SHARJAH RANKS AMONG HIGH-GROWTH STARTUP HUBS

Sharjah was ranked top of a list of high-growth startup ecosystems in June. The Global Startup Ecosystem Report, by research group Startup Genome, ranked hubs at a similar “activation phase” of development. Alongside Sharjah, the list included Frankfurt, Taipei, Quebec and Belgrade. The Serbian capital is a heavy hitter: foreign firms spent more than $500m on Serbian startups in the past six years, tech now accounts for 6% of the country’s GDP.

Sharjah has successfully nurtured startups that build on its economic strengths. Education is a priority, from establishing the first school in the UAE to University City, home to two of its top six universities. That is good news for edtech startup Little Thinking Minds which was the first winner of Sharjah Entrepreneurship Center’s Access Sharjah award in April, securing a $100,000 equity-free grant. The company creates educational resources which aim to increase the connectedness of MENA youth to their Arab identity. —PD