The Sharjah Entrepreneurship Center (Sheraa), has awarded its first Access Sharjah winner, ‘Little Thinking Minds’, a $100K equity-free grant. ‘BoBu’, ‘Narrativa’, and ‘almentor.net’ in second position, were presented with a $20K equity-free grant.
Sheraa dedicated the inaugural edition of the program, which was launched in celebration of Sharjah World Book Capital 2019, to those working in the publishing and digital content sector. This was done to support the emirate’s vision of investing in the knowledge industry. Launched late last year, Access Sharjah is a global platform that connects digital start-ups to relevant public and private entities in Sharjah and across UAE.
Participating entrepreneurs were given access to Sheraa’s team of experts and network of global mentors, business set-up support, rent-free co-working spaces and free licensing, a pool of skilled human capital and media coverage.
Sheikha Bodour bint Sultan Al Qasimi, Head of the Advisory Committee of Sharjah World Book Capital (SWBC), said “Investments in entrepreneurs in the publishing sector is an investment in the future of the international book market. The aspirations of these businesses, combined with their sustainable products and services, drive the growth and success of the publishing industry. It also stimulates cultural entities to embrace projects and initiatives which advance knowledge and culture.”
After the COVID-19 crisis and due to travel bans, the program was delivered online, including remote pitch training, mentorship, and final pitch day with external judges.
Najla Al Midfa, CEO of Sheraa, said, “Access Sharjah was created to solve one of the most critical challenges that start-ups face, which is gaining access to markets. The program serves as a launchpad into the Sharjah and wider UAE market, supporting the growth of innovative start-ups as well as furthering the emirate’s vision to be a global destination for high impact businesses. For the first edition, we focused on start-ups in the book and digital content space, in honor of Sharjah being named UNESCO World Book Capital 2019. We received over 250 applications from around the world, and are proud to announce, ‘Little Thinking Minds’, ‘BoBu’, ‘Narrativa’, and ‘almentor.net’ as winners. We look forward to having these high-caliber start-ups call Sharjah their home and shall continue to work with them as they grow their ventures.”
Additionally, Sheraa’s partners, Sharjah Publishing City Free Zone (SPC Free Zone) and Emirates Publishers Association (EPA), lent considerable support towards helping the start-ups scale and enter new markets. Salim Omar Salim, Director of Sharjah Publishing City Free Zone (SPCFZ), said: “Entrepreneurs and SMEs are driving the publishing sector worldwide. SPCFZ is committed to aiding their ambitions, as we give them access to world-class business and production facilities, help them build profitable businesses, and offer an optimal environment for innovative content creation. Our mission is defined by the collective vision of Sharjah’s cultural entities, which are working together to advance the UAE’s publishing landscape, especially furthering its digitization efforts to meet the aspirations of global industry stakeholders.”
Rashid Al Kous, Executive Director of Emirates Publishers Association (EPA), said “Access Sharjah stimulates competitiveness and promotes an entrepreneurial business culture in companies venturing into publishing and other creative sectors. It also aligns with the overarching vision of the EPA, Sheraa and allied entities in Sharjah. This inclusive vision is inspired by Sharjah’s cultural project and signals an important new investment in its key pillars. I hope the program will enable entrepreneurs to leverage the emirate’s thriving business environment, harnesses key opportunities presented by Sharjah at its annual international events and fairs, and benefit from the local and regional initiatives which focus on the promotion of creative content creation.”
