Sharjah Entrepreneurship Center
Sheraa is the Sharjah Entrepreneurship Center, launched in January 2016 as an initiative of Shurooq to support students, founders and small businesses in Sharjah through programmes, membership and funding schemes.
Industry: Entrepreneurship support and startup incubation | Location: Sharjah, United Arab Emirates | Founded: 2016
About Sharjah Entrepreneurship Center
The Sharjah Entrepreneurship Center, branded Sheraa, is an entrepreneurship support organisation based in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates. It was announced by Sheikha Bodour bint Sultan Al Qasimi, chairperson of the Sharjah Investment and Development Authority (Shurooq), and began operating in January 2016 as an initiative of Shurooq. Its first base was on the American University of Sharjah campus, and it is now headquartered at the Sharjah Research, Technology and Innovation Park, with hubs at the American University of Sharjah and the University of Sharjah. Sheraa was created to build an entrepreneurship ecosystem in Sharjah and the wider UAE. It works with young people and residents of all nationalities who want to start businesses. At launch it planned programmes for students, alumni, faculty and local small businesses, and its first four programmes were an ecosystem building series, an innovation lab, an idea lab and a growth lab. In 2018 Sheraa signed a memorandum of understanding with the Sharjah Chamber of Commerce and Industry to develop local entrepreneurship, signed at the Sharjah Entrepreneurship Festival, which the centre organises. The eighth edition of the festival took place on 1 and 2 February 2025 at the Sharjah Research, Technology and Innovation Park, and Sheraa has said the event draws more than 44,000 attendees. In March 2024 Sheraa launched Centres of Excellence in Manufacturing, Edtech, Creative Industries and Sustainability. The Manufacturing centre is championed by the Ministry of Industries and Advanced Technology and has brought in the Sharjah Chamber of Commerce and Industry and Emirates Development Bank to help startups with market access and financing. Sheraa has introduced an annual membership programme that gives founders continuing access to mentorship, funding opportunities and ecosystem resources. Applications are open on a rolling basis to entrepreneurs of all nationalities, and the programme targets up to 400 members in 2026-27 as part of a goal, announced in October 2025, of supporting more than 1,000 entrepreneurs by 2030. Sheraa reports that more than 17,800 founders and ecosystem players have taken part in its events. Forbes Middle East has cited a Sheraa portfolio of more than 150 startups that have raised about USD 161 million and created more than 1,600 jobs. In a September 2025 interview, Najla Al Midfa said that 95 percent of startups incubated in the previous three years remain operational and that 51 percent are led by women. Sheikha Bodour bint Sultan Al Qasimi chairs Sheraa's Board of Advisors, which in September 2024 was formed as a 17-member body and met again in May 2025 to set the organisation's direction. WAM described Najla Al Midfa as vice chairperson and Sara Abdelaziz Al Nuaimi as chief executive in May 2025.