Emirates joins forces with Sheraa to support start-ups and entrepreneurs

Emirates airline is teaming up with the Sharjah Entrepreneurship Centre, or Sheraa, to boost the UAE’s start-up and entrepreneurial ecosystem.

The Dubai airline will be Sheraa’s strategic partner and will offer discounted fares for start-ups attending the annual Sharjah Entrepreneurship Festival. It will also offer fare discounts to start-ups that relocate to the UAE through Sheraa’s programmes.

“The UAE has clearly established itself as a hub for innovation and ideas ... drawing in the brightest minds and talent from around the world,” said Adnan Kazim, Emirates’ chief commercial officer, yesterday.

“We will be contributing to those efforts through attracting and connecting start-ups to the UAE with Sheraa across our network ... with the end goal of fostering innovation and stimulating valuable economic activity.”

Gulf countries are investing in scaling up entrepreneurship ecosystems as they look to diversify their economies and fuel growth after Covid-19.

Sheraa, which means “to sail” in Arabic, is Sharjah’s initiative to build a start-up ecosystem in the emirate.

Its headquarters are at the American University of Sharjah and its hub, launched in September 2018, is based at the University of Sharjah.

This partnership will create new avenues for collaboration across the UAE’s entrepreneurial ecosystem, said Sheraa chief executive Najla Al Midfa.

“Sheraa’s community of enterprising founders will be able to capitalise on this exciting partnership to unlock access to global opportunities and scale their businesses to new heights,” said Ms Al Midfa.

“This reflects our belief that corporate stakeholders play a critical role in establishing Sharjah as a thriving entrepreneurship hub.”

Since its inception, Sheraa has supported 114 start-ups that have generated over $125 million in revenue and more than $74m in investment while also creating more than 1,300 jobs.

Last month, Sheraa teamed up with foreign direct investment office Invest in Sharjah to support start-ups in the UAE and the region by providing greater access to market opportunities and venture capital.

Attracting foreign investment across sectors is an important priority for the Sharjah government as it cuts its reliance on oil revenues and continues to diversify its economy.

The UAE has established itself as a hub for innovation ... drawing in the brightest minds from around the world ADNAN KAZIM Emirates’ chief commercial officer