- • Strategic Growth Fund (SDF) and REGENT Craft signed an preliminary settlement to deliver manufacturing and aftermarket providers for superior electrical seaglider to the UAE, pending closing situations and regulatory approvals.
- • SDF invested in REGENT in 2023, growing its stake in late 2024 as negotiations on the UAE partnership progressed, with plans for additional funding upon its profitable institution.
- • JV follows April 2024 settlement between Abu Dhabi Funding Workplace (ADIO) and REGENT to assist the corporate’s manufacturing capabilities throughout the Good and Autonomous Car Business (SAVI) cluster.
- • Be taught extra about REGENT right here and be taught extra about demand for seagliders within the UAE right here.
Strategic Growth Fund (SDF), an Abu Dhabi-based funding firm wholly owned by EDGE Group, one of many world’s main superior know-how and defence teams, as we speak introduced that it has signed an preliminary settlement with REGENT Craft, a Rhode Island-based developer and producer of all-electric seagliders. The settlement goals to ascertain a three way partnership (JV) to fabricate REGENT’s electrical seagliders within the UAE for provide to the Center East, Africa and past, upon receipt of all crucial approvals.The JV can even present aftermarket providers, together with upkeep, restore, and overhaul (MRO).
The enterprise aligns with EDGE’s and SDF’s strategic goals in specializing in superior applied sciences inside particular strategic sectors, amongst that are aerospace, and dual-use applied sciences. It additionally helps tasks that contribute to the event of the economic ecosystem and improve crucial provide chain and manufacturing capabilities inside these sectors.
SDF initially invested in REGENT in 2023 and elevated its stake in 2024 as negotiations for the UAE partnership progressed. Upon the profitable institution of the partnership, which is topic to finalizing situations and acquiring native and worldwide regulatory approvals – SDF plans to additional put money into the corporate, reinforcing its confidence in REGENT’s potential and strengthening their long-term collaboration.
Hamad Al Marar, EDGE Group Managing Director & CEO, commented: “SDF’s funding in REGENT Craft aligns with our dedication to concentrate on establishing strategic partnerships with key gamers in numerous industries to develop future-forward applied sciences. Our investments in crucial sectors drive technological developments and helps our objectives to reinforce the UAE’s industrial progress in strategic sectors.”
Abdulla Al Jaabari, Managing Director & CEO of SDF, commented: “We strongly imagine in REGENT Craft’s imaginative and prescient and groundbreaking know-how. This preliminary settlement marks a major step in our strategic hybrid funding strategy – combining investments in worldwide startups with strategic partnerships to contribute to the event of transformative applied sciences within the UAE.”
Earlier this month, on the World Authorities Summit 2025 in Dubai, Billy Thalheimer, Co-founder and CEO of REGENT Craft, spoke on the “Way forward for Mobility Discussion board.” Throughout his shows and discussions throughout a number of boards, he mentioned REGENT’s plans for establishing a state-of-the-art seaglider manufacturing plant in Abu Dhabi, UAE.
“We’re honoured to deepen our collaboration with SDF and make Abu Dhabi and the UAE a centre for seaglider manufacturing,” stated Billy. “This transformative potential partnership will usher in a brand new period of sustainable transportation know-how.”
The settlement follows an April 2024 Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Abu Dhabi Funding Workplace and REGENT that goals to assist the corporate’s growth and manufacturing capabilities inside Abu Dhabi’s Good and Autonomous Car Business (SAVI) cluster.
Commenting on the event, His Excellency Badr Al-Olama, Director Normal of ADIO, stated: “This settlement represents an necessary step ahead in encouraging funding in superior applied sciences, supporting innovation, and accelerating industrial growth in Abu Dhabi. SDF and REGENT Craft’s partnership additionally advances the goals of Abu Dhabi’s Good and Autonomous Car Business (SAVI) cluster, solidifying the emirate’s place as a pacesetter in sustainable, next-generation transportation options throughout air, land and sea.”
REGENT within the UAE
This collaboration will scale REGENT’s manufacturing capabilities and aftermarket providers, enhancing its skill to satisfy the growing demand for seagliders within the area and past. REGENT lately broke floor on a 255,000-square-foot seaglider manufacturing facility in Rhode Island, anticipated to return on-line in 2026.
Seagliders are a novel all-electric high-speed vessel that function completely over water to attach coastal locations for makes use of together with passenger journey, cargo transport, offshore vitality logistics, protection operations, and emergency response and support.
REGENT tasks the manufacturing and deployment of seagliders within the UAE have the potential to make important contribution to the nation’s annual GDP within the subsequent decade by localizing provide chain, creating excessive worth jobs, and elevated home tourism and spending.
Seagliders, which use current dock infrastructure, are anticipated to enter into service within the UAE in 2027, and REGENT has been working with key stakeholders within the nation to allow a easy integration into current transportation networks.
REGENT has signed agreements with the Abu Dhabi Division of Municipalities and Transportation (DOT) to combine seaglider service into the present UAE transportation community and with Abu Dhabi Maritime to discover the feasibility of electrical seagliders as a mode of transportation on Abu Dhabi waterways.
REGENT can be working with Aramex, a worldwide logistics and transportation options supplier, to evaluate the feasibility of integrating REGENT’s high-speed seagliders into Aramex’s middle-mile logistics community.
REGENT is working with maritime classification society Lloyd’s Register and the UAE Marine Transport Affairs Division to advance seaglider maritime certification within the nation.
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