Sira: Building a Values-Driven Community for Genuine Growth

Founded in 2022 by Zara Najjar and Ayah B. Saeed, Sira is a Jordan-born membership-based business community. With members in Jordan, the UAE, and Saudi Arabia, Sira provides a private platform to connect with professionals, exchange services, hire, and invest together. 

According to its founders, Sira focuses on building real connections instead of prioritizing titles or career stages, welcoming members from a range of industries who embrace collaboration, respect, and transparency to support its members' professional growth.

Over the past two years, Sira has built up a membership base that spans over 23 industries and includes entrepreneurs, business leaders, freelancers, investors, teachers, bankers, doctors, engineers, and artists. Collectively, its members have generated US$3.2 million in value. When asked about Sira's contribution to this outcome, they told us, “This milestone is a testament to our members' collective strengths and drive. Sira’s role was to create the space for these collaborations to happen.” 

Below is an edited transcript of our interview.

How did your experiences at Endeavor influence the creation of Sira, especially with the focus on values-driven connections?  

Our experiences at Endeavor shaped much of what inspired the creation of Sira. It demonstrated the power of connection and how it can significantly impact a person's career and drive growth, ultimately driving their companies toward scale. The strength of Endeavor's network showed us how transformative these connections can be. Endeavor serves a niche group of high-impact entrepreneurs, and we thought, 'What if we harnessed that power of connection but tailored it to solve a problem we deeply care about?'' We envisioned a community that is diverse, inclusive, and accessible to many more professionals, fostering holistic growth — both personal and professional — where the common thread is a shared value system. 

Your member selection process focuses on shared values instead of titles or career stages. What led you to build a community around values, and how has it shaped the community?  

We envisioned a community that brings together a varied group of professionals. We didn’t want it to matter if they’re 35 or 55, a freelancer, an employee, or a business owner, or if they work in AI, logistics, or art. But to create that truly diverse community, there needs to be something that connects its members — something they have in common. When a group of driven, unique, and diverse individuals shares a value system and a purpose, the power of that community becomes incredible. 

These values have shaped everything we do: our selection process, our member guidelines, and our team growth. They guide both our individual and collective actions, serving as our cultural, social, and moral cornerstones. 

Zara Najjar, co-founder of Sira. Courtesy of Zara Najjar. 

How does a values-based approach to networking compare to traditional professional networks? How does it affect member collaboration? 

We felt that the traditional networks available to us today often feed into a networking facade, preventing us from showing up authentically. They tend to revolve around similar personas and lack the diversity necessary for collaborative growth. These networks frequently exclude individuals based on title, money raised, and perceived social status, making them inaccessible and reinforcing surface-level transactional relationships. 

To counteract that, our philosophy is that when you create a truly collaborative community where diverse professionals can show up as who they are, authentically connect, and grow, you achieve higher engagement and longevity, more collaboration and creativity, greater learning and knowledge, more genuine care and support, and ultimately, a deeper sense of belonging. For us, the only way to do this was by building on a foundation of values. 

What are the core values that Sira looks for in its members? 

The core values we seek in our members are collaboration, respect, transparency, a growth mindset, and a commitment to driving change in business culture. To benefit from our community, members must be willing to work with others and respect diverse perspectives. Meaningful connections are built on honesty, communication, and trust. Our members strive for personal and professional growth, embracing the learning process and feedback. Ultimately, Sira aims to weave these values into the business world, fostering authenticity and creating a positive ripple effect through our diverse membership. 

Sira’s members have generated US$3.2 million in value in two years. How do you think Sira contributed to this outcome?  

This incredible milestone is a testament to our members' collective strengths and drive. Sira’s role was simply to create the space for these collaborations to happen. As collaboration is one of our core guiding values, we made it clear that our community is built on mutual support — members come to give as much as they take. By fostering an environment where members can be authentic and drop the facade, we encouraged genuine connections. The diversity within our member base fueled deeper collaborations, and shared values made working together seamless. It all boils down to creating a space where collaboration thrives naturally. 

Can you share an example where a Sira member benefited from the collaborative environment?  

We have many examples, with over 125 member collaborations to date. One involves Mego Salbashian and Khaled Rayyan, co-founders of Qahwa BLK, and Abed Mously, partner at Four Winters. They teamed up to create unique desserts, with Four Winters supplying delicious treats to Qahwa BLK — a collaboration that has thrilled everyone in Jordan! Another great story is when a member found their co-founder through Sira. Additionally, one member who specializes in proposal writing helped another win five grants in just 18 months. 

A standout moment was when eight of our female members formed a syndicate to invest in a femtech startup. They diversified their risk, and for the first-time investors, it provided a supportive group to guide them. This perfectly showcases the power of community. 

What role do the monthly events and communication spaces play in supporting member connections? What does it take to maintain the community around Sira? 

We provide members with a well-rounded experience each month: one learning event, one authentic connection event, and one networking event with a "come as you are" policy. Our authentic connection events cover topics like rejection, failure, fear, and pressure, offering structured spaces for openness and vulnerability. 

But community is about more than just events; it's about building real, lasting connections. Events can spark interactions, but the true value comes from the relationships and support that develop over time. Our goal is to foster deeper connections and future collaborations that extend beyond any single event. 

In planning our events, we create spaces that inspire members to continue engaging with one another, forming meaningful bonds that drive both personal and professional growth. 

Ayah B. Saeed, co-founder of Sira. Courtesy of Ayah B. Saeed. 

How do you ensure Sira grows while staying aligned with its core values?  

We keep putting the word out there because many professionals are looking for a space like Sira but struggle to find one. To ensure we stay aligned with those values, we put the growth in the hands of our members. Our application questions are designed to gauge who the person is, what their values are, and how they will engage and contribute to our community (we look at who you are, not what you do, what you do is a byproduct of you joining). When someone applies to join Sira, we de-identify their application — removing age, gender, workplace, and any other details that might introduce bias. We then send this anonymous application to our members, who vote to accept or decline based on shared values and potential engagement. 

Having our members actively shape our growth is key because it ensures that Sira remains true to its core values, which is what matters most to them. 

What are your medium-to-long-term plans for Sira? Are there any upcoming features or initiatives you’re working on?  

Our plans are simple: to continue growing with our members, expand our community, and increase access to authentic connections among values-driven professionals. Our vision is to reshape how people connect and grow globally, expanding these genuine relationships one country at a time. The next chapter is launching in the UAE, where we’ve identified many professionals who seek authentic, meaningful relationships and shared values. We're excited to provide them with the Sira experience, creating spaces for genuine, long-lasting connections. 

For someone interested in joining Sira, what should they know about the community, and how can they become a member?  

We encourage anyone interested in joining the Sira Community to attend one of our weekly discovery calls. Every Sunday at 6:00 PM (GMT+3) Jordan time, we host a call where we share more about our community and the membership benefits and answer any questions attendees may have. They can register for the call here. 

We also invite people to check out and follow us on LinkedIn and Instagram to learn more about us and stay updated on any news and initiatives.