The Sharjah Entrepreneurship Center (Sheraa) announced the launch of the 6th edition of the Sharjah Entrepreneurship Festival (SEF) 2022 on December 17th and 18th at the Sharjah Research, Technology and Innovation Park theme of “Where we belong”.
The festival, organized by Sheraa Centre in Sharjah, UAE, aims to support entrepreneurs and start-ups and provide an opportunity to present their ideas to major investors in various sectors.
In this context, Sheraa will facilitate the pitching from 100 startup companies to share their vision with leading investors from various sectors in the region, followed by a chance to compete for monetary prizes to provide valuable funding for their ideas.
Through the first event, the Sharjah Entrepreneurship Center aims to provide entrepreneurs with the advice and expertise of major investors to introduce them to the tools of managing and developing startups to ensure their success and leadership, and the realistic strategies used by major companies to invest opportunities and resources in the best ways to achieve growth.
The Sheraa team will facilitate the exhibiting and pitching of startups to potential investors including entities such as Shorooq Ventures, Crescent Enterprises Ventures, Emirates Development Bank, and Dtech Ventures. This process will enable participants to gain the knowledge and expertise to strategise, develop, and steer their businesses towards success.
Sheraa will organise an exclusive “Pitch Competition” in partnership with Sharjah Business Women Council, Sharjah Media City (SHAMS) and Sharjah Commerce & Tourism Development Authority (SCTDA), and the event will focus on four main tracks: Tech Startups, Women-Led Startups, Creative & Media Startups, and Tourism Startups, giving a range of industries for entrants to showcase their ideas, this aligns with the diversity that SEF has to offer at the festival this year.
Fifteen startups will get the chance to pitch their idea to a panel of judges comprising industry experts and heavyweights. The shortlist for the competition will comprise the top three businesses competing in the Women-Led Startups track; the most promising three startups in the Creative & Media Startups track; the leading three businesses in the Tourism Startups track, and six of the best in the Tech Startups track.
The shortlist criteria for startups include innovative solutions in their respective markets, their unique technology or innovation, overall originality and ingenuity, the ability to present a viable and scalable business model, and the potential impact the product or service could have in the market.
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