.

The first E1H pitch was the culmination of a six-week program in which the eight early-stage ventures received strategic guidance and venture capital support to fast-track their development.

The event opened with keynote addresses from Mike Shapiro, head of ventures at City Football Group, and Mohamed Berrada, partner at Portas. Their insights into global sports investment and the future of digital fan engagement highlighted the UAE’s growing influence as a strategic base for sports tech and entertainment ventures. The session was hosted by sports broadcaster Chris McHardy.

“Innovation is at the heart of everything we do at Ethara,” said Saif Rashid Al-Noaimi, CEO of Ethara. “That’s why we created E1H with our partners at OneToWatch. We want to inspire the next generation of entrepreneurs to build new ventures that add value not just to Ethara but to Abu Dhabi’s global vision for sport and