"Sharjah Entrepreneurship 2026" Discusses issues of innovation, digital solutions and creative industries
Sharjah, 23 January / WAM / “Startup City” stands out among the ten areas hosted by the “Sharjah Entrepreneurship Festival 2026” in its ninth session, as it is a region dedicated to accelerating the growth of startup companies, enhancing their readiness for investment, and expanding their reach to global markets, in addition to hosting the “Investors Lounge” and “Founders’ Platform” and hosting the “Startup Showcase” competition in cooperation with 1Tank.
The Startup City is supported by du Business, the du brand, which seeks, through the du Business portfolio of services, to be the supporting partner to empower entrepreneurs by providing communication solutions and digital services tailored to support their needs.
The “Startup City” was designed as part of a common trend to enhance the entrepreneurship environment, to be a platform that brings together company founders, investors, and entities supporting the entrepreneurial ecosystem, with the aim of transforming ideas into scalable companies and long-term partnerships.
The region is witnessing a series of dialogue sessions in which elite business leaders discuss topics related to the future of capital and financing channels that help emerging companies develop and grow.
Participants in the “Startup City” will showcase products and services based on innovation, including technology, digital solutions, creative industries and emerging business models, through screens and live performances in front of the audience.
The “Investors Lounge” provides an organized environment for direct one-on-one meetings between startups and 100 investors, which opens a practical path to exploring financing opportunities, building strategic partnerships, and expanding in markets.
The Founders Platform represents the main space in the Startup City, hosting 30 diverse sessions that include dialogues, keynotes, and specialized speeches that discuss the reality of building and expanding projects.
The sessions focus on market trends, investment trends, and the challenges facing company founders in growth paths, attracting talent, and enhancing global competitiveness, which enhances the role of the “Startup City” as a practical environment that contributes to empowering company founders within the festival.
Her Excellency Sarah Belhaif Al Nuaimi, Executive Director of the Sharjah Entrepreneurship Center (Sheraa), said: “The Startup City was designed to be a space for practical dialogue that brings together founders, investors and expertise, and supports them in making clearer decisions that contribute to directing the growth path of their companies. Through this direct interaction, entrepreneurs are able to realistically evaluate their business models, understand investment readiness requirements, and build more balanced and sustainable growth paths that reflect their ambitions and are consistent with market requirements.”
For his part, Karim Benkirane, Chief Commercial Officer at du, said, “Supporting the next generation of entrepreneurs through the Startup City within the Sharjah Entrepreneurship Festival 2026 is in line with du’s mission and vision to accelerate digital transformation in the United Arab Emirates. We are pleased, through the du Business portfolio of services, to contribute to a platform that connects aspiring entrepreneurs with the resources, networks, and strategic guidance necessary to build pioneering companies in the future, thus enhancing the continuation of our commitment to consolidating innovation and finding sustainable paths for the success of startups in All over the region.
This year, the “Founders Platform” will witness a series of dialogue sessions in which business leaders and CEOs discuss topics related to the future of capital and alternative financing models that are related to project financing channels outside the scope of traditional banking institutions. In light of the data indicating that artificial intelligence investments last year generated more than half the value of global capital market deals, which total $512 billion, Laura Modiano, head of the emerging companies sector at OpenAI, reviews the most prominent challenges and opportunities in the next phase of this sector.
Tala Aljabri, founder and managing partner of Wild VC, shares her experience in launching the first investment fund to support startups in the field of artificial intelligence in the Middle East and North Africa region, while Christos Mastoras, founder and managing partner of Eliad Partners, leads a session featuring investment specialists to analyze capital market expectations, and Parthi Doraisamy, CEO and co-founder of ALAN, explains how company founders and employees can achieve liquidity before exiting the startup.
The “Startup City” will discuss the topics of health care and quality of life in two sessions, with Vadim Fedotov, founder and CEO of “Beyoung,” presenting the session “When Two Worlds Intersect: Athletes Turning into Company Founders,” while Dr. Ihsan Al Marzouqi, co-founder and managing director of “Glocare,” will participate in a session entitled “Establishing Companies Transparently: Roles, Power, and Trust.” “Nafsi Health” also provides a mental health clinic to provide consultations.
During one of the regional sessions, Dr. Azzam Pasha, co-founder and CEO of Malxi, discusses the importance of modernizing food supply chains, and the session by Edward Hammoud, founder of Switch Foods, focuses on the role of agricultural technology in building more resilient food systems.
The Startup City hosts the “Startup Pitch” competition, which witnesses entrepreneurs presenting their pitches to experts, receiving a direct evaluation, and competing for prizes amounting to 275,000 dirhams.
The competition provides participants with the opportunity to obtain additional funding from investors, which contributes to enabling innovative and creative entrepreneurs to transform ideas into companies that can expand, grow, and contribute to the economy and national development.
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