Access Sharjah invites applications for publishing-focused start-ups

The top-performing start-up will win $100,000 in cash prizes as well as discounted perks through Sheraa programme

Najla Al Nidfa, chief executive of the Sharjah Entrepreneurship Centre, Sheraa, addresses the third edition of the Sharjah Entrepreneurship Centre. Courtesy Sheraa

The Sharjah Entrepreneurship Centre, or Sheraa as the start-up incubator in the northern emirate is known, started receiving application for its Access Sharjah initiative, from digital start-ups in the publishing space.

The newly launched platform by Sheraa aims connect start-ups in book-related industries to relevant public and private sector investors and entities in Sharjah and across the UAE.

“With a $100,000 prize and connections to key stakeholders, as well as additional benefits, we are excited to provide a landing pad for promising, innovative start-ups looking to scale," said Sheraa chief executive, Najla Al Midfa.

The first edition of the programme will be launched in March, and will focus predominantly on the publishing sector in Sharjah, which was Unesco's designated World Book Capital in 2019 . Subsequent editions will focus on different themes, Sheraa said in a statement on Tuesday.

The top 10 shortlisted start-ups will go through a month-long programme, aimed at helping the businesses to scale up and enter new markets.

Along with the cash prizes the top performing start-up will also have access to a pool of talent from top universities. The programme will also open up networking opportunities with key industrial stakeholders such as the Sharjah Book Authority and the Emirates Publishers' Association, Sheraa said, adding that rent-free co-working spaces and free licensing through Sharjah Publishing City are among the other perks.

Application to Access Sharjah closes on 1 January 2020.

Supporting start-ups and helping them to scale up is the among the top priorities of the UAE government. Different emirates are also running their separate initiatives helping the entrepreneurs bringing their ideas to fruition.

Sheraa, which is Arabic for sail, is Sharjah’s initiative to build a start-up ecosystem in the emirate. It is headquartered at the American University of Sharjah. The incubator has helped founders scale their businesses, through workshops, mentorships, introductions to investors, government partners and corporate entities to help them get access to growth capital.

In neighbouring Dubai, the emirate is also pushing to nurture its small and medium-sized businesses, which accounted for about 46 per cent of the its gross domestic product in 2018, according to Dubai SME report released earlier this month.

Between 2008 and 2017, there was a 6 per cent increase in the contribution of micro, small and medium enterprises to Dubai's GDP, and in the case of SME, the increase was higher at 28 per cent in 2017, from 17 per cent in 2008, according to the government data.