SHARJAH, 12th October, 2026 (WAM) — Sharjah Entrepreneurship Center (Sheraa) has selected 14 women entrepreneurs with established ventures and demonstrated business traction for the second edition of the Sharjah Women Impact Fellowship (SWIF), a six-month programme designed to achieve successive stages of business growth.
Comprising nine SMEs and five startup entrepreneurs across F&B, FMCG, creative industries, sustainability, manufacturing, EdTech and health, the new cohort brings together founders from different nationalities and business models who have already established their ventures and are now focused on strengthening and growing them.
The programme kicked off with an orientation session featuring a role-playing leadership assessment led by SWIF Empower Partner Evolve Careers, a career-readiness platform, to establish a baseline for each fellow’s development trajectory in the program. Participants also exchanged their experiences, discussed current leadership development and business growth priorities and began connecting with their peers at similar stages of growth.
Sara Abdelaziz Al Nuaimi, CEO of Sheraa, said, “Building a business is only one part of the entrepreneurial journey; sustaining its momentum and leading it through its growth requires continuously increasing capability, confidence and strategic thinking. Through SWIF, we are creating an environment where female entrepreneurs can continue to harness their leadership and decision making, as well as ready their businesses for the next phases of growth.”
She added, “Our focus is on developing founders alongside the businesses they are building and the value they can create as they grow. By strengthening their leadership capabilities, we can help them build stronger companies, create new employment opportunities, drive greater innovation, and contribute to a more diverse and resilient economy.”
Guided by Sheraa’s LEAD Framework, a structured leadership model designed to help founders strengthen the personal and operational capabilities needed to grow resilient businesses, the selected entrepreneurs will undertake a six-month journey combining coaching, mentorship and practical learning with access to strategic networks and Sheraa’s wider entrepreneurship ecosystem.
The programme will include a leadership retreat led by Noona Nafousi, CEO of NEO Noor at Chedi Al Bait, Sharjah, alongside specialised pitch coaching masterclasses. Fellows will apply their learning directly within their ventures as they address business priorities and pursue new opportunities for growth.
Source: Emirates News Agency