Sharjah:The upcoming edition of the Sharjah Entrepreneurship Festival (SEF 2026) will place globally recognized and fast-scaling brands at the center of its Impact and Founders stages, offering entrepreneurs direct access to the companies behind some of today’s most resilient growth stories. SEF 2026 will give its audience the opportunity to learn from companies that have navigated scale, pressure, regulation, and market shifts firsthand.

Brands including WHOOP, Revolut, IBM, DAMAC Properties, ADNOC Drilling, The Giving Movement, Capital.com, Qlub, Quiqup, Zofeur, Yango Play, Astratech, Careem, and Brooki will participate in sessions built around execution, decision-making, and lived business experience, sharing how growth is achieved and sustained in the real world.

Impact stage: Operating at scale, under pressure

On the Impact Stage, within the Impact Zone, powered by Arada Developments, SEF 2026 will focus on organizations operating at scale, where performance, resilience, and long-term thinking are non-negotiable.

WHOOP, the global performance and recovery intelligence platform used by elite athletes and high-performing teams, will be represented by John Sullivan, CMO, in the session “Brand Durability, the WHOOP Way.” The discussion will examine how WHOOP built trust and longevity by prioritizing data integrity, disciplined product development, and customer retention over short-term growth tactics.

H.E. Dr. Tariq Bin Hendi, the CEO of Astra Tech (the parent company of BOTIM), and Global fintech platform Revolut’s GCC CEO, Ambareen Musa, will lead a panel titled, “Inside the CEO Role: What It Takes to Grow”, alongside other CEOs from leading companies.

Enterprise-level innovation will be addressed by IBM, represented by Shukri Eid, VP and GM, and Shaden Khallaf, Senior Regional Director for Public Policy, Government Affairs and Social Impact, Careem in “Scaling Tech Champions in the Middle East.” The session will focus on how AI, automation, and enterprise systems are deployed at scale, and what founders can learn from building technology that must perform reliably across industries and geographies.

In real estate and global development, DAMAC Properties will be represented by Ali Sajwani, MD, who will discuss the realities of building and sustaining large-scale luxury developments across international markets, with insight into capital cycles, brand equity, and long-term value creation.

Also joining the Impact Stage is Nora Al Matrooshi, first Emirati and Arab woman to be selected as an astronaut and mechanical engineer. Drawing from her experience in astronaut training and mission readiness, her session will focus on human performance, preparedness, and decision-making in extreme, high-stakes environments.

Pakistan’s two-time Academy Award-winning filmmaker, Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy, whose films have impacted legislative change will also take the Impact Stage to headline a session titled, “The Power of Story to Change Systems”.

Founders stage: the reality of building from the ground up
The Founders Stage, within the startup town,  powered by du business,  will center on companies that began as early-stage ideas and evolved into recognizable, scalable brands.

The Giving Movement, the UAE-born sustainable athleisure brand, will be represented by Rania Masri El Khatib, CEO, in “Path to the Top: Leading a Brand Into the Future.” The session will explore how the brand scaled while keeping local production, embedded social impact, and a values-driven identity at the core of its growth model.

Energy and industrial scale will be explored through ADNOC Drilling, represented by Youssef Salem, CFO, in “Leading Scale-Ups in Emerging Markets.” The session will examine how capital-intensive organizations grow within complex operating environments while balancing efficiency, innovation, and operational discipline.

Capital.com, one of the region’s fastest-growing trading platforms, will be represented by Tarik Chebib, CEO Middle East, in “Where Should MENA Invest in 2026?” The discussion will examine investor behavior, emerging asset classes, and the forces shaping capital flows across the region.

Decision-making at inflection points will be addressed by Qlub and Quiqup, represented by Eyad Alkassar, CEO of Qlub, and Bassel El Koussa, CEO of Quiqup, in “Pitch, Pivot, or Drop.” The session will focus on how founders recognize when to adapt, double down, or step away as markets shift.

Mobility platform Zofeur will be represented by Bunty Monani, CEO, in “How Do You Know You Found Product-Market Fit?” The session will offer insight into identifying real demand, pricing services effectively, and scaling operationally without compromising quality.

Global entertainment platform Yango Play will be represented by Ryan Restell, CCO, in “Lessons Startups Can Borrow from the Giants.” The discussion will examine what early-stage companies can realistically learn from large platforms, from customer experience to operational systems.

Completing the Founders Stage lineup, Brooki will be represented by founder Brooke Bellamy in “The Hard Work Starts After Close.” The session will focus on execution after early success, including operational maturity, leadership evolution, and sustaining momentum beyond the initial growth phase.

Organized by the Sharjah Entrepreneurship Center (Sheraa), SEF 2026 positions its Impact and Founders stages as spaces for candid, experience-led learning. Under the theme “Where We Belong,” the Sharjah Entrepreneurship Festival 2026 will take place from January 31 to February 1 at the Sharjah Research, Technology and Innovation Park (SPARK). The festival is expected to welcome more than 14,000 attendees and over 300 entrepreneurs, business leaders, and investors from around the world.