As part of its mission to support entrepreneurs and start-ups in the publishing and digital content sectors, and in celebration of Sharjah World Book Capital 2019 title, the Sharjah Entrepreneurship Centre (Sheraa) signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Sharjah Publishing City Free Zone (SPC Free Zone) and the Emirates Publishers Association (EPA) to launch ‘Access Sharjah’, a programme to support innovative start-ups from around the world venturing into the publishing and digital content sector.

Slated for a March 2020 launch, the programme will help promising start-ups launch their business in the emirate of Sharjah, and help them reach their target market. The best performing start-up will also receive a US$ 100,000 funding to boost its operations.

‘Access Sharjah’ will assist start-ups to connect with stakeholders and potential clients by leveraging Sheraa’s partnership with SPC Free Zone and EPA to tap into the resources of the two entities that have a longstanding history in supporting the publishing sector. The programme will also organise comprehensive workshops and training sessions for start-ups, in addition to offering them free office space to start their business.

Najla Al Midfa, CEO of Sheraa, commented: “We are keen on extending a helping hand to entrepreneurs from around the world to establish their business in Sharjah, and lead the way into a prosperous future in the publishing and digital content sectors. The programme is in line with the yearlong celebrations of Sharjah World Book Capital 2019 title, and seeks to promote the emirate’s vision to support the advancement of the publishing sector and facilitate knowledge exchange.”

“The world today is transforming to knowledge-based societies, which require the continuous development of a comprehensive ecosystem that places human capital as a top priority. This requires innovative and creative content, one of the goals of Access Sharjah. The programme is based on the long-term strategic development vision of Sharjah to boost its human capital, build a strong knowledge base and create opportunities in the emirate for start-ups from all over the world.”

Launched in January 2016, Sheraa (Sharjah Entrepreneurship Centre) is a platform that supports entrepreneurs. From strategically transforming ideas into reality, to effectively nurturing established businesses, and promoting networking opportunities with investors and stakeholders, Sheraa cultivates change-makers and builds a thriving entrepreneurship ecosystem.

Since its inception, Sheraa has successfully built a community of over 10,000 entrepreneurs and ecosystem players, validated 300+ ideas through the Idea Lab and grown over 70 start-ups through its programmes. In addition, Sheraa start-ups have generated over $19 million in revenue and raised over $14 million in investment.