As the UAE gets set to celebrate its golden jubilee in December this year, the opening SEF 2021 session will feature key stakeholders in the UAE startup ecosystem looking into the role entrepreneurship has played in getting the country to where it is today, and how it will help secure its progress for the next 50 years and beyond. Staged as a freewheeling conversation between UAE Minister of State for Entrepreneurship and SMEs H.E. Dr. Ahmed Belhoul Al Falasi, Wamda Capital Executive Chairman Fadi Ghandour, and Careem co-founder Magnus Olsson, this discussion will look into the progress the UAE entrepreneurial landscape has seen up until now, and what needs to be done to propel it to its next level of growth.

The startup world has shown us that knowledge and its speedy implementation is the only real power that an individual can have in order to survive and thrive in uncertain times. History has shown us that economies, countries, and the world as a whole depend on these changemakers who are not afraid to approach the unknown and create a new reality by drawing on their own wits and wisdom as guides. We have gathered a few of these courageous and enterprising individuals to tell us more about their personal journeys in this respect–and how the rest of us can follow their lead.

As the co-founder of the internationally acclaimed app, Calm, Michael Acton Smith certainly knows a thing or two about realizing your entrepreneurial dreams, no matter how crazy they might sound at first. Learn from his success story in this on-stage masterclass at SEF 2021.

Billed as one of Australia’s most impactful speakers and development coaches, Pauline Nguyen, co-founder of Red Lantern, the world’s most awarded Vietnamese restaurant, will use her time on the SEF 2021 stage to explain how all of us can go about designing the lives of our dreams. As someone who has realized great success despite battling great adversities in her life, Nguyen will teach from direct experience to help others command self-mastery.

It’s not easy to go against the grain—especially when it comes to choosing what we want to do with our lives. Be it external societal constraints, or self-imposed imposter syndromes, there are a multitude of issues that can have us questioning the careers we’d like to build for ourselves. So, what does it take to defy the norms and pursue one’s passion? That’s what this session at SEF 2021 aims to find out.

While there’s definitely been an upsurge in conversations around mental health around the world, it has also resulted in a debate on how we should respond to people who confess to having issues with the same–just Google Simone Biles. So, when it comes to entrepreneurs, should we applaud those who take a time out, or do we reserve the cheers for those who make it through despite the struggles—or is there a middle path through all of this? That’s what we aim to find out in this panel discussion.

As momentous as Careem’s journey as a startup was, perhaps its more important legacy will be in how it gave rise to a whole new set of entrepreneurs who are today making waves around the MENA region and beyond. In a conversation featuring past and current employees of Careem, we look into the factors that made this success story possible, and how other enterprises–startup or otherwise–can follow their lead in shaping innovators of the future.

It’s been said time and time again that a business’ success is dependent on the people you have in it—but how exactly does one build a founding team that sets up a startup for success? This panel discussion at SEF 2021 will hear from entrepreneurs on how they got the right talent on board for their enterprises and built a company culture that simply works.

As a concept that was originally conceived as the setting for dystopian science fiction, the metaverse is today being talked about as “the next big thing,” a virtual world that people get to experience and interact with using digital avatars of themselves, and where cryptocurrencies and NFTs rule the roost. But in an era where there are complaints galore about living in echo chambers, Zoom/virtual fatigues, and the environmental consequences of the crypto domain at large, does a metaverse add to our issues, or does it attempt to fix them? This discussion aims to look past the buzzwords and drill into the real-world applications of the metaverse.

Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, the resulting global economic crisis saw business leaders around the world finding themselves in rather precarious positions as they navigated these troublesome times. While many have been derided for their actions through this phase, there are a few who have been lauded for their efforts–so, what differentiates the two? That’s what execs from around the MENA region will discuss and debate in this panel discussion.

It’s one thing to want to start a business–but it’s another thing altogether to get it off the ground, and access to funds plays a key role in this particular aspect of an entrepreneur’s journey. This panel discussion will hear from different players in the UAE’s investment space speak about the various funding options that are available for entrepreneurs and startups in the market today, and how they can maximize their chances in terms of actually getting what they need in this domain.

How many of us have come across a problem and thought to ourselves: “Well, there’s nothing I can do about it,” and then allow it to remain as is? But that’s not the only way to react to such situations. The more daring, more imaginative, and definitely more impactful response would be for us to find ways to fix the issue at hand—so, how do we go about cultivating that kind of a changemaker mindset? Well, hear it straight from the source—this discussion will feature changemakers delving into their approaches to the world, and what the rest of us can learn from them.

In this keynote address, serial entrepreneur and AB Talks host Anas Bukhash will help you figure out what drives you, and learn how to dive deep into that, so that your passion can actually become a career.

What makes women feel empowered, confident, and able to follow through on their entrepreneurial dreams? In her book, The Startup Wife, author Tahmima Anam delves into the sexism that’s often inherent in startup workplaces and entrepreneurial ecosystems, where gendered and/or racial micro-aggressions make it extremely hard for diverse voices to thrive. In this inspiring conversation, we’ll hear from Anam on the role stakeholders need to play in addressing such issues, and the ways in which both women and men can help rewrite this narrative.

Timing and scalability are often mentioned as two important factors for startups to succeed, but what about a place where it originates from? While there are numerous stories about entrepreneurs succeeding out of the world’s famous startup hubs, there are as many stories of them failing because of not being able to keep up pace with the speed that a highly competitive environment demands. This SEF 2021 will hear from entrepreneurs who have chosen Sharjah as the base for their operations, and how the Emirate proved to be the best place for them to kickstart their businesses.

As the world emerges from deep uncertainty, there’s a renewed appetite for arts and culture, but are entrepreneurs in the creative sector being given the support they need? This SEF 2021 session looks into the creative economy as it stands today, and how it can be boosted and bolstered in the MENA region, and beyond.

As the bestselling author of The School of Greatness, Lewis Howes knows a thing or two about living your dreams, making an impact, and leaving a legacy in the world that we live in. And the formula for realizing all of that (and more) is what he is going to share with us in this closing keynote for SEF 2021–you don’t want to miss out on this!