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The Sharjah Entrepreneurship Center (Sheraa) announced the selection of 14 women founders for the second edition of the Sharjah Women Impact Fellowship, a six-month leadership development programme that guides participants through successive stages of business expansion. The initiative targets entrepreneurs who have already built ventures with demonstrable traction and now seek to strengthen operations, leadership capabilities and market presence within Sharjah. According to Sheraa, the fellowship combines workshops, mentorship and networking with investors and ecosystem partners to support scalable, impact-driven growth. The programme operates under the directive of Her Highness Sheikha Bodour bint Sultan Al Qasimi, Chairperson of Sheraa.
The new cohort comprises nine small and medium-sized enterprises alongside five startups, with participants drawn from diverse nationalities and business models. These ventures operate across food and beverage, fast-moving consumer goods, creative industries, sustainability, manufacturing, education technology and health sectors. Sheraa’s announcement highlighted how the group reflects a mix of established revenue-generating businesses and innovative early-stage models positioned for regional scaling. The selection process emphasised founders committed to operating in Sharjah while aligning with values of collaboration and accountability.
Founders selected include Eva Davidova of Tamre, Kim Thompson of Raw Coffee Company, Tanaz Shahriari of Miva Flavour House and Aysha Alyahyaee of Akiro Cafe and Bakery in the food and beverage space. The creative economy is represented by Fatma Almulla of FMM, Maryam Al Shehhi, co-founder of Al Aswad, and Medina Beganovic of Wonder, Sheraa reported. Additional participants are Christine Wilson of Peahead.eco, which spans sustainability, creative industries and manufacturing, Nuhayr Zein of Leukeather, Dima Al Srouri of MycoSphere, Reem Madkour, co-founder of Dardasha, Shabnam Shafy, co-founder of Usraty Labs, Maysoon Al Shamsi of Rawa and Perihan Abouzeid of Pericare.
The second cohort builds on the inaugural Sharjah Women Impact Fellowship launched in late 2025, which brought together 12 women founders for an intensive programme focused on leadership and venture scaling. That first edition, which concluded earlier in 2026, incorporated a rigorous selection process including psychometric assessments, behavioural interviews and CEO panel evaluations, according to Sheraa documentation on prior iterations. Participants in the initial round received mentorship from partners such as Accenture, Kearney and Microsoft while contributing to research on funding gaps for women-led businesses. The current six-month format extends the timeline to allow deeper engagement with strategic growth objectives.
Sheraa figures show the centre has supported more than 450 startups since its establishment, with 51 percent founded or co-founded by women, generating over 370 million dollars in revenue and attracting nearly 300 million dollars in investment. This track record positions the fellowship within a broader ecosystem that exceeds global averages for female entrepreneurship participation. The organisation’s data further indicates that women-led ventures in its portfolio have demonstrated resilience across economic cycles, contributing to Sharjah’s innovation-driven economy. Such statistics underscore the strategic importance Sheraa places on targeted leadership development for this demographic.
Fellows in the new programme will engage with an average time commitment of one to three hours per week, supplemented by intensive workshops, leadership assessments and participation in flagship events. The timeline includes a kick-off in early October 2026, a showcase at the Sharjah Entrepreneurship Festival in January 2027 and a networking gala with graduation scheduled for March 2027, Sheraa outlined. This structure aims to equip participants with tools for systems-level impact while fostering connections that extend beyond the fellowship period. The equity-free nature of the programme ensures accessibility for selected founders focused on long-term venture sustainability.
