The Sharjah Entrepreneurship Center (Sheraa) showcased its newest cohort in front of leading investors, key opinion leaders and heads of government entities, and announced the winner of the $50,000 Accelerator Program Grant at a Ramadan majlis, earlier this week.
The grant was awarded to Solva Technologies, a tech startup offering an environmentally-friendly solution to fleet owners using fully electric motorbikes modified with proprietary technology.
Following the completion of an accelerator program that helps early stage, high-growth startups scale their business through intensive workshops and mentorship, ten startups shared the stage to introduce their products and services for an aptly titled ‘Showcase Day’ segment of the Ramadan Majlis.
The event was held in the esteemed presence of Sheikh Fahim Al Qasimi and was also attended by Sheikh Mohamed al Thani and His Excellency Marwan al Serkal.
The teams and individuals pitched their ideas, which hail from retail, charity, media and technology amongst others, enabling them to connect with the right people who will help push their startups forward.
These ten teams were shortlisted by Sheraa after passing through rigorous screenings for innovativeness, commercial viability and potential impact, after which they underwent an intensive 4-month training and mentorship program. The new startups were supported with specialized mentorship, in-depth financial, legal, marketing and product help, office-space and access to customers amongst other benefits during their course.
“Sharjah is fast emerging as a hub of creativity and innovation in the recent years. Programs such as Sheraa’s and events such as ‘Showcase Day’ help catapult these young, fruitful ideas towards success,” commented His Excellency Sheikh Fahim Al Qasimi, Executive Chairman of the Department of Government Relations. “As someone who is constantly encouraging tech innovation within the emirate, seeing the graduates present their brand is a step towards further innovation and betterment society.”
“To build a sustainable business, you need a tailored support system, made up of industry experts, investors, and fellow entrepreneurs,” says Najla Al Midfa, CEO of Sheraa. “This is what Sheraa offers our startups. Our third cohort is a testament to the success of our model. I have been continuously struck by the dedication, talent, and caliber of skill of our startups, and I am so proud to see how far they have come over the course of the Accelerator program. It is also vital that government leaders engage with such entrepreneurs, which is why we are honored to have had His His Excellency Sheikh Fahim Al Qasimi present his keynote on to the role entrepreneurship and innovation will play in Sharjah’s plans for the future.”
Startups graduated from the accelerator:
- PointCheckout – a payment gateway allowing online shoppers to pay with their combined loyalty and reward points directly on any online store.
- Almentor.net – an online learning and personal development platform that offers informative video courses and motivational talks in both Arabic and English. The online video marketplace offers top-rated training programs delivered by industry experts.
- Charicycles – driven by sustainability and social responsibility, Charicycles up-cycles old bikes to make new vintage ones, selling them online to the world. Every bicycle sold contributes directly to funding bicycles for children in refugee camps.
- Rentsher – an online rental marketplace for everything from furniture, inflatables, tents, ACs, heaters, electronics, to medical equipment and travel essentials.
- Nishchint – an advanced digital parenting application that allows families and schools to block inappropriate features, websites and apps, making smartphones child-friendly.
- Melltoo – a no-meetup classifieds, helps people in the UAE buy and sell preloved items without the hassle of meetups. The platform offers sellers the choice of either selling for cash or for a cause, which sends the proceeds to a charity.
- Miella – an ecommerce platform that offers high street modest fashion for the modern woman. The startup works with designers to bring the latest fashion trends to the modest clothing consumer.
- eyewa – is the first dedicated online eyewear store for the Middle East. The ecommerce platform offers everything from branded prescription eyeglasses, sunglasses to contact lenses.
- Sekka – is the first of its kind Khaleeji media company that is dedicated to creatively documenting and preserving the Arabian Gulf Region’s modern history through the production of video, photo, and written stories.
- Solva – is an environmentally-friendly solution that offers fully electric motorbikes optimized for functionality and sustainability.
- Joi Gifts – is a full-service online platform for physical gifts, offering everything from flowers, cakes, gourmet gift baskets to personalized items.
