Creative Zone and Sharjah Media City (Shams) Free Zone Authority launch StartupX accelerator programme

Dubai: UAE’s largest business setup consultancy Creative Zone is excited to launch their maiden incubator/accelerator programme StartupX in partnership with Sharjah Media City (Shams) early July.  

Every year, this programme will invest in 4 of the UAE’s most promising start-ups or business ideas having a vision of making a difference to the wider community. These start-ups will be given the opportunity to expand their reach through Creative Zone’s support services and partner networks allowing them access to business trade licenses, office spaces, legal advice, media and marketing services, funding options, tax and accounting consultation, and more.

StartupX is spread over three stages, beginning with a one-minute pitch video summarising the business concept and the entrepreneur behind it. Ten entries will be shortlisted against criteria such as feasibility, pitch delivery, financial viability, scalability, and sustainability. Selected entrepreneurs will be invited for a formal StartupX Demo Day event, where the finalists will compete for the AED 100,000 worth business support services by presenting their businesses to a panel of experts featuring several prominent business leaders from across the UAE, including H.E. Shihab Alhammadi, Managing Director of Sharjah Media City (Shams), Muhamed Al Banna, Group CEO and Managing Director, Lead Ventures, Lorenzo Jooris, CEO of Creative Zone, Nadine Halabi, Business Development Manager at Dubai Business Women Council, Reg Athwal, Founder, Chairman and MD of RTS Global, Spencer Lodge, Founder, Make It Happen University, and Andreea Danila, Founding General Partner of Global Millennial Capital.

The programme will also feature a series of comprehensive mentorship and coaching sessions delivered by our committed partner coaches as well as the supporting entities such as Microsoft, Etisalat, Pipeline, DHL, Creative971, Telr, Eureka, Insurance Market, among many others.

Winners will receive a year’s free trade license offered by Sharjah Media City, a year-long mentoring programme with workshops, seminars and training sessions, a year’s office space at My Office, free banking, tax and accounting advice, discounted insurance coverage for the winner, digital marketing and human resources support, as well as access to premium Microsoft products.

“Sharjah Media City has a mission to develop the entrepreneurship landscape and support promising startups in the Emirate of Sharjah and the UAE as a whole. We strive to establish a robust network of investment opportunities and infrastructure, in an effort to offer full support to new companies and ventures, develop all sectors, and build thriving industries rooted in advanced technology,” noted H.E. Shihab Alhammadi, Managing Director of Sharjah Media City (Shams). “With that in mind, we are excited to be launching this initiative in collaboration with Creative Zone to scout innovative and promising ideas and play a part in turning them into concrete projects. We believe this is only the beginning and look forward to launching many more initiatives in the future.”

“This initiative reinforces the resilience of the regions’ entrepreneurial spirit and provides a platform for all to gain advice, mentorship, and learn as they proceed from one stage to the next. We have already seen an interest with the soft launch early Feb and look forward to seeing some future business leaders by the close of the programme” commented Lorenzo Jooris, CEO, Creative Zone.

Promising business plans will receive investment funding through Creative Zone’s Venture Capital division and from other participating partners.

To register for the programme, visit: https://lp.creativezone.ae/startup-x/ 

About Creative Zone

Creative Zone is Dubai's largest and most trusted business setup advisory firm. Creative Zone's registration professionals have helped thousands of aspiring entrepreneurs and SMEs grow their businesses in the UAE since its launch by Mahesh Dalamal and Steve Mayne in 2010. The Company was created with a simple yet revolutionary model for the UAE marketplace; to serve as a one-stop-shop, with flexible payment plans, for easy company incorporation. Creative Zone has now evolved to provide added business support services to create an ecosystem that helps entrepreneurs and SMEs to set up, sustain, and grow their businesses and contribute to the UAE's position as the global location of choice for company setup.

About Sharjah Media City (Shams)

Sharjah Media City (Shams) was established in January 2017 by decree from His Highness Sheikh Dr Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, UAE Supreme Council Member, Ruler of Sharjah, as a free zone within the Emirate of Sharjah with its own integrated infrastructure. Shams provides an attractive investment environment for small and medium enterprises and start-ups in the emirate, offering a host of services and facilities that allow entrepreneurs to expand and develop their business. It also provides support for human resources in the media and creative industries.

Shams offers 100% ownership opportunities for foreign investors, providing integrated solutions for business developments across a wide range of commercial sectors and activities, and ensuring complete flexibility to switch between commercial activities.

© Press Release 2021