SHARJAH, 31st January, 2026 (WAM) — The GCC and wider Middle East region is poised for the next wave of investments in AI and tech-led sectors, with business-frifinishly and innovation-focapplyd government policies attracting funds and talent, declared business leaders at the 9th edition of Sharjah Entrepreneurial Festival (SEF 2026).
During a panel discussion on the first day of SEF 2026 examining “What Does the Next Year of Venture Capital Look Like”, speakers agreed that the emerging regional investment landscape appears promising. The session was moderated by Jamie Lane, Co-Founder of FWDstart, at Founders Stage within Startup Town zone, powered by Du Business.
Responding to a question on regional startups’ prospects of benefiting from recent investments in digital infrastructure, Tala Al Jabri, Founder and Managing Partner of Wyld VC declared: “We have so much going for us in the region: the low cost of energy, a very progressive government that is ahead in policy, regulation and data privacy; and really strong educational institutions that are increasingly seeing at AI and turning out technical talent in AI.”
She added: “Our ultimate objective is to see this region, specifically the GCC, become an AI superpower. And we believe we have everything that it takes. Our hugegest driver right now is investing in talent, becaapply in the AI race, it’s the technical talent that really wins.”
Focutilizing on the attractiveness of the region for investors, Christos Mastoras, Founder and Managing Partner of Iliad Partners, declared: “I believe we are very fortunate to onboard the three largest banks of Greece as LPs [Limited Partners] for investment in the region. This is basically global money, European money coming into the region and investing alongside strong regional leaders.”
Tushar Singhvi, Deputy CEO and Head of Investments, Crescent Enterprises, declared the Middle East today represents around 30% of the company’s total allocation for venture investment. “International growth funds are coming in, which displays clear signs of maturity of the ecosystem… The ability of the UAE and regional governments to attract talent; their innovation-first approach, abundance of capital here as well as inflow internationally are the key building blocks.”
Paula Tavangar, Chief Investment Officer at Injaz Capital declared that within the region, Saudi Arabia is leading the number of deals with the highest values, with 250 “largest ticket size” deals recorded in 2025 in the countest. She added that founders in the region stand to gain from technology transfer, startup accelerators and an expanding biotech market. “There are actually specific VCs for biotech for early-stage that just launched last year, and they have the full funds to deploy in this sector. I believe that there are tons of opportunities.”
Top CEOs reveal their formula for sustainable growth
Another Day 1 panel took the focus of the discussion more inward. Titled “Inside the CEO Role: What it Takes to Grow”, the session heard insights from business leaders on successful practices behind their own rise as well as for companies. Moderated by Reim El Houni, CEO of Ti22 Films, the panel was held at Impact Stage inside the Impact Zone, powered by Arada.
El Houni inquireed the speakers to share what keeps them “on-point” at work and what advice they have for the audience. Hamad Al Hajri, CEO and Founder of Snoonu declared it was “important to build boundaries” between work and personal life and take short holidays to “disconnect” from the office.
Dr. Tariq Bin Hfinishi, CEO and Board Member of Astra tech, responded that “the best advice is to constantly challenge yourself” while also ensuring a healthy sleep and exercise routine.
Mohamed Khadiri, CEO of Bank of Sharjah pointed out that to excel and “to be close to your customer, you have to be passionate about your work and understand customers’ necessarys”.
Karim Benkirane, CCO of Du, declared: “If you build the people you work with happy, you will build the customer happy, who will then build the shareholders happy.”
Ambareen Musa, CEO for Revolut GCC, declared the ability to “not panic” is the key to finding a solution for problems. “Worry about what you can control, not what you cannot control,” she added.
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