The Sharjah Entrepreneurship Center (Sheraa) will be organising the fourth edition of Sharjah Entrepreneurship Festival (SEF) under the theme #BeTheHero as countries across the world are working on their economic revival in the aftermath of the Coronavirus pandemic. As per reports, global entrepreneurs, business leaders, influential life coaches and a Nobel laureate from across the world are set to discuss ongoing entrepreneurship challenges. They will be holding workshops and seminars in a bid to inspire and encourage the next generation of change-makers. Starting on Sunday, the five-day festival will take place virtually.

In a statement, Sheraa stated that it aims at motivating and inspiring socially-conscious entrepreneurs in a bid to make an impact on their communities and build a better and progressive future together.

The agenda of the Festival contains ten knowledge-sharing panel discussions, nine keynote sessions and five interactive workshops. As part of Sheraa's $1 million solidarity fund, the entry to the festival will be free for participants.

The solidarity fund was created in May with the aim of helping and assisting start-ups impacted by the economic fallout due to the pandemic crisis. The fund was established in place of Sheraa’s annual entrepreneurship events, which had to be cancelled in compliance with the COVID-19 safety guidelines issued by the authorities.

Sheraa chief executive Najla Al Midfa asserted that the Center believes in providing people with the power to change the world through entrepreneurship.

Al Midfa stated that it is important now more than ever to ensure that change makers across the world are leading the change towards building resilient communities as well as stronger and more prosperous economies.

"This shared sense of purpose and responsibility will be highlighted at SEF,” she added.

Some of the eminent speakers at the SEF include Dr Jane Goodall, a UN messenger of peace; Jacqueline Novogratz, founder and chief executive of a non-profit global venture capital fund Acumen; Muhammad Yunus, 2006 Nobel Peace Prize winner and Bangladeshi social entrepreneur; and Anousheh Ansari, world's first female private space explorer.

In January 2020, the Economist Intelligence Unit rated Sharjah among the top 10 fastest-growing urban areas in the world. Sharjah government has always prioritised foreign investment across various sectors as it continues to diversify its economy and cut its reliance on oil revenues.

Sharjah government launched the Sheraa (meaning to sail in Arabic) initiative to facilitate the prosper a start-up ecosystem in the emirate. It is headquartered at the American University of Sharjah, while its hub, which was launched in September 2018, is based at the University of Sharjah.

Since its launch in 2017, Sheraa has helped start-up founders to boost their businesses through mentorship, workshops, and introductions to investors, government partners and corporate establishments in a bid to help them secure access to growth capital.

Till now, SEF has recognised over 200 showcasing start-ups, 240 local and international speakers and more than 8,000 attendees.