Sharjah: A Literary Legacy

Sharjah has a rich history of enhancing and promoting literature, publishing, and other book-related industries, with its leaders dedicating decades to growing the emirate’s literary community. With globally renowned offerings such as the Sharjah International Book Fair, the Sharjah Children’s Reading Festival, and Sharjah Publishing City, to name but a few, Sharjah’s efforts to promote a culture of reading and learning have led the city to be crowned the UNESCO World Book Capital for 2019. It the first city in the Gulf – and the third Arab city in the world – to earn this title.

Making Sharjah a Hub for Book-related Startups

In celebration of Sharjah being named the World Book Capital 2019, the Sharjah Entrepreneurship Center (Sheraa) is launching the Access Sharjah program to support the growth of digital startups in book-related industries.

Participants will receive:

UP TO $100K IN CASH PRIZES
for the top-performing startups, in addition to discounted perks during the program

CONNECTIONS TO KEY STAKEHOLDERS AND POTENTIAL CLIENTS
such as Sharjah Publishing City, the Emirates Publishers’ Association, and more

ACCESS TO A POOL OF SKILLED HUMAN CAPITAL
from a world-class University City with over 30,000 students and 100+ degree programs, providing a critical mass of talent

BUSINESS SETUP SUPPORT
with access to rent-free coworking spaces and subsidized licensing through Sheraa’s freezone partners

ACCESS TO MEDIA COVERAGE
with PR features through Sheraa’s dedicated agency

PERSONALIZED MENTORSHIP & COACHING
by Sheraa’s team of experts and network of global mentors