The Dubai airline Emirates has signed an MoU with the Sharjah Entrepreneurship Center (Sheraa) to strengthen and expand the entrepreneurship ecosystem in the UAE.
As an official strategic partner of Sheraa, Emirates offers discounted rates to and from its network of 90+ startups destinations for the Sharjah Entrepreneurship Festival and startups moving to the UAE through Sheraa’s global soft landing offering.
Emirates will work with Sheraa on-site as well as at international roadshows and events to attract startups from around the world to the UAE.
The partnership is intended to give startups better access to market opportunities through engagements on Supplier Day.
“Emirates has long been a keen advocate of innovative startups and initiatives in the travel and aviation ecosystem. We are excited to work with Sheraa to support Sharjah and the UAE’s efforts to create a vibrant environment for startups in a variety of industries. Said Adnan Kazim, COO of Emirates Airline.
“We will contribute to this effort by attracting and connecting startups in the United Arab Emirates with Sheraa in our network, with the ultimate goal of promoting innovation and stimulating valuable economic activity.”
Emirates previously supported the UAE’s innovation ecosystem when it partnered with GE and Etisalat to bring Intelak to market in 2016. Intelak serves to create an innovative pipeline of ideas and initiatives for the travel and aviation industry in Dubai.
“We are excited to welcome Emirates Airline as a strategic partner, opening new avenues for collaboration in the UAE’s business ecosystem,” said Najla Al Midfa, CEO of Sheraa.
“This partnership reflects our belief that corporate stakeholders play a critical role in establishing Sharjah as a thriving center for entrepreneurship by enabling innovation and supporting technology startups that can accelerate economic growth and diversification.”
Since its inception, Sheraa has supported 114 startups that generated over $ 125 million in revenue, generated over $ 74 million in investments, and created over 1,300 jobs.
Sheraa recently launched the first UAE government backed startup studio, Sharjah Startup Studio (S3), to help businesses that are profitable, sustainable and solve real problems in the world.
Read: Sharjah’s Sheraa Sets Up New Startup Studio To Support Entrepreneurs
S3 goes beyond the traditional method of education-based programs and employs a team of experienced experts to work with founders and actively and operationally participate in the joint founding of their startups.
Read: Motivate Media Group To Help UAE SMBs With A $ 1M Initiative
