Sharjah's Sheraa launches $250,000 Middle East and Africa startup challenge
Winners will need to show they made a difference during these challenging times
Dubai: The Sharjah Entrepreneurship Center (Sheraa) is launching a $250,000 prize for high prospect startups in the Middle East and Africa. The prize comes free of any equity requirements.
The ‘UCAN’ programme will home in on entrepreneurs who invested in creating tangible solutions for current and pressing global challenges imposed by the COVID-19 outbreak. To be eligible, startups must have a fully developed product or minimum viable product (MVP), showcase growth and impact, and be interested in expanding into the MENA market.
Finalists will be selected in both categories, and winners in each track will be awarded a $100,000 grant each, while runners-up will receive $25,000 each.
In May, Sheraa launched a $1 million solidarity fund to help startups that were facing financial strain due to the coronavirus pandemic, through grants, commissioned projects and competitions.
“UCAN (which stands for Ubuntu Care And Nurture) reinforces Sheraa’s commitment to fostering a vibrant culture of impactful entrepreneurship," said Najla Al Midfa, CEO of Sheraa. "We want to support startups whose unique health-tech and food-tech solutions are meeting the urgent needs of not just the communities they serve, but the world at large.
"These talented changemakers are everywhere, and we aim to ensure they have a platform that elevates the impact they’re making.”
The UCAN initiative is looking for entrepreneurs working on socially-minded innovations specifically under the two tracks of ‘Healing the World’ for healthtech and ‘Feeding the Future’ for foodtech.