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At a moment when the UAE is doubling down on entrepreneurship, innovation, and diversification, Sheraa is refusing to leave women founders on the sidelines. In this conversation with its CEO Sara Abdelaziz Al Nuaimi, Gulf Business explores how Sheraa’s new Sharjah Women Impact Fellowship (SWIF) is positioning female-led scale-ups not as an optional add-on, but as central to the nation’s growth story.
With more than half of Sheraa’s supported startups led by women — an unprecedented regional figure — Al Nuaimi lays out how mentorship, purpose and scaling frameworks are being designed with the next decade in mind. From Sharjah’s ecosystem advantages to the real metrics of impact, this is how Sheraa is rewriting the rules of startup support in the UAE.
How does investing in women-led scale-ups directly support the UAE’s economic diversification goals
As we look toward the next decade of growth, the role of women founders becomes increasingly vital to shaping the UAE’s economic future. Investing in women-led scale-ups is both a matter of equity and an economic necessity that advances the UAE’s diversification agenda. When women founders are empowered to grow and scale, they open doors to new industries, products, and services that expand the nation’s economic landscape beyond traditional sectors. Their ventures often emerge at the crossroads of innovation, sustainability, and social impact, areas that form the foundation of the UAE’s future economy.
At Sheraa, 51 per cent of the startups we support are led by women, an unprecedented figure in the region that underscores both the depth of female entrepreneurial talent and the importance of inclusive ecosystem design.
By equipping women entrepreneurs with the funding, networks, and mentorship they need to scale globally, we are unlocking untapped potential that fuels job creation, attracts foreign investment, and strengthens the knowledge economy.
And through initiatives like the Sharjah Women Impact Fellowship (SWIF), a programme by Sheraa designed to empower women founders to scale their ventures through tailored mentorship, strategic partnerships, and access to investor networks, we aim to ensure that women play a defining role in the UAE’s diversification journey, driving innovation, creating opportunities, and shaping the nation’s next phase of growth. This aligns closely with the UAE’s Entrepreneurial Nation initiative, which seeks to empower 10,000 entrepreneurs and position the country as a global hub for enterprise and innovation.
Together, these efforts reflect a unified national vision to build an economy driven by creativity, inclusivity, and opportunity for all.
Beyond funding, what is the most critical component of the SWIF curriculum for helping founders navigate the scaling phase?
As with every Sheraa initiative, the Sharjah Women Impact Fellowship (SWIF) was designed to go beyond creating access to funding, offering the guidance, connections, and community that truly accelerate growth. Unlike traditional programmes that focus primarily on the startup, SWIF places the founder at the centre, supporting her personal and professional development.
Through tailored mentorship and purpose-driven learning, the fellowship helps women founders strengthen their leadership, gain clarity of direction, and lead their ventures, and communities, with purpose.
This approach comes to life through the programme’s core design, where the focus extends beyond financial access to emphasize strategic mentorship and global networks. Central to the fellowship is the 4D model, ‘Discover, Define, Develop, and Deepen’, a rigorous, interconnected methodology that guides founders through a journey of self-awareness, business clarity, and sustainable growth.
Through immersive learning, real-world application, and a supportive, high-trust cohort, fellows pressure-test new ideas, strengthen their leadership practice, and hold each other accountable to the values and commitments that drive their ventures. This blend of structure, expertise, and peer connection ensures growth that is measurable, scalable, and enduring.
The program also emphasises peer learning and community. Each cohort forms a powerful support network where founders exchange lessons, share challenges, and collaborate on opportunities. This creates a lasting ecosystem of women leaders who continue to support one another well beyond the programme.
By combining tailored mentorship, expert-led sessions, and access to new markets, SWIF ensures that founders are equipped to sustain growth and lead scalable, high-impact ventures that strengthen the UAE’s entrepreneurial landscape.
How does the programme define and measure “impact” alongside traditional business growth metrics?
The fellowship’s approach to growth is holistic, recognising that sustainable entrepreneurship is built on both profitability and purpose.
At Sheraa, we believe that true growth is reflected in outcomes that create lasting, positive change. The fellowship embraces this approach by encouraging founders to build ventures that thrive commercially while leaving a meaningful imprint on people and communities.
Fellows are encouraged to define clear impact goals from the start, whether that involves advancing sustainability, improving access to education, empowering communities, or creating inclusive employment. These goals are then assessed through measurable outcomes such as jobs created, carbon savings, lives improved, or communities reached.
Our approach blends data-driven indicators with human stories, recognising that lasting success comes from ventures that grow responsibly, sustain value over time, and contribute meaningfully to the UAE’s vision for inclusive and sustainable development.
What specific advantages does Sharjah’s ecosystem offer scaling ventures that are unique in the UAE?
Building on the UAE’s national vision for innovation and entrepreneurship, Sharjah continues to distinguish itself as a place where purposeful innovation meets opportunity. The emirate offers a unique value proposition for scaling ventures through an ecosystem defined by accessibility, targeted support, and strong institutional alignment. Entrepreneurs find in Sharjah a nurturing environment to test, refine, and expand their business models, with the added advantage of proximity to key markets across the UAE and the wider region.
Sharjah’s ecosystem stands out for its balance between economic ambition and social impact. The emirate’s leadership has cultivated a culture where innovation is deeply connected to sustainability, education, and community development, priorities that shape the next generation of startups.
This is reinforced by an integrated network of entities such as the Sharjah Research, Technology and Innovation Park (SPARK), the Sharjah Investment and Development Authority (Shurooq), and the University City, which together create a continuum of research, innovation, and commercialisation support.
Within this ecosystem, Sheraa plays a pivotal role by equipping founders with the mentorship, resources, and partnerships needed to scale globally. Through initiatives such as the Sharjah Startup Studio (S3) and Startup Dojo and SWIF, founders gain the tools, expertise, and growth frameworks to strengthen their business foundations and scale sustainably. Programmes like the Access Sharjah Challenge (ASC) open pathways for global startups to collaborate with local industries and enter regional markets, while Deal Dock connects founders directly with investors and accelerates access to capital.
Together, these efforts create an environment that enables ventures to grow with purpose, expand sustainably, and contribute meaningfully to the UAE’s innovation-driven economy.
Read: 44 women leaders share advice to power your success
What ripple effects do you expect from the SWIF alumni network on the wider entrepreneurial ecosystem?
The vision behind the SWIF alumni network is to create an enduring community of women founders whose impact multiplies across the ecosystem. Each fellow becomes a multiplier of impact, sharing knowledge, opening doors, and creating new pathways for other women and entrepreneurs across the ecosystem.
As these founders scale their ventures, they naturally generate new jobs, attract investment, and establish collaborations that strengthen the entrepreneurial landscape. But their influence goes further: they become mentors, investors, and ecosystem champions who inspire others to pursue growth and innovation.
Over time, this collective network will evolve into a powerful community of leaders shaping policy, driving sustainability, and amplifying the UAE’s position as a hub for purpose-driven entrepreneurship. The alumni network will serve as a bridge, connecting experience with opportunity, and ensuring that each success story fuels the next wave of growth in the region.
What does “impact-driven leadership” mean for a founder in this programme?
Impact-driven leadership is about leading with intention and responsibility. For founders in the SWIF program, it means scaling ventures that leave a lasting positive mark on people, communities, and the planet. It’s the ability to see growth and purpose as one vision, where every strategic decision, partnership, and innovation serves a larger mission.
We believe true leadership lies in how founders channel their success into creating value that outlives their businesses.
Through SWIF, we nurture this mindset by surrounding founders with mentors and peers who challenge them to think beyond profit, to measure success through the lives they touch, the opportunities they create, and the systems they transform.
This is the kind of leadership that defines the UAE’s next generation of entrepreneurs: leaders who are bold, empathetic, and unwavering in their commitment to building a future where innovation drives both prosperity and progress.
