Bee’ah, a leading UAE-based environmental management company, has entered into a long-term partnership with Sharjah Entrepreneurship Centre (Sheraa).

As part of the deal, Bee’ah will work closely with Sheraa, to identify, inspire and support young entrepreneurs in the field of sustainability, in addition to mentoring and funding their ventures in this respect.

Young entrepreneurs will gain valuable insight and inspiration from Bee’ah’s innovative and sustainable operations towards developing their own innovations in the field, said the company in a statement.

The strategic partnership agreement was announced recently at the ‘Inaugural Showcase Day’ in the presence of HH Sheikh Dr Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, member of the Supreme Council and Ruler of Sharjah; Sheikha Bodour Al Qasimi, chairperson of Sheraa and Khaled Al Huraimel, Bee’ah's Group CEO.

Commenting on the partnership, Al Huraimel’ah, said: “The strategic partnership with Sheraa reflects our belief in the positive impact that young entrepreneurs can have on social and economic development."

"We aim to enable the brightest talent of the UAE to start their journey in the fields of entrepreneurship and sustainability. This partnership will provide them with the support needed to bring about the latest innovations in the sustainability and environmental fields. Together, we will work to create the next wave of sustainability entrepreneurs," he added.

From its base in Sharjah, Sheraa has inspired a community of more than 2400 aspiring entrepreneurs, mentoring over 946 people, in its first year alone.

Consisting of the ‘ideathon’ phase that validates business ideas using actual customers; the ‘incubator’ phase that helps refine concepts and develop prototypes; and the flagship ‘accelerator’ programme which provides the means to market the product, the Sheraa entrepreneurship journey conducts the idea-to-product transition seamlessly and effectively.

Through its collaboration with Bee’ah, Sheraa said it will be able to make this transition easier for sustainability-focused entrepreneurs, within the UAE and Sharjah.

Najla Al Midfa, the general manager of Sheraa, said: "We are excited to be partnering with Bee'ah, to create the next generation of entrepreneurs in the fields of sustainability and the environment. This partnership will inspire students and graduates through talks and events focused on sustainability."

"We will hold challenges and competitions to help generate ideas in this field. Winning teams will go on to have their ventures incubated at Sheraa. With the support of Bee'ah, as our strategic partner, we will develop a sustainability track for startups," she added.-TradeArabia News Service