US data residency hosting platform, InCountry, has announced that it has selected Abu Dhabi’s Mubadala-powered tech ecosystem, Hub 71 to set up its Middle East headquarters.
InCountry builds infrastructure for companies to ensure data protection within regulatory frameworks and jurisdictions, and is active in over 70 countries. Mubadala Capital – Ventures is also an investor in the tech start-up which has recently experienced rapid growth due to the growing data-sovereignty needs of multi-national organisations all over the world.
Ibrahim Ajami, head of Ventures, Mubadala Investment Company and interim CEO of Hub71, said that a key pillar of Mubadala Capital’s ventures’ strategy is to leverage its international network and bring innovative portfolio companies to Abu Dhabi.
“Our investment in InCountry provides us with access to a dynamic cloud player which provides a unique data residency service, with massive global potential.”
New data protection regulations are expected to be introduced in the UAE in the near future, and InCountry is well placed to offer innovative and scalable solutions for the local and regional market, it added.
“The fact that InCountry has taken the decision to join Abu Dhabi’s Hub71 – is testament of resilient tech ecosystems that are able to weather the storm during major macroeconomic upheaval. We look forward to supporting InCountry as they expand their presence across the MENA region,” Ajami said.
InCountry will be established as a regional subsidiary in Abu Dhabi Global Market and will be located within the WeWork x Hub71 community. It will employee over 36 global tech start-ups, corporates, accelerators, tech companies and venture capital firms.
Meanwhile, Peter Yared, founder & CEO at InCountry, said that the Middle East region has quickly become their top market and that they are fortunate to have received such tremendous support from its partners in the region.
“Our philosophy of respecting each country’s data residency regulations and sovereignty, while enabling companies to adopt the latest cloud software, has really resonated in the Middle East,” noted Yared. “I am pleased to establish our regional headquarters in Abu Dhabi’s Hub71 to take advantage of its holistic tech ecosystem – providing us with greater market access, world-class talent and flexible regulatory frameworks enabling us to better serve our customers.”
The company added that it already runs hosting facilities in the UAE, Egypt, and other countries in the region, and is deepening its hosting arrangements in Saudi Arabia by developing a co-location agreement with the Saudi Telecom Company.