Sharjah Entrepreneurship Festival

What Sharjah Entrepreneurship Festival does

Sharjah Entrepreneurship Festival (SEF), founded in 2018 and organized by Sheraa, is a non-profit annual entrepreneurship event platform headquartered in Sharjah, UAE, and held at the Sharjah Research, Technology and Innovation Park (SPARK). The 2026 edition was its ninth, and the tenth edition is confirmed for January 30-31, 2027. SEF is not a technology company; it is an event-driven ecosystem platform that aggregates founders, investors, corporate and government stakeholders, students, creatives, and aspiring entrepreneurs across the MENA region and internationally. The platform's core deliverable is a two-day physical festival featuring 300+ speakers and 250+ sessions across 10 curated zones, with the most strategically significant component being SEF Vault — a curated deal-making environment that, at the 2026 edition, facilitated the signing of 17 MoUs unlocking AED 100 million in startup financing across finance, fintech, AI, and advanced manufacturing.

SEF monetizes through a hybrid revenue model. Direct revenue comes from a tiered ticketing structure: Student (free), Meydan (AED 99), Belong (AED 249), Co-Founder Pass (AED 400 for 2), Team Pass (from AED 600 for 3), Premium (AED 1,999, rising to AED 2,599), and AED 75 Masterclass add-ons. Indirect revenue flows from a large roster of corporate, financial, and government sponsors — Emirates NBD, HP, Microsoft, Emaar, Arada, du, TikTok, Emirates, Air Arabia, Sharjah Islamic Bank, EDB, InvestBank, and Bank of Sharjah among others — that fund named zones such as Startup Town, Impact Zone, Creative Zone, Investors Lounge, and Made in Sharjah. The product surface extends beyond the festival itself into the SEF Pitch Competition (AED 275K prize pool), the Seffy Awards, the Startup Showcase, the SEF Academy masterclass series, and the Sharjah's Little Founder youth program. Distribution is primarily self-serve via sharjahef.com, with group/corporate sales and partner channels (universities, accelerators, ecosystem enablers) serving as secondary routes. Customer segmentation is broad and persona-based (Founders, Investors, Tech Innovators, Aspiring Entrepreneurs, Creatives, Students) rather than enterprise-anchor-based.

Name

Sharjah Entrepreneurship Festival

Legal name

Sharjah Entrepreneurship Festival

Website

https://sharjahef.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Sharjah Entrepreneurship Festival (SEF) is a non-profit annual entrepreneurship event in Sharjah, UAE, organized by Sheraa, aggregating 14,000+ founders, 500+ VCs, and 300+ speakers across 10 zones and SEF Vault, a deal-making platform that unlocked AED 100M in financing in 2026.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Sharjah

HQ country

United Arab Emirates

HQ region

Middle East

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Ticket Sales: SEF generates revenue through tiered ticket sales: Meydan (AED 99), Belong (AED 249), Premium (AED 1,999), Student (Free), Co-Founder Pass (AED 400 for 2), and Team Pass (starting AED 600 for 3). Additional revenue comes from optional Masterclass add-ons at AED 75 per session.
2. Sponsorship & Partnerships: The festival partners with government entities, financial institutions, and corporations including Emirates NBD, HP, Emaar, Microsoft, Arada, Sharjah Islamic Bank, and others who sponsor various zones and activities at the event.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Sharjah Entrepreneurship Festival (SEF) is an annual multi-day event organized by Sheraa (Sharjah Entrepreneurship Center) that brings together founders, investors, students, and corporate leaders. The festival offers networking, learning, deal-making, and startup showcasing through pitch competitions, masterclasses, awards, investor lounges, and curated festival zones including SEF Vault, SEF Souq, SEF Eats, and Made in Sharjah.

Product overview

Sharjah Entrepreneurship Festival (SEF) operates as a multi-faceted entrepreneurship event platform offering a core festival experience alongside several interconnected products. The main festival brings together over 14,000 attendees, 300+ speakers, and 250+ sessions across 10 curated zones. The platform includes a Pitch Competition (offering AED 275K prize), the Seffy Awards for visionary entrepreneurs, an Investor Lounge for deal-making, and a Startup Showcase for visibility. SEF Academy provides optional masterclass add-ons covering AI, finance, and creative skills. Sharjah's Little Founder extends youth entrepreneurship programming. The festival is accessible through tiered passes ranging from free student tickets to AED 1,999 premium VIP experiences, with content organized across specialized tracks including Impact, Founders, Creative, Community, SEF Academy, SEF Eats, Expression Zone, Made in Sharjah, and Startup Town.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Sharjah Entrepreneurship Festival
• Sharjah's Little Founder

Quantifiable outcome

• AED 100 million in startup financing unlocked through 17 MoUs at SEF Vault
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers12 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

14 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• ZelocoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 2 February 2026Zelo participated in SEF Vault deal-making activities, contributing to startup financing partnerships across the festival.
• Arabic.AIcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 2 February 2026Arabic.AI partnered with SEF 2026 as part of AI sector startup support initiatives at SEF Vault.
• MaxbytecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 2 February 2026Maxbyte Technologies participated in SEF Vault partnerships supporting advanced manufacturing sector startups.
• HPcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 2 February 2026HP was among the corporate partners at SEF 2026, contributing to the ecosystem of support for startup growth.
• NoonminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCorporate sponsor and partner of SEF festival.
• MicrosoftminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTechnology partner supporting the SEF ecosystem.
• EmaarminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCorporate sponsor. Emaar also served as Creative Zone Partner for the festival.
• TikTokminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSocial media and content partner for SEF.
• EmiratesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAirline partner supporting SEF festival.
• AradacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStartup Town Partner, Impact Zone Partner, and Creative Zone Partner at SEF. Arada is a major real estate developer in Sharjah supporting the entrepreneurship ecosystem.
• Air ArabiaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTravel partner for SEF festival attendees.
• ducoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTelecom partner serving as Startup Town Partner for SEF festival.
• CartacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEquity management platform partner, serving as Investors Lounge Partner and providing cap table literacy support for startups.
• AlefminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational Pavilion Partner for the festival.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Slush: Helsinki-based annual startup event with global reach, focused on founder-investor matchmaking. Comparable in format (annual gathering, ticket + sponsorship revenue, high-profile speakers, deal-making focus).
• STEP Conference: Dubai-based annual startup and digital conference serving founders, investors, and tech talent across the MENA region. Directly comparable as a regional startup ecosystem event targeting the same founder/investor audience.
• Web Summit: Global flagship startup conference in Lisbon with regional editions. Comparable business model (ticketing + sponsorships, marquee speakers, founder/investor matchmaking) and audience overlap with SEF's premium tier.
• LEAP: Saudi Arabia-based technology conference attracting global speakers, startups, and investors. Comparable as a major MENA tech/startup event platform with similar government backing and sponsorship-driven model.
• Startup Grind: Global startup community and conference series connecting founders and investors. Comparable in founder/investor community focus and recurring event programming targeting similar entrepreneurial segments.
• Expand North Star: Dubai-based startup and investor conference held alongside GITEX, attracting founders and VCs globally. Directly comparable as a MENA startup deal-making and ecosystem event.
• TechCrunch Disrupt: Premier US startup conference featuring pitch competitions, investor networking, and marquee speakers. Directly comparable format and audience (founders, VCs, tech innovators) with similar startup showcase mechanics.

Broad incumbents

• GITEX Global: Largest tech and startup exhibition in the MENA region, hosted in Dubai. Comparable as a major UAE-based tech event with overlapping speaker and sponsor pools, though it spans broader enterprise IT beyond startups.

Regional players

• Abu Dhabi Finance Week: UAE-based annual finance and fintech event with strong investor participation and government backing. Comparable as a regional deal-making platform serving overlapping investor segments in the UAE ecosystem.

Others

• Sheraa: Sharjah-based government-backed entrepreneurship support organization and parent organizer of SEF. Closely related ecosystem enabler running complementary programs like S3 (Sharjah Startup Studio) that feeds into SEF's founder pipeline.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sharjahentrepreneurshipfestival

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Sharjah Entrepreneurship Festival