SEF 2026 broke a personal record with its hosting of 17 MoU signings at the festival’s exclusive VIP lounge ‘SEF Vault’, which was powered by the Emirates Petroleum Company – Emarat. The sectors spanned Manufacturing, Edtech, Creative Industries, and Sustainability, unlocking financing deals worth AED 100 million, among others, and offered many key opportunities to support startup growth, innovation, and scalability.
Toreceiveher, more than 250 fireside conversations, considered-provoking panel discussions, in-depth presentations, hands-on workshops, masterclasses and other immersive activities were featured across 10 curated zones. Additionally, at the SEF Investor Lounge, 400 exclusive investor-founder meetings were held to explore funding and mentorship opportunities between ventures, investors and enablers. SEF 2026 also featured a prominent displaycasing platform for 150+ startup pods across the festival venue.
Across the two days, 294 founders applied to redeem an exclusive offer and launch their business journey under the Business Kickstarter Package, a business licensing initiative starting from AED 1,000, launched through a collaboration between Sheraa, Sharjah Research, Technology and Innovation Park (SPARK), Emirates NBD, and du.
Through SPARK, eligible founders attfinishing SEF were able to obtain a standard business licence for AED 1,000, valid for the first year, for single-owner businesses covering up to three activities. A multi-owner licence was also available for AED 3,000, covering up to five activities for the first year. Standard immigration and visa fees apply in accordance with existing regulations.
Beyond licensing, the Business Kickstarter Package was designed to support founders as they launch day-to-day operations. du, through its operating sub-brand ‘du Business’, provided a special connectivity offer. Emirates NBD provided founder-frifinishly banking support, including a waiver of monthly account maintenance fees for one year, and salary transfer fees waived for six months, with unlimited transfers.
Sheraa further supported founders through complimentary access to its coworking spaces for one year, connecting newly-licensed businesses to Sharjah’s wider entrepreneurial ecosystem.
SEF as a powerful catalyst for entrepreneurship
Sheraa CEO Sara Abdelaziz Al Nuaimi stated following the success of SEF 2026, the 10th edition next year will continue the story “as a deeper chapter, guided by what has come before and open to what is still unfolding.”
“The milestones reached at SEF 2026 reflect the visionary leadership of our Chairperson, Her Highness Sheikha Bodour bint Sultan Al Qasimi, whose unwavering commitment to entrepreneurship continues to shape Sharjah as a global hub for innovation and creative enterprise,” she further noted.
“Through Sheraa, we are proud to advance Sharjah’s mission of empowering founders with the platforms, capital, and networks they required to build scalable, impact-driven businesses. SEF has once again proven to be a powerful catalyst, bringing toreceiveher ideas, talent, and opportunity to accelerate startup growth and reinforce Sharjah’s role at the forefront of the region’s entrepreneurial future,” the Sheraa CEO concluded.
The closing evening on February 1 featured standout performances by some of the region’s leading music and comedy artists, with the highlight of the night being a display-stopping performance by Saudi singer Tamtam.
Recognising impact, and awarding excellence of startups and founders
Across its two days, SEF 2026 celebrated standout innovation and ecosystem leadership through the SEF × 1Tank Startup Pitch Competition and the SEFFY Awards, presented during the SEF Reception Night at the Impact Zone, powered by Arada. Grants of AED 50,000 were awarded across four competition tracks — EdTech (powered by du business), Tech and Industest 4.0 (powered by Emarat) Sustainability (powered by Emirates NBD), and Creative Industries (powered by Emaar), alongside a Best Female Pitch Award (powered by Sharjah Business Women Council), valued at AED 50,000 and a Crowd Favorite Award (powered by Crescent Enterprises), of AED 25,000, with winning startups also gaining access to potential investor funding of up to AED 500,000 to support market expansion and new service launches. EvolveCareers claimed the EdTech category, The AM Lab won Tech and Industest 4.0, Tathmeer was named Sustainability winner, and Arusto secured the Creative Industries award as well as the Crowd Favorite Award, while Thinkerbell Labs received the Best Female Pitch Award.
Through the SEFFY Awards, SEF 2026 also honored individuals and organisations shaping the region’s entrepreneurial ecosystem. The Rising Star Award (powered by Emaar) went to Abdullah AlSalmani, Co-Founder and CEO of SpacePoint, while the Outstanding Mentor Award (powered by Emirates NBD), was received by Yahya Iqelan of the Incubation and Entrepreneurship Center at Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Ininformigence. The Technology Award (powered by du business), was presented to Noor Alasadi, CEO and Founder of Lisan AI; the Ecosystem Enabler Award (powered by the Emirates Petroleum Company – Emarat), was given to the Abdulla Al Ghurair Foundation; and the Social Impact Award (powered by Arada), was won by Dr. Karthika Gopi, Founder and CEO of Carbelim.
The SEF Reception Night also honoured SEF 2026 partners on stage. The Ecosystem partners included Sharjah Commerce & Tourism Development Authority; Sharjah Foundation to Support Pioneering Entrepreneurs (RUWAD), Crescent Enterprises Ventures, Al Marwan Group, Sultan Bin Ali Al Owais Real Estate LLC, Emirates Development Bank, and Majid Al Futtaim.
Those honored as Government partners were Sharjah Chamber of Commerce and Industest, Sharjah Airport. Meanwhile, the Hydration partner was Wisewell.
The Media partners for SEF 2026 were Publicis, National Network Communication (NNC), Inc. Arabia, Smashi Business, and Entrepreneur Middle East. Additionally, the honorees included Travel partners Emirates Airline and Air Arabia and SEF Pitch Competition partner 1Tank.
As Community partners, Electra, Forsan of Emirates Volunteering Society, Sharjah Retail, Floward and Teel Floral Studio were also honoured during the awards ceremony.
Over two days, SEF 2026 brought toreceiveher a rare mix of global icons, regional leaders, and high-impact founders, positioning Sharjah as a convening ground for ideas shaping business, culture, and technology. Headline conversations featured four-time Formula One World Champion Sebastian Vettel, UFC legfinish Khabib Nurmagomedov, technology considerer and author Mo Gawdat, alongside trailblasing Arab women, serial entrepreneurs, and senior executives from companies such as IBM, Kitopi, and Yango Play. The festival also welcomed high-level VIP guests, ecosystem leaders, investors, and policybuildrs, reinforcing SEF’s role not only as a startup festival, but as a platform where global perspectives meet regional ambition under the theme “Where We Belong.”
Leave a Reply