During its first two years of operation, Sira, a membership-based professional community that is MENA-first and innovative, has generated $3.2 million in value from its 90 members. This is a remarkable accomplishment that the community is thrilled to share.
After observing the transforming power of connections in the business world, two former Endeavor associates—one with a specialty in communications and events, the other in entrepreneur selection and growth—founded Sira. This event gave rise to the idea of democratizing this power, which resulted in the founding of Sira, a membership-based community that presently operates in Jordan and the United Arab Emirates and allows professionals with like values to connect authentically and grow both personally and professionally.
The ability of their members to generate significant economic value highlights the potency of Sira Community’s exclusive model. Sira has shown that focusing on common values and sincere relationships can result in real financial benefits in addition to personal and professional development.
“By definition, networks are exclusionary and unfortunately, today’s networks exclude mainly based on perceived social value. We decided to build a different community, where we exclude based on our value system,” said Ayah B. Saeed, Co-Founder of Sira. “Many people think you have to choose between making money and being values-driven. Our members’ success in creating substantial economic value proves an important point: you can be profitable whilst being true to your values.”
As the fundamental component of membership, Sira places a greater emphasis on shared values than traditional networks do on titles, funds raised, or career stages.
“Most networks look at an applicant’s experience, title, and where they are in their career. Our application process completely deletes all of that information; instead, we evaluate potential members based on their commitment to collaboration, growth, transparency, inclusion, and respect. Our unique application process reflects our commitment to our values. We focus on who the person is rather than what they do. We, then, share anonymous, de-identified applications with our existing members to review and vote on. We strived for a more democratic and inclusive way to build a community.” said Zara Najjar, Co-Founder of Sira.
“Sira helped me explore and initiate business development opportunities in new sectors and build valuable partnerships with many members and beyond in different models. The exposure to a diverse values-based professional community within Sira created a great environment for me as a business owner and provided me with a strategic network and access to diverse expertise essential for the business.” Sira Member, Maher Nammari, Founder & CEO at Masar.
A private communication area is available to Sira Community members so they can meet other professionals who share their interests. They host monthly gatherings with a focus on fostering meaningful relationships, professional and personal growth, and motivational speeches from thought leaders like Dr. Geoff Smart. The atmosphere that resulted in the $3.2 million value creation was greatly enhanced by these carefully planned events.
However, Sira’s dedication to developing platforms for real connection lies at its core. Genuine interactions, meaningful engagement, and authentic connection are the result of their approach to event curation and the way they start conversations, both offline and online. By removing the mask, promoting vulnerability, and providing safe spaces for members to be authentic, they go beyond surface-level interactions and foster stronger ties and more fruitful partnerships.
