Global Brands At SEF 2026 Drive Impact On Sharjah Stages

Sharjah Entrepreneurship Festival SEF 2026 is set to gather more than 14,000 attendees at Sharjah Research, Technology and Innovation Park from 31st January to 1st February, with over 300 entrepreneurs, investors and executives expected, as the event focuses on fast-scaling brands and practical growth strategies.

Organised by Sharjah Entrepreneurship Center Sheraa, SEF 2026 will run under the theme Where We Belong, placing globally recognised companies at the centre of the Impact and Founders stages so entrepreneurs gain direct insight into execution, resilience and decision-making from leaders who scaled businesses across multiple markets.

Across both stages, SEF 2026 will host WHOOP, Revolut, IBM, DAMAC Properties, ADNOC Drilling, The Giving Movement, Capital.com, Qlub, Quiqup, Zofeur, Yango Play, Astratech, Careem and Brooki, with discussions designed to highlight data-driven performance, operational discipline, regional expansion and investor expectations for founders operating in and beyond the Middle East.

The Founders Stage, located in Startup Town powered by du business, will concentrate on how early concepts evolve into durable brands, as The Giving Movement, ADNOC Drilling and Capital.com examine values-led growth, navigating complex regulatory environments and shifting regional investment trends that influence how startups scale in the GCC and wider global markets.

On the Impact Stage, hosted within the Impact Zone powered by Arada Developments, speakers will focus on organisations operating at scale, where consistent performance, long-term strategy and resilience are required, featuring sessions on decision-making in complex settings, cross-border operations and the systems needed to maintain reliability when companies expand rapidly.

WHOOP will appear through John Sullivan, CMO, who will analyse how the company built durability using data integrity, disciplined product development processes and strong customer retention, illustrating how precise performance data and continual product refinement support trust with users and help maintain growth momentum across competitive markets.

A session titled Inside the CEO Role, What It Takes to Grow will bring together Dr. Tariq Bin Hendi, Chief Executive Officer of Astra Tech, and Ambareen Musa, GCC Chief Executive Officer of Revolut, alongside other executives, to discuss how chief executives manage growth, balance risk and guide teams through expansion phases.

IBM and Careem will jointly address enterprise-scale innovation, reviewing how artificial intelligence, automation and enterprise systems are implemented reliably across markets, with a focus on deployment models, integration challenges and the operational controls required when digital infrastructure supports millions of users across different regulatory landscapes.

Sharjah Entrepreneurship Festival SEF 2026 founders, execution and storytelling

On the Founders Stage, Qlub, Quiqup and Zofeur will unpack decisions at turning points, including refining product-market fit, selecting funding routes and structuring teams for sustainable scaling, while Yango Play and Brooki will share operational lessons on execution discipline, building maturity after rapid early success and sustaining momentum once initial growth peaks.

DAMAC Properties will be represented by Managing Director Ali Sajwani, who will discuss delivering large-scale developments across international markets, while astronaut Nora Al Matrooshi will reflect on human performance and choices in high-stakes environments, and filmmaker Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy will lead a session on how storytelling can support systemic change across societies and industries.

With its mix of global brands, regional champions and scale-focused discussions, Sharjah Entrepreneurship Festival SEF 2026 is structured to give founders, investors and executives detailed exposure to real-world strategies on growth, technology deployment and leadership, positioning the Sharjah event as a key meeting point for entrepreneurship stakeholders in and beyond the Middle East.

With inputs from WAM