Sheraa and Endeavor Sign MOU to Strengthen Entrepreneurship in the UAE

Keeping with their commitment to support entrepreneurs and build key networks across the region, the Sharjah Entrepreneurship Center (Sheraa) and Endeavor, a global non-profit pioneering in the high-impact entrepreneurship movement, have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), to ensure alignment and closer collaboration of both parties.

The MoU was signed by Najla Al-Midfa, CEO of Sheraa, and Badr Jafar, Chairman of Endeavor UAE and CEO of Crescent Enterprises, in a bid to establish collaborative mechanisms, enabling both Sheraa and Endeavor, to support high growth scaelable startups at different stages of their journey.

Najla Al-Midfa, CEO of Sheraa, said, “Sheraa and Endeavor have a shared mission to support entrepreneurs as they grow their global impact. This partnership enables us to work together to cultivate a pool of high-impact startups that contribute to innovation and job creation, and would eventually gain access to Endeavor’s prestigious network. As our partnership continues to evolve, we look forward to seeing this collaboration lead to a thriving, accessible entrepreneurship ecosystem and increased job creation across the region.”

Badr Jafar, CEO of Crescent Enterprises and Chairman of Endeavor UAE said, “Scale-ups can significantly contribute to the economies within which they operate, but their needs for support are different from other SMEs given the unique challenges they face.

Sheraa has been committed to supporting early-stage startups and Endeavor UAE is proud to be partnering with them to build on their work and continue to support entrepreneurs as they rapidly grow their businesses to the next level. By giving entrepreneurs access to an unparalleled global network of mentors, Endeavor supports entrepreneurs to transform communities, create quality jobs and inspire future generations of founders.”

In addition, under the agreement, Sheraa, represented by Najla Al Midfa has joined Endeavor UAE’s Board of Directors to better align their collaboration.

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About Sheraa (Sharjah Entrepreneurship Center):

Launched in January 2016, Sheraa (Sharjah Entrepreneurship Center) is a platform that supports entrepreneurs. From strategically transforming ideas into reality, to effectively nurturing established businesses, to promoting networking opportunities with investors and stakeholders – it cultivates change-makers and builds a thriving entrepreneurship ecosystem.

Sheraa – ‘Sail’ in Arabic – runs four different programs that are tailored to every stage of the entrepreneurial journey: Idea Lab, Pre-seed, Seed, and Series A.

Idea Lab breaks down an entrepreneur’s business model and ensures proof of concept. Pre-seed, consists of customized deep-dive sessions and interactive workshops on topics such as project management, rapid prototype testing, financials, pitch rehearsals, as well as personal and team strength training. The Seed program addresses a startup’s key milestones in the journey of growth, focusing on marketing channels and enhanced customer experience. Lastly, Series A is an in-depth program, helping advanced startups refine their strategy, internal processes, and external customer experience to ready them for the next stage of growth.

Sheraa, a non-profit government organization, is headquartered at the American University of Sharjah and hosts a thriving community of ambitious entrepreneurs. The second Sheraa hub, launched in September 2018, is located at the University of Sharjah.

Since its’ inception, Sheraa has successfully built a community of over 7,000 entrepreneurs and ecosystem players. Validated 300+ ideas through the Idea Lab and graduated over 70 start-ups from the programs. In addition, Sheraa start-ups have generated over $19 million in revenue and raised over $14 million in investment.

For more information, please visit – https://sheraa.ae/