Sharjah Business Women Council Amplifies Support for Women Entrepreneurs in 2025

Editorial Team

Last updated 24-12-2025

4 min

The Sharjah Business Women Council focused on expanding support for women founders in 2025.

They acted as a full economic ecosystem, enhancing access to skills and networks.

Key events included the "Your Voice, Our Vision" gathering and the Sharjah Entrepreneurship Festival.

Initiatives like the Business Readiness Bootcamp and NMU elevated skills and brand visibility.

Global missions and forums highlighted economic strategies, shaping resilient, women-led ventures.

The Sharjah Business Women Council seems to have treated 2025 as a year to push the envelope, widening its support for women founders in a way that genuinely mirrors the UAE’s broader mission to boost sustainable, innovation-led growth. I’ve always felt that when you speak to entrepreneurs around the region – even informally at Arageek events – the same theme pops up again and again: access. Access to skills, to markets, to networks. And this year, SBWC leaned right into that.

Maryam Bin Al Shaikh, the Council’s director, summed it up neatly when she said the organisation had shifted towards acting as a full economic ecosystem. Her point about the UAE scoring full marks on several indicators in the World Bank’s Women, Business and the Law report caught my attention. It’s spot on that such benchmarks only strengthen the case for deeper investment in women-led ventures. Frankly, I reckon the numbers also highlight how much appetite there is among women to build and scale businesses when the environment is right.

The year kicked off with a gathering in Aljada under the theme “Your Voice, Our Vision”, where members reflected on the previous year’s programmes and, more importantly, outlined what they felt was still missing. Further east, in Kalba, the ‘Industry Spotlight: Entrepreneurship’ session offered a space for candid exchanges between founders and trainers. Someone once told me that these sorts of conversations can feel like “a bit of a faff,” but honestly, they tend to surface insights you don’t get from glossy reports.

During the Sharjah Entrepreneurship Festival, the Council backed the Made in Sharjah zone and hosted a discussion on growth and innovation. SBWC also rolled out the NMU Initiative, which gives women-led brands a proper stage to show their work. Six startups joined the platform, along with two others in retail and F&B – small numbers perhaps, but meaningful for visibility in a crowded market.

On the practical-skills front, May saw the launch of the Business Readiness Bootcamp. Over five intensive days, participants dug into legal structures, contracts, intellectual property, marketing and the financial nuts and bolts that can make or break an early-stage company. Cash flow management alone can trip up even the brightest founders… I’ve seen it happen more times than I’d like to admit.

Recognition also played a part this year. In partnership with the American University of Sharjah, SBWC hosted the third edition of its dialogue series and spotlighted several entrepreneurs through the Pearl Quest competition, where eight women-led startups pitched to a specialist jury.

Beyond the tech and training circuits, the Council ventured deeper into culture-centric industries too. At the Emirates Perfumes & Oud Exhibition, SBWC hosted a pavilion for local entrepreneurs, while its role as the Strategic Partner for the Watch & Jewellery Middle East Show opened doors for members aiming to break into luxury markets. On the flip side, the Council didn’t neglect the fast-moving tech scene, sponsoring eight women-led startups at Expand North Star 2025 and giving them the chance to compete in the Supernova Challenge – with prizes reaching USD 214,000.

Global exposure didn’t stop there. A six-day trade mission to China, held in collaboration with Sheraa and Ruwad, enabled 16 businesses to explore advanced manufacturing ecosystems. They were chosen from more than 300 applicants, which says plenty about the demand for international pathways. And believe it or not, these missions often become turning points for founders who realise that scaling abroad isn’t just a dream but something tangible.

The year also had its share of policy-focused conversations. One forum unpacked the state of social entrepreneurship in the UAE, discussing financing hurdles, licensing gaps and the need for a national database to support impact-driven ventures. Another major gathering, the Inter-Businesswomen Councils Forum, spotlighted the circular economy and how human-centred models might shape future business resilience. I’m not usually a huge fan of buzzwords, but circularity, when executed well… well, it does make real economic sense.

Looking back at SBWC’s activities, the pattern is clear: a steady push towards equipping women not only to launch businesses but to make them sustainable, competitive and globally connected. It’s the kind of long-game approach that, in my view, will pay off definatly for the region’s entrepreneurial landscape.

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