Expo 2020 Dubai, Sheraa’s support to young entrepreneurs

Expo 2020’s innovation and partnership programme, Expo Live, has joined hands with the Sharjah Entrepreneurship Center (Sheraa), to provide a bespoke programme to empower young entrepreneurs and innovators, with tools necessary for the next stages in their entrepreneurial journey.

The tailored programme set to begin its first session this month, is for those already enrolled in the existing Expo Live University Innovation Programme. The innovators will be mentored by Sheraa’s in-house team of experts to develop skills and strategies, which can be used within all phases of a new company’s growth.

The programme, which runs from February-April 2019, will provide educational sessions that include both theoretical and practical components on ideation, validation and product development.

“Entrepreneurship plays an influential role in the economic growth of a country and harnessing it can contribute to a prosperous society. We are extremely excited to support Expo Live with their goal to inspire future generations on their potential to positively impact the environment and generate real social value. Sheraa takes pride in supporting start-ups and is keen to offer solutions that directly affect productivity, wellbeing and overall contribution to the economy,” says Najla Al Midfa, CEO of Sheraa.

Participants will explore a range of topics, including market research, pitch training, story mapping, persona creation, vision & goal setting and defining product features of the Minimum Viable Product (MVP).

“We are proud to support young innovators across the UAE through the University Innovation Programme, and this marks another significant step in their development,” adds Fatma Ibrahim, assistant manager – Expo Live at Expo 2020 Dubai. “The Sheraa programme will provide invaluable knowledge and guidance to our student teams, as they develop creative solutions to global challenges that affect the region. This initiative is bringing to life the Expo 2020 Dubai theme ‘Connecting Minds, Creating the Future’, and we can’t wait to see what our young innovators will achieve next.”

Following the completion of this programme, the participants will be given a one-month period to implement what they learnt, after which, Sheraa will host a graduation day to celebrate their achievements, pitch their start-ups and showcase their MVPs to a panel of Sheraa experts.