Sheikha Bodour Al Qasimi: "True development is achieved by empowering the youth"
Sharjah - In keeping with its dedication to supporting, empowering and stimulating young entrepreneurs to establish their businesses, the Sharjah Entrepreneurship Centre (Sheraa) has announced that it will be organising the ‘Sharjah Entrepreneurship Festival’ (SEF) on 21-22 November 2017 at the Sharjah Golf and Shooting Club.
Themed ‘Recharge Your Entrepreneurial Spirit’, the Sharjah Entrepreneurship Festival is the largest entrepreneurship event in the UAE. The festival will bring together more than 1,500 attendees, including experts from around the world, entrepreneurs, government partners, potential investors and industry veterans from the global business community who will showcase their visions and exchange their experience through workshops and specialised panels. The event aims to enable young entrepreneurs to transform their business ideas into reality and launch their start-ups, helping to build a better and brighter future for the UAE and the business sector.
The festival will shed light on an array of topics, including innovation in entrepreneurship, social entrepreneurship, creative economy, the future of technology and financial technology (FinTech).
80 Speakers:
The event will feature 80 key speakers presided over by: HE Mohamed Alabbar, Chairman of Emaar Properties; HE Dr. Khalid Omar Al Midfa, Chairman of Sharjah Media City (Shams); HE Khaled Al Huraimel, CEO of Sharjah Environment Company (Bee’ah); Fadi Ghandour, Chairman of Wamda Capital; and Badr Jafar, CEO of Crescent Enterprises; and more than 60 companies, in addition to some of the most successful start-ups in the region.
Sheikha Bodour Al Qasimi, Chairperson of the Sharjah Investment and Development Authority (Shurooq) and Chairperson of Sharjah Entrepreneurship Centre (Sheraa), said: “Over the years, the Emirate of Sharjah has increased its ongoing support for entrepreneurship, inspired by the vision of His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, Member of the Supreme Council Ruler of Sharjah, which shows that true development is achieved by empowering the youth.”
“Entrepreneurship centres, such as Sheraa, have played a pivotal role in converting the experimental ideas of Emirati young entrepreneurs into tangible successful projects. Today, the Emirate of Sharjah is home to more than 55,000 companies and sees a thriving growth in a stimulating and entrepreneur-friendly environment,” Sheikha Bodour Al Qasimi added.
“The SEF is a platform for elite young investors, businesspersons and entrepreneurs from around the world to discuss their creative and innovative ideas through one-on-one thought-provoking discussions, panel sessions and debates. They will also seek businesspeople and companies to adopt and fund their start-ups,” Sheikha Bodour Al Qasimi noted.
For his part, HE Mohamed Alabbar, Chairman of Emaar Properties, said: “We are delighted to be the strategic partner of the SEF in empowering young talented people and encouraging them to innovate and keep abreast of technological developments to launch successful projects in the future.”
“Sheraa shares our vision, which aims to create a new generation of young entrepreneurs and provide them with an environment that stimulates them to innovate. The UAE hosts many talented people, and this is where the significance of the SEF stems from; it is their platform to promote their ideas and projects, and consequently play a crucial role in supporting the development process at the national level, with a focus on innovative technological projects,” he added.
Fadi Ghandour, Chairman of Wamda Capital, said: “Wamda's participation in the Sharjah Entrepreneurship Festival aligns with our dedication to creating strategic relationships with startups and community builders across the Arab world. Our approach as Wamda is to be community-oriented and to be more than just a financial investor. While Wamda Capital aims to partner with and invest in companies that will effect positive economic impact in the region, Wamda's programs, research and thought leadership content serve diverse stakeholders of the startup ecosystem. As such, we look forward to attending the festival and further exploring more opportunities and ways to continue our support for the thriving ecosystem in the region.”
Badr Jafar, CEO of Crescent Enterprises, said: “Our ethos at Crescent Enterprises has always been about developing businesses fully aligned with our societal needs and aspirations. Through SEF, we all have an amazing opportunity to cultivate innovative startups from across our region that are leveraging latest technology towards crafting business-led solutions to address the region’s pressing challenges. This intellectual exchange and entrepreneurial fusion will further fuel the transition of our nation from being early adopters to next-gen innovators.”
Khaled Al Huraimel, CEO of Sharjah Environment Company (Bee’ah), said: “The Sharjah Entrepreneurship Festival is yet another event that will elevate the realities of the local entrepreneurship sector, and highlight Sharjah’s important position at regional and global levels in this field. At Bee’ah, we are interested in entrepreneurship ideas and projects relevant to the sustainability and ecosystem sectors, because it can help us further our efforts and develop our projects to the benefit of all parties.”
Strategic partnerships:
In conjunction with its commitment to strengthen relationships with all state and private entities that support SMEs, Sheraa forged a strategic partnership with Sharjah Media City (Shams) and Emaar Group, with the aim of supporting the festival and highlighting its pivotal role in the elevation of the local entrepreneurship sector.
HE Dr. Khalid Omar Al Midfa, Chairman of Sharjah Media City (Shams), said: “We are proud to support Sheraa in its efforts to create a new generation of young entrepreneurs. The centre seeks to empower the youth, through providing them with knowledge, expertise and experience, as well as enhancing collaboration. In doing so, the Emirate of Sharjah will further its position as the region’s gateway and destination to promising markets, potential opportunities and thriving environments for many entrepreneurs.”
Najla Al Midfa, General Manager of Sharjah Entrepreneurship Centre (Sheraa), said: “Launching the Sharjah Entrepreneurship Festival is yet another event through which we honour owners of businesses and stimulate promising entrepreneurs. The two-day event is an ideal opportunity to recognise young entrepreneurs for their new and remarkable achievements, as well as consult our partners on setting a more vibrant and positive entrepreneurial environment.”
SEF Awards:
The SEF Awards will take place on the sidelines of the event. A Host of professional experts in the field of entrepreneurship will assess a collection of SME projects, the best of which will win the AED 150,000 awards in nine categories, including Entrepreneur of the Year, the Tech Start-up of the Year and the Sheraa Rising Star of the Year.
The awards target seven key sectors, namely; travel and tourism, FinTech, food and beverage, creative economy, social enterprise, CleanTech, and logistics and transportation.
More information and tickets are available through: www.sharjahef.com
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