Sharjah: The Sharjah Entrepreneurship Festival (SEF 2026) returns for its 9th edition from 31st January to 1st February, 2026, at the Sharjah Research, Technology, and Innovation Park (SRTIP), bringing with it an expanded lineup of workshops designed to chart the trajectory of enterprises from ideation to market success. As one of the region's most influential entrepreneurial festivals for founders, innovators, and community builders, SEF 2026 continues its mission to celebrate the diverse stories that define Sharjah's entrepreneurial ecosystem.
According to Emirates News Agency, under the theme, Where We Belong, SEF 2026 places interactive, hands-on engagement at the heart of the festival through SEF Academy, SEF Eats, and Expression Zone workshops. Designed to offer unique opportunities for practical learning, the workshops have been thoughtfully curated to fully equip attendees at the cusp of their entrepreneurial journey with essential skills and knowledge for their ventures, careers, and interests.
Participants attending SEF Academy workshops can learn, among other essential insights, how founders build personal brands that accelerate their ventures, understand the different structures of equity and ownership models for startups, and hear how 'AI agents' can be leveraged to develop customer leads.
Comprising select highlights from the Academy's two-day agenda, the workshops include "Geo Game-Changer: Turning Geolocation Data into Profit." With location data now recognized as a driver of competitive advantage, the global geospatial analytics market is experiencing rapid growth. The market is projected to exceed US$226 billion by 2030, highlighting the expanding commercial value of geospatial intelligence across sectors. Led by Isaias Thomas Biju, Head of UX/UI Design, the workshop will introduce geospatial SQL as a technical tool and demonstrate how Gulf startups can transform location data into strategic advantage.
Building the right team is critical to a startup's success. Research shows that 23% of failed startups cited team-related challenges as a key factor, highlighting the importance of early, intentional hiring and team design. Led by Jessy Abraham, Founder and CEO, Thrive People HR Consultancies, the "Building Your A-Team" workshop equips first-time founders with practical guidance on building strong startup teams, from understanding what 'talent' truly means, to defining key roles, attracting and retaining top performers, and designing simple yet effective hiring processes.
Attendees of another workshop, taught by Lauren Hamilton, Founder of RideSkipper, will unpack the 'resilience toolkit' needed to start and sustain a new venture. Participants will explore real-life lessons and work through practical scenarios that reflect the challenges faced by founders and entrepreneurs at the start of their journey, especially relevant as the demands of launching a new venture saw 50 percent of 400 startup founders in a survey report feeling stressed or worried for more than half their week.
In addition to demystifying the financials, technologies, and legal frameworks involved in the entrepreneurial journey, SEF also promotes the social dividends from the creation of new commercial ventures. The human dimensions of entrepreneurship - culture, sustainability, and wellbeing - can be experienced at SEF Eats and the Expression Zone workshops.
SEF 2026 is expected to bring together more than 14,000 global attendees and over 300 business leaders, motivational speakers, and investors, under the theme Where We Belong.