emirates7 - The Sharjah Entrepreneurship Festival reviewed the challenges facing startups and the impact of artificial intelligence on their development journey.
As part of its ninth edition, organised by the Sharjah Entrepreneurship Center (Sheraa), the festival hosted Khabib Nurmagomedov, the mixed martial arts legend with a record of 29 victories and zero defeats, during his first visit to Sharjah. In a dialogue session, he revealed the secrets behind his rise to the top, explaining that his victories and “undefeated” title were not merely numbers, but the result of years of dedication, intensive training, and personal sacrifices that began in his childhood village and culminated on global platforms.
Nurmagomedov affirmed that discipline is the cornerstone of his athletic and personal journey, noting that discipline extends beyond physical training to include mental and psychological commitment. He said that every hour spent training and every journey undertaken for competitions or training camps was carefully calculated and purposeful, stressing that he never sought fame or wealth, but rather aimed to prove his ability to excel and succeed in front of his father.
The festival also hosted a special dialogue session featuring two female entrepreneurs from the “Shark Tank Dubai” programme, Nayla Haddad and Natasha Rudatsinko, who shared details of their participation experience, how they defended their ideas, and succeeded in convincing investors.
The speakers highlighted the real challenges faced by entrepreneurs away from the spotlight, presenting a live example of how a startup idea can be transformed into a comprehensive success story, while underscoring the importance of courage, passion, business structuring, and strategic thinking at every stage.
Meanwhile, married co-founders of family-owned restaurant businesses affirmed that building a sustainable venture begins with preserving brand authenticity and balancing personal relationships with expansion requirements. They noted that the decision to transform into a major brand multiplies challenges and introduces financial and investment pressures, adding that working together inevitably affects personal relationships, regardless of their strength, which requires conscious decisions and professional tools to minimise such impacts.
This was discussed during a session titled “Overcoming Startup Challenges and Personal Life in Spousal Partnerships,” hosted by the Community Platform, with the participation of Mazen Kanaan, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of House of Pops, Marcela Sancho, Co-Founder of the company, Sultan Chatila, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Eleven Green, and Kinda Salam, Co-Founder of the same company.
In another session titled “The Future with Artificial Intelligence and Its Impact on Human Communication,” former Chief Business Officer at Google X, Mo Gawdat, revealed features of the new artificial intelligence model “Emma,” a platform designed to support emotional and human relationships based on self-awareness. He explained that “Emma” functions as a digital coach and guide, helping users better understand themselves and supporting them step by step in making conscious decisions when choosing partners and building healthy, sustainable relationships.
The festival witnessed in-depth dialogue sessions featuring leaders from major technology, food, and media companies in the region, who provided entrepreneurs with realistic insights into growth pathways, emphasising that success depends not only on ambition, but also on founders’ ability to make the right decisions at the right time.
Arab female athletes also shared their perspectives on the meaning of leadership in sports and athletics, stressing that success is not measured solely by physical achievements, but by mental resilience and the ability to transform personal challenges into motivation that creates impact beyond the individual to society.
The speakers highlighted the importance of self-honesty, faith, mental discipline, and family support as essential elements in achieving excellence in sports and entrepreneurship.
This came during two dialogue sessions held as part of the festival. The first, titled “Epic Motorcycle Journeys Around the World,” hosted Fatima Alloghani, the first Emirati woman to undertake motorcycle adventure journeys. The second focused on leadership in sports and athletics and featured Manal Rostom, the first Egyptian woman to summit Mount Everest and Mount Vinson and to complete the Six World Marathon Majors, and Fatima Abdulrahman Al Awadhi, the youngest and first Arab woman to reach the summit of Mount Vinson, the highest peak in Antarctica.
As part of its ninth edition, organised by the Sharjah Entrepreneurship Center (Sheraa), the festival hosted Khabib Nurmagomedov, the mixed martial arts legend with a record of 29 victories and zero defeats, during his first visit to Sharjah. In a dialogue session, he revealed the secrets behind his rise to the top, explaining that his victories and “undefeated” title were not merely numbers, but the result of years of dedication, intensive training, and personal sacrifices that began in his childhood village and culminated on global platforms.
Nurmagomedov affirmed that discipline is the cornerstone of his athletic and personal journey, noting that discipline extends beyond physical training to include mental and psychological commitment. He said that every hour spent training and every journey undertaken for competitions or training camps was carefully calculated and purposeful, stressing that he never sought fame or wealth, but rather aimed to prove his ability to excel and succeed in front of his father.
The festival also hosted a special dialogue session featuring two female entrepreneurs from the “Shark Tank Dubai” programme, Nayla Haddad and Natasha Rudatsinko, who shared details of their participation experience, how they defended their ideas, and succeeded in convincing investors.
The speakers highlighted the real challenges faced by entrepreneurs away from the spotlight, presenting a live example of how a startup idea can be transformed into a comprehensive success story, while underscoring the importance of courage, passion, business structuring, and strategic thinking at every stage.
Meanwhile, married co-founders of family-owned restaurant businesses affirmed that building a sustainable venture begins with preserving brand authenticity and balancing personal relationships with expansion requirements. They noted that the decision to transform into a major brand multiplies challenges and introduces financial and investment pressures, adding that working together inevitably affects personal relationships, regardless of their strength, which requires conscious decisions and professional tools to minimise such impacts.
This was discussed during a session titled “Overcoming Startup Challenges and Personal Life in Spousal Partnerships,” hosted by the Community Platform, with the participation of Mazen Kanaan, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of House of Pops, Marcela Sancho, Co-Founder of the company, Sultan Chatila, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Eleven Green, and Kinda Salam, Co-Founder of the same company.
In another session titled “The Future with Artificial Intelligence and Its Impact on Human Communication,” former Chief Business Officer at Google X, Mo Gawdat, revealed features of the new artificial intelligence model “Emma,” a platform designed to support emotional and human relationships based on self-awareness. He explained that “Emma” functions as a digital coach and guide, helping users better understand themselves and supporting them step by step in making conscious decisions when choosing partners and building healthy, sustainable relationships.
The festival witnessed in-depth dialogue sessions featuring leaders from major technology, food, and media companies in the region, who provided entrepreneurs with realistic insights into growth pathways, emphasising that success depends not only on ambition, but also on founders’ ability to make the right decisions at the right time.
Arab female athletes also shared their perspectives on the meaning of leadership in sports and athletics, stressing that success is not measured solely by physical achievements, but by mental resilience and the ability to transform personal challenges into motivation that creates impact beyond the individual to society.
The speakers highlighted the importance of self-honesty, faith, mental discipline, and family support as essential elements in achieving excellence in sports and entrepreneurship.
This came during two dialogue sessions held as part of the festival. The first, titled “Epic Motorcycle Journeys Around the World,” hosted Fatima Alloghani, the first Emirati woman to undertake motorcycle adventure journeys. The second focused on leadership in sports and athletics and featured Manal Rostom, the first Egyptian woman to summit Mount Everest and Mount Vinson and to complete the Six World Marathon Majors, and Fatima Abdulrahman Al Awadhi, the youngest and first Arab woman to reach the summit of Mount Vinson, the highest peak in Antarctica.
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