Sheraa and DMZ team up to empower Sharjah start-ups in North America

By Gloria Methri

The Sharjah Entrepreneurship Center (Sheraa) has partnered with The DMZ to support the entrepreneurs of Sharjah and empower 15 start-ups from the emirate to the DMZ-led soft-landing program.

The DMZ is a start-up incubator based at Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU). It helps to equip tech entrepreneurs with the tools needed to build, launch, and scale impactful start-ups.

With the launch of this partnership, Sheraa’s start-up community will gain access to the DMZ’s on-demand learning platform ‘Launchpad’. The platform is designed to support aspiring and early-stage entrepreneurs in developing foundational business skills.

In addition, 15 Sheraa start-ups selected at the annual Sharjah Entrepreneurship Festival will join the DMZ’s 2-week program at Toronto Pearson International Airport (YYZ) to learn about scaling operations utilised in North America. Additionally, the selected start-ups will also have access to the DMZ’s global network to explore new markets for business expansion.

Najla Al Midfa, CEO of Sheraa, stated, “Our partnership with the DMZ reinforces Sharjah and Sheraa’s commitment to fostering entrepreneurial excellence by offering a solid foundation for innovative, sustainable and socially minded ventures.”

She added, “We are confident that by tapping into the DMZ’s world-renowned start-up expertise and support, the success of Sharjah-grown start-ups will be accelerated substantially”.

“As one of the fastest-growing economies in the MENA region, Sharjah has created a name for itself as a thriving startup and innovation hub and has drawn the attention of the global startup community,” said Abdullah Snobar, the Executive Director of the DMZ and CEO of DMZ Ventures. “Driving impact through entrepreneurship around the world is in the DMZ’s DNA, and I’m thrilled we have the chance to continue our work with Sheraa.”