SHARJAH, 12th November, 2026 (WAM) -- Sharjah Business Women Council (SBWC) has concluded the third edition of Pearl Quest. The competition gave seven women entrepreneurs the opportunity to develop their pitching skills, present their businesses to investors and an expert judging panel, benefit from professional guidance and build relationships with the business community.
Held at Your Space in Aljada, Sharjah, the event was attended by Sheikha Hind bint Majid Al Qasimi, Chairperson of SBWC, alongside investors and representatives of organisations supporting entrepreneurship. Three businesses received cash prizes totalling AED95,000.
Tapy, represented by co-founder Maryam Alhussainy, won first place and AED60,000. Omniyati Prosthetics Arts Center, represented by founder Ashwaq Hamood Alhashemi, received AED20,000 for second place, while Bidaia AI, represented by Alya Ghobash and Lubna Zaitouni, received AED15,000 for third place.
Further capacity-building opportunities include referring up to two winning businesses to Majra’s Marfa’a programme for consideration, helping them prepare for investment and business collaboration opportunities, subject to the programme’s requirements, assessment procedures and approvals.
The competition supports women entrepreneurs beyond the cash prizes by helping them strengthen their pitches, understand the criteria investors use to assess growth opportunities and improve their business models through professional feedback. It also enables participants to showcase their products and services, expand their networks and explore opportunities for collaboration and partnerships.
Sheikha Hind bint Majid Al Qasimi said, “Entrepreneurial success begins with a business’s ability to deliver real value to the market, meet clearly defined needs and build competitive advantages that support growth and expansion.” She noted that SBWC works to help promising ventures become more competitive and contribute to the economies of Sharjah and the UAE. This includes providing training and professional guidance, facilitating access to funding and investment opportunities, and building strategic partnerships that open new markets for women entrepreneurs and help them develop more sustainable businesses.
She added, “Pearl Quest puts this approach into practice by identifying businesses with strong potential and helping women entrepreneurs refine their business models and prepare for investment and expansion. We see the seven finalists as promising ventures whose potential extends beyond the competition and its prizes. Through our relationships with supporting institutions and investors, we aim to help them progress to more advanced stages of development and reach new markets and access new opportunities from their base in Sharjah.”
The event included the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between SBWC and Majra, the National CSR Fund, covering cooperation between the Council’s Pearl Quest programme and Majra’s Marfa’a programme. It establishes a pilot framework for referring up to two Pearl Quest 2026 winners to Marfa’a for consideration.
The cooperation focuses on capacity building to strengthen investment readiness, partnership readiness and procurement readiness, helping businesses prepare to meet the requirements of supplying products or services to companies and other organisations. Participation is subject to Majra’s eligibility criteria, assessment procedures, internal approvals and available programme capacity.
The memorandum was signed by Maryam bin Al Shaikh, Director of SBWC, and Sarah Shaw, CEO of Majra, the National CSR Fund, in the presence of Sheikha Hind bint Majid Al Qasimi.
The event concluded with recognition of the sponsors and members of the selection committee and judging panel for their contributions to the competition and support for participants. Attendees also had the opportunity to visit the business display spaces, learn about the products and services on offer and speak directly with the entrepreneurs.