Sheraa selects 14 female founders for six-month Sharjah Women Impact Fellowship (SWIF) programme

Sharjah Entrepreneurship Centre (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 programme.

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.”

The new cohort brings together founders from different nationalities and business models.

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.”

Supporting founders through the next stage of growth

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.

A cohort spanning diverse industries

Within F&B and FMCG, Eva Davidova, entrepreneur behind Tamre; Kim Thompson, founder of Raw Coffee Company; Tanaz Shahriari, founder of Miva Flavour House; and Aysha Alyahyaee, founder of Akiro Cafe and Bakery, bring experience across consumer and food and beverage businesses.

The creative economy sector is represented by Fatma Almulla, founder of FMM; Maryam Al Shehhi, co-founder of Al Aswad; and Medina Beganovic, founder of Wonder. Christine Wilson, founder of Peahead.eco, brings a multidisciplinary venture spanning sustainability, creative industries and manufacturing.

Across sustainability, education, technology, and health, the cohort includes Nuhayr Zein founder of Leukeather, and Dima Al Srouri, founder of MycoSphere , whose ventures span sustainability and manufacturing; Reem Madkour, co-founder of Dardasha, and Shabnam Shafy co-founder of Usraty Labs, in EdTech; and Maysoon Al Shamsi, founder of Rawa, and Perihan Abouzeid, founder of Pericare, representing Beauty & Wellness and HealthTech respectively.

Together, the cohort reflects the diversity of ventures progressing through Sheraa’s entrepreneurship ecosystem and the breadth of sectors in which women entrepreneurs are building and growing businesses.

SWIF is supported by Empower Partners: Evolve Careers, The LightHouse Arabia LLC , Cosmic Centaurs, Publicis Groupe Middle East , Ti22 Films, 2B Limitless, Habib Al Mulla & Partners, Kearney and VentureSouq , Crescent Enterprises, Deloitte & Touche (M.E.), EY which contribute expertise across different areas of the programme. Sultan Bin Ali Al Owais Real Estate supports SWIF as its Impact Partner.