In an insightful overview, Najla Al Midfa, CEO of the Sharjah Entrepreneurship Center (Sheraa), shared the organization’s comprehensive vision for transforming Sharjah into a thriving global hub for innovation and inclusive entrepreneurship. Al Midfa detailed Sheraa’s journey in building a connected ecosystem, fostering growth in key sectors, and empowering a new generation of founders.
Building A Cohesive Ecosystem
When Sheraa was founded, Sharjah already possessed the foundational elements of a strong entrepreneurial environment, including top-tier universities, a rich creative heritage, and a supportive government. What was missing, according to Al Midfa, was the connective tissue—a clear pathway for founders to move from idea to validation and scale.
Over the past decade, Sheraa has focused on building this pathway. By integrating its initiatives within Sharjah’s universities and innovation institutions, it has created a tangible pipeline for entrepreneurs. The results speak for themselves: Sheraa has supported over 450 startups that have collectively generated more than $370 million in revenue, attracted nearly $300 million in investment, and created over 2,600 jobs.
Significantly, more than half of these startups remain active today, and over 50% are led by women, highlighting the depth of talent in the emirate. While Sharjah’s ranking as 7th in MENA in the Global Startup Ecosystem Report marks significant progress, Al Midfa acknowledges that challenges remain, particularly in access to capital. To address this, Sheraa has built structured pathways not just to funding, but to crucial first customers, which often serve as a more powerful validation than initial seed money.
Fostering Growth In Key Sectors
Sharjah’s economic strategy is centered on sectors where the emirate holds a natural advantage: Education, Sustainability, Creative Industries, and Advanced Manufacturing. A new generation of founders is now building businesses in these areas with deep market understanding.
In education and inclusion tech, startups like Hoopla are using play-based methodologies to enhance children’s emotional intelligence, while Eshara utilizes AI-powered avatars to translate Arabic sign language, meeting practical needs in classrooms and workplaces.
The sustainability and circular economy space is seeing a rise in innovation. Bambuyu offers bamboo-based consumer products, The Waste Lab focuses on soil regeneration solutions, and Leaukeather creates bio-fabricated vegan leather, all aligning with the UAE’s long-term environmental priorities.
In the creative industries, platforms like ALStudio.ai are enabling creators to produce high-quality visuals and voiceovers without traditional infrastructure. In advanced manufacturing, startups such as AM Lab leverage Sharjah’s industrial base to provide precision engineering and additive manufacturing services to regional industries.
The Power of Belonging
The theme for the Sharjah Entrepreneurship Festival (SEF) 2026, “Where We Belong,” encapsulates a core tenet of Sheraa’s philosophy. Founded under the vision of Sheikha Bodour bint Sultan Al Qasimi, the festival is built on the understanding that ecosystems flourish where people feel a sense of connection and belonging.
Al Midfa explains that belonging is a prerequisite for innovation. Founders take risks when they feel secure, collaborate when there is trust, and build with confidence when they feel part of something larger than themselves. With over 44,000 participants across eight editions, SEF has become one of the region’s most trusted platforms for ideas to be shared, nurtured, and celebrated, reinforcing Sharjah as a home for purposeful entrepreneurs.
Empowering Female Founders
To address a persistent gap in the ecosystem, Sheraa launched the Sharjah’s Women of Impact Fellowship. The initiative was created after observing that many successful female founders with strong products lacked access to the high-level networks and leadership frameworks needed to scale.
The 16-week fellowship provides strategic clarity, investor readiness, and market positioning support, backed by a non-equity grant. This removes early concerns about dilution and provides a structured pathway from initial success to sustainable growth. The program leverages Sheraa’s entire ecosystem, offering mentorship, government partnerships, and investor roundtables to accelerate the fellows’ progress.
For female founders navigating systemic challenges, Al Midfa advises prioritizing early customers, being deliberate about networking, and investing in high-growth sectors like sustainability and AI. She emphasizes that progress will be achieved when the ecosystem evolves to a point where merit consistently determines outcomes.
About Sheraa
The Sharjah Entrepreneurship Center (Sheraa) is a government-supported entity launched in 2016 to cultivate a world-class entrepreneurship ecosystem in Sharjah and the wider UAE. Sheraa provides a comprehensive suite of programs and services, including incubation, acceleration, mentorship, and access to funding, to empower founders and help them build globally competitive, impact-driven ventures.
Source: Economy Middle East
