SBWC boosts growth readiness for women-led entrepreneurship

Sajjad Ahmad, Deputy Business Editor

Sharjah Business Women Council (SBWC) has concluded the third edition of Pearl Quest as part of its efforts to strengthen women-led businesses’ readiness for growth and competition. The competition gave seven women entrepreneurs the opportunity to develop their pitchin g skills, present their businesses to investors and an expert judging panel, benefit from professional guidance and build relationships with the business community.

Held at Your Space in Aljada, Sharjah, the event was attended by Sheikha Hind Bint Majid Al Qasimi, Chairperson of SBWC, alongside investors and representatives of organisations supporting entrepreneurship. Three businesses received cash prizes totalling Dhs95,000. Tapy, represented by co-founder Maryam Alhussainy, won first place and Dhs60,000. Omniyati Prosthetics Arts Center, represented by founder Ashwaq Hamood Alhashemi, received Dhs20,000 for second place, while Bidaia AI, represented by Alya Ghobash and Lubna Zaitouni, received Dhs15,000 for third place.

Further capacity-building opportunities include referring up to two winning businesses to Majra’s Marfa’a programme for consideration, subject to the programme’s eligibility and assessment requirements.

Sheikha Hind Bint Majid Al Qasimi said: “Entrepreneurial success begins with a business’s ability to deliver real value to the market, meet clearly defined needs and build competitive advantages that support growth and expansion.”

She noted that SBWC works to help promising ventures become more competitive and contribute to the economies of Sharjah and the UAE. This includes providing training and professional guidance, facilitating access to funding and investment opportunities, and building strategic partnerships that open new markets for women entrepreneurs and help them develop more sustainable businesses.

She added: “Pearl Quest puts this approach into practice by identifying businesses with strong potential and helping women entrepreneurs refine their business models and prepare for investment and expansion. We see the seven finalists as promising ventures whose potential extends beyond the competition and its prizes. Through our relationships with supporting institutions and investors, we aim to help them progress to more advanced stages of development and reach new markets and access new opportunities from their base in Sharjah.”

The winning businesses: Tapy, represented by co-founder Maryam Alhussainy, won first place for its UAE-made Aman Watch, designed to enhance the safety of people of determination and older people. The assistive technology company is based at Sharjah Research, Technology and Innovation Park.

Ashwaq Hamood Alhashemi secured second place for Omniyati Prosthetics Arts Center, which specialises in designing, producing and restoring custom facial and body prostheses, including eyes, ears, fingers, hands and feet.

Bidaia AI, represented by Alya Ghobash and Lubna Zaitouni, took third place. Through its BIDAIA NEXUS platform, the business provides AI-powered strategic intelligence to help governments and businesses anticipate geopolitical risks and support decision-making.

The event included the signing of a memorandum of understanding between SBWC and Majra, the National CSR Fund, covering cooperation between the Council’s Pearl Quest programme and Majra’s Marfa’a programme. It establishes a pilot framework for referring up to two Pearl Quest 2026 winners to Marfa’a for consideration.

The cooperation focuses on capacity building to strengthen investment readiness, partnership readiness and procurement readiness, helping businesses prepare to meet the requirements of supplying products or services to companies and other organisations. Participation is subject to Majra’s eligibility criteria, assessment procedures, internal approvals and available programme capacity.

The memorandum was signed by Maryam Bin Al Shaikh, Director of SBWC, and Sarah Shaw, CEO of Majra, the National CSR Fund, in the presence of Sheikha Hind bint Majid Al Qasimi.

The seven finalists reflected the breadth of sectors attracting women entrepreneurs. Healthcare and assistive technology were represented by Omniyati Prosthetics Arts Center and Tapy FZC, while HomePOWERMENT and Green Sufra presented solutions for household management and family meal planning. The finalists also included Majlis Link, a digital platform connecting entrepreneurs with investors; Bidaia AI, which applies artificial intelligence to strategic intelligence; and UniMentor, an academic mentoring platform using AI for academic guidance.

Three days of training ahead of the competition

The final round was preceded by three days of training focused on helping participants pitch their businesses and develop their key messages, improve presentation delivery and body language, and prepare persuasive presentations.

The judging panel comprised Salem Al Yamahi, Head of Partnerships Section at the Sharjah Foundation to Support Pioneering Entrepreneurs (Ruwad); Rashed Sawaqed, Business Development Consultant at Ruwad; Dr Mona Al Dabbah, Advisory Board Member at Sharjah Business Women Council; Dr Huda Al Khzaimi, a national adviser and expert in advanced sciences and the future economy; and Ghizlan Guenez, Founder and CEO of FForce.

The selection committee comprised Dr Mona Al Dabbah and Wafa Balaswad, both Advisory Board Members at Sharjah Business Women Council. The committee reviewed and evaluated applications to select the finalists.