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- Joint venture between G42 and Viola Group born out of Abraham Accords, with ADIO providing a range of growth-enabling support
- Global Valley boosts Abu Dhabi’s tech ecosystem and underlines its position as a magnet for global tech companies and talent
Abu Dhabi, UAE – G42, the leading Abu Dhabi-based technology company, and Viola, Israel’s leading technology investment group with over USD 5 billion in assets under management, today launched Global Valley, a talent-as-a-service platform that meets the ongoing worldwide demand for top tech talent. The joint venture between G42 and Viola is supported by the Abu Dhabi Investment Office (ADIO) and will offer clients access to ready-to-go, end-to-end R&D and tech excellence centres.
Global Valley will be one of the biggest employers of high-skilled tech talent in the region, sourcing exceptional employees globally across a variety of skill sets. Bridging the world’s long-term tech talent gap, Global Valley offers access to specialised resources, complementing Abu Dhabi’s deep existing talent pool and capability while also developing the local tech sector.
Global Valley covers the resourcing requirements across the entire employee life cycle from acquisition to management and payroll, providing coverage across both standard technology roles as well as more niche requirements such as artificial intelligence and machine learning specialists. The teams based in Abu Dhabi will be a mix of global technology talent and Emirati professionals and serve as a natural extension of their clients’ core teams.
Eng. Abdulla Abdul Aziz AlShamsi, Director General of ADIO, said: "The strength of Abu Dhabi’s innovation ecosystem and abundance of talent make the UAE capital the ideal base for Global Valley. The company will meet the increasing worldwide demand for top technology talent, supporting companies in the UAE, Israel and around the world to innovate and grow. Global Valley also builds on the enthusiasm generated by the Abraham Accords, which continues to create important collaborations in sectors focused on innovation and advanced technology.”
Despite a short-term easing, the world will continue to face a shortage of highly skilled tech workers in the coming years. One study by Korn Ferry estimated that by 2030 there will be a global talent gap of approximately 85 million employees in the Telecommunication, Media and Technology sector alone, creating headwinds on economic growth. Entities such as Global Valley will be key in plugging the tech talent gap and driving economic progress across industries and markets.
Peng Xiao, Group Chief Executive Officer of G42, said: “For years now, Abu Dhabi has championed cutting-edge innovation and digital transformation to diversify its economy and improve the quality of life for its residents, establishing itself as a top destination for tech talent and investments. By helping address the global tech talent shortage, Global Valley is poised to further strengthen the local ecosystem, fueling unparalleled innovation and propelling Abu Dhabi to new heights as a dynamic hub for technological advancement and business prowess. We look forward to collaborating with ADIO and Viola to empower the next generation of exceptional business and tech leaders in the Middle East and beyond.”
“Abu Dhabi has been at the forefront of discussions around AI, even before it became popular. Being a key player in the market, G42 remains committed to driving advancements in AI and technological innovation, together with its partners. Through Global Valley, we are poised to unlock limitless opportunities, spur groundbreaking innovations, and solidify the region's position as a prominent destination for tech talent and investment,” continued Xiao.
Global Valley expects to operate from multiple sites around Abu Dhabi, including Al Ain, in collaboration with local partners. Alongside direct employment opportunities, Global Valley will offer UAE nationals internships, exchange programmes and collaborations with local universities.
Avi Zeevi, Co-Founder & General Partner at Viola, said: “We’re proud to continue the road paved by the Abraham Accords agreements and to build a joint venture that will leverage Israel’s innovation ecosystem. We believe this initiative will have a major impact on the development of the region. Technology will continue to be a significant force of transformation globally, and this is the time to invest in the infrastructure that will provide tech companies, in Israel and globally, with the best-of-class tech talent to fuel their future growth and support their activities in the region.”
Global Valley further advances collaboration between Abu Dhabi and Israel since the Abraham Accords. The joint venture between G42 and Viola follows recent collaborations between ADIO and Israeli companies Liquidity Group and OurCrowd. FinTech company Liquidity Group became the first Israeli company to join ADIO’s Innovation Programme, establishing an R&D centre in the UAE capital. OurCrowd is significantly expanding its Abu Dhabi operations with a new venture capital office and AI tech hub enabled by ADIO.
About the Abu Dhabi Investment Office
The Abu Dhabi Investment Office (ADIO) is the entry point for local, regional and international investors to the Abu Dhabi ecosystem. Working with ADIO, the UAE capital’s central authority for investment, the private sector can access long-term, commercially sustainable opportunities to grow with Abu Dhabi. These include access to Abu Dhabi’s land bank, large scale government infrastructure projects, and growth-enabling support in line with the development of Abu Dhabi’s priority sectors and ADIO’s focus on scalability, innovation and sustainability. ADIO’s work with the Abu Dhabi ecosystem - government partners, sovereigns, and national champions - is a catalyst for the development and diversification of Abu Dhabi’s economy driven by the increased participation of the private sector. Investors can contact ADIO through its head office in the UAE capital or via one of its eight international offices located in Beijing, Frankfurt, London, New York, Paris, San Francisco, Seoul, and Tel Aviv. Visit https://www.investinabudhabi.gov.ae/ for more information.
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About G42
G42 is a global leader in creating visionary artificial intelligence capabilities for a better tomorrow. Born in Abu Dhabi and operating around the world, G42 champions AI as a powerful force for good. Its people are constantly reimagining what technology can do, applying advanced thinking and innovation to accelerate progress and tackle society’s most pressing problems.
G42 is driving change in the region and beyond, joining forces with nations, corporations and individuals to create the infrastructure for tomorrow’s world. From molecular biology to space exploration and everything in between, G42 realizes exponential possibilities, today.
For further information visit www.g42.ai.
About Viola
Viola is Israel’s leading technology-investment group with over $5B AUM. Founded in 2000, Viola has backed over 200 technology companies and stands with a disproportional share of Israel’s successful public listings and M&As, such as ironSource (acquired by Unity), Pagaya (Nasdaq: PGY), Payoneer (Nasdaq: PAYO) and SimiliarWeb (NYSE: SMWB).
Viola is comprised of four focused separate investment arms, including Viola Ventures, focused on early-stage investments, Viola Growth focused on growth-stage companies; Viola Credit which provides debt and alternative funding) and Viola FinTech – a cross-stage co-investment global FinTech fund.
The group has over 90 people and offices in TLV and NY.
For more information: www.viola-group.com
