The Sharjah Entrepreneurship Center (Sheraa), has announced that its 6-week seed program is now underway. Ensuring start-ups are fully equipped and ‘seed-ready’, the extensive program has been designed to cover various topics including, building a product market fit roadmap, investment strategy and a go-to-market strategy.

At the even candidates were invited to ‘Welcome Day’, where 6 startups were shortlisted from 250+ applications. Attendees also got the opportunity to network and meet with the entire Sheraa team, as well as, the different startups present.

Commenting on the occasion, Najla Al Midfa, CEO of Sheraa, said, “At Sheraa, we believe that for startups to truly be investment-ready, they must achieve product-market fit, where their product meets a strong demand. We select a handful of impact-driven startups whose mission and founders we believe in, and focus on providing customized, individualized mentorship as they work to reach this key milestone.”

The Seed program has been carefully curated to provide start-ups with an in-depth understanding of value proposition, competitive strategy, go-to-market strategy, team competency, risk response, market sizing, finance, fundraising, and pitch training that will aid them in developing their investment deck.

Additional benefits of the Sheraa Seed program include, 1:1 coaching, group sessions, access to the Sheraa grant of up to $ 10,000, introduction and networking with investors, product market fit mentorship for 6 to 12 months post the program, legal support, discounted trade license, discounted software packages and access to media coverage.

Moreover, startups at an earlier stage (Pre-seed) that applied, will receive a self-paced checklist of targets they need to reach in order to qualify and join the next seed cohort. Pre-seed teams will have access to resources, including business, legal and technical office hours, discounted trade license and discounted software packages.

SHERAA SEED COHORT:

• Finyal Media A podcast network creating on demand audio stories from the region, for the region.
• Foloosi                                                                                                                                                                   Foloosi enables C2B payments via multiple channels online and offline.
• Cycled Technologies                                                                                                                                                Developing smart bins to help event organizers sort their recyclables and hence reduce their waste management bill.
• Tawahadna A women’s empowerment organization that films documentaries on female Emirati artists and screens them in Art Galleries to help sell their work.
• She is Arab An online speakers’ platform dedicated to Arab women offering speaker bureau, professional development, advisory & networking services.
• Shala Online Shala Online is the first meditation and yoga platform offering local content to the MENA region.