Sheraa further strengthens UAE’s position as global innovation hub

Gulf Today, Staff Reporter

At the forefront of innovation and entrepreneurship, the Sharjah Entrepreneurship Center (Sheraa) is showcasing UAE-based solutions crafted by startups within its ecosystem at VivaTech 2024 in Paris, France, being held from 22-25 May 2024.

With the title of Europe’s biggest startup and tech event, VivaTech is renowned as a rendezvous for the world’s brightest minds, talents, and products. As part of the UAE’s first official delegation to the event; led by the UAE Ministry of Economy (MoE) and Abdullah Ahmed Al Saleh, Undersecretary of UAE MoE; Sheraa’s participation aims to empower small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), facilitate investment opportunities, and propel economic growth within the nation.

Sheraa’s participation aligns with the UAE’s vision to become a leading global destination for entrepreneurship and innovation, and by providing a supportive ecosystem for startups, Sheraa is furthering its goals to nurture the growth of innovative businesses and contribute to the diversification of the UAE’s economy.

Commenting on their role within MoE’s delegation, Najla Al Midfa, CEO of Sheraa, stated, “This prestigious event provides an unparalleled platform to present Sharjah as a global hub for innovation and entrepreneurship, and for our entrepreneurs to showcase their cutting-edge solutions while engaging with international investors, industry leaders, and like-minded innovators from around the world. We are deeply committed to nurturing the growth of startups in Sharjah and empowering them to scale their businesses globally. By participating in VivaTech, we aim to put the spotlight on the incredible talent and potential that exists within our emirate, while also fostering cross-border collaboration and accelerating the growth of our SMEs.”

Participating startups from Sheraa’s ecosystem covered a diverse range of sectors, showcasing innovative solutions in data analytics, ed-tech, food & beverage technology, virtual and augmented reality, sustainability, software development, and IoT technology.

DataFirst had the opportunity to showcase their data-driven technology developed to help clients build new revenue streams and deliver exceptional customer experiences. Their analytics solution, ‘Flow’, was specifically designed to increase revenue and operational efficiency which will be greatly effective for food & beverage operators. Fifthwall, a Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR) creative agency, presented their holistic support to clients across various technology platforms, with a strong focus on data-driven strategies and marketing.

Specialising in fostering programming skills and advancing smart device development through the use of open-source development boards for educational purposes and project implementation, Remal IoT proved to be a great attraction for software and hardware enthusiasts. Candam Technologies impressed visitors with logistics solutions demonstrating their EU-patented technology to enable easy and affordable ‘Return and Earn Schemes’, while AR Engineering, a pioneering software development company, attracted visitors in the Ed-tech sector with their digital content and immersive learning experiences.

As part of their agenda at VivaTech 2024, the UAE delegation engaged in several enriching activities to foster cross-border collaboration and entrepreneurial growth. Through visiting a number of French and European business incubators, they were able to gain valuable insights into innovative projects while enabling the participating Emirati entrepreneurs to expand their knowledge and expertise in developing small and medium-sized enterprises. The agenda also included productive meetings between these UAE based SMEs and their French counterparts, joined by a large group of investors and venture capitalists. These interactions aimed to establish fruitful partnerships in emerging economic sectors and cutting-edge technologies, creating new avenues for growth and innovation.

Additionally, the delegation held a series of bilateral meetings with senior officials from French government agencies specialising in entrepreneurship, further strengthening the strategic ties between the UAE and France.

Viva Technology 2024 features an impressive lineup of notable speakers from various sectors, ensuring a rich dialogue on the future of technology. Some of the key figures include Elon Musk, Bernard Arnault, John Kerry, Serena and Venus Williams, Linda Yaccarino, and Christel Heydemann, representing prominent companies and organisations such as SpaceX, Tesla, X, LVMH, Orange, Shopify, as well as many others.           

Meanwhile, In a major move to ramp up investment in technology and scientific research, the Sharjah Research, Technology and Innovation Park (SRTI Park) has been engaged in hectic bilateral activity over the past week, marked by a high-level visit to main Chinese cities as well as Chinese delegations visiting SRTI Park to explore investment avenues.