SEF 2026 sets comprehensive workshop agenda for 14,000 attendees
Staff writer
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.
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 recognised as a driver of competitive advantage, the global geospatial analytics market is experiencing rapid growth. According to Grand View Research, 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. The workshop aims to inspire entrepreneurs to see location as a driver of innovation, efficiency, and competitiveness.
Building the right team is critical to a startup’s success. Research by CB Insights 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 & CEO, Thrive People HR Consultancies “Building Your A-Team” workshop equips first-time founders 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 this 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. The guidance is 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, notes an insightful study by Foundology published in Forbes.
In addition to demystifying the financials, technologies and legal frameworks involved in the entrepreneurial journey, SEF also promotes the social dividends that flow 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. Through a curated programme of hands-on culinary, creative, and nature-led experiences, the zones invite participants to slow down and connect with one another, engaging in creating for the community. From food as a medium for storytelling and togetherness, to workshops centred on mindful making, natural materials, and personal reflection, these experiences reinforce SEF’s belief that innovation is rooted not only in ideas and technology, but in people, place, and purpose.
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.
