The Sharjah Entrepreneurship Center (Sheraa) has selected more than 60 startups and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to receive financial and in-kind support through its Entrepreneurs Resilience Fund (ERF), following more than 330 applications from businesses across the UAE.
The initiative will mobilize up to AED5 million through partnerships with public and private sector organizations, combining equity-free grants with tailored business programs, accelerated funding decisions, and hands-on advisory support.
Supporting Businesses Through Uncertainty
The Entrepreneurs Resilience Fund is designed to help startups and SMEs navigate periods of economic uncertainty while strengthening their operational resilience and long-term growth potential.
According to Sheraa, the selected companies represent a diverse range of industries, including healthcare, food systems, sustainability, accessibility, consumer products, and technology.
Among the startups chosen for the program are Little Sprouties, Shukrani/Hylo, Chocoleaf, RAWA Wellness, Eshara AI, The AM Lab, BookMyPet, The Waste Lab, and Ajada.
Strengthening Sharjah’s Entrepreneurial Ecosystem
HE Sara Abdulaziz Al Nuaimi, CEO of Sheraa, said the fund was created to ensure that promising businesses facing temporary challenges can continue investing in future growth rather than focusing solely on immediate operational pressures.
“The ERF was established on a simple premise: viable businesses facing short-term pressures should not have to choose between preserving today’s operations and investing in tomorrow’s growth,” Al Nuaimi said.
“Supporting these founders is about more than individual businesses. It is about strengthening the entrepreneurial base that contributes to Sharjah’s economic diversification, innovation capacity, and long-term competitiveness.”
Aligned with the UAE’s National Entrepreneurship Strategy
The program supports the UAE’s broader strategy of strengthening entrepreneurship as a driver of economic diversification and innovation.
The UAE ranked first globally for the fifth consecutive year in the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM) 2025/2026 report. The country also ranked first for economic performance and second for business creation in the IMD World Competitiveness Yearbook 2026.
Through the Entrepreneurs Resilience Fund, Sheraa is also supporting the national objective of increasing the number of active businesses in the UAE from 1.2 million to more than 2 million by 2031 while contributing to the creation of 30,000 entrepreneurship-driven jobs by 2030.
Building Long-Term Startup Growth
Since its establishment, Sheraa has supported more than 600 startups, whose founders have collectively raised over AED1.14 billion in funding.
The Entrepreneurs Resilience Fund expands this support by combining capital with mentorship, strategic guidance, and faster access to resources designed to help startups scale sustainably.
Why It Matters
Access to early-stage funding and business support remains one of the biggest challenges facing startups. By providing equity-free grants alongside advisory services and accelerated funding processes, Sheraa’s Entrepreneurs Resilience Fund helps strengthen the resilience of high-potential businesses while advancing the UAE’s long-term goals for entrepreneurship, innovation, and economic diversification.
