Khalifa Fund for Enterprise Development has opened registration for its 2026 Future Entrepreneur summer programme, a free learning initiative designed to introduce Emirati children and teenagers to business planning, financial literacy and practical enterprise skills.The programme, themed “Their Summer Today. Their Success Tomorrow”, will run from 13 July to 21 August across Abu Dhabi, Al Ain and Al Dhafra, expanding the Fund’s youth entrepreneurship track into a structured summer cohort for participants aged four to 18. It will be delivered in Arabic and English through interactive workshops, business simulations, mentoring activities and graduation showcases tailored to different age groups.
The launch places youth enterprise education at the centre of Abu Dhabi’s broader drive to build a stronger pipeline of founders, innovators and small-business owners. The initiative also reflects a wider policy shift in the emirate, where enterprise support is increasingly being linked to skills, early exposure, financial confidence and long-term economic diversification.
Participants will follow a four-session learning pathway, with each session lasting three hours. The format combines classroom instruction with practical exercises, including mini-market simulations, bootcamp-style challenges, prototype development and presentation activities. The aim is to move entrepreneurship education beyond theory by allowing students to test ideas, price products, understand customers and present simple business concepts in front of mentors and peers.
The youngest group, aged four to six, will be introduced to entrepreneurship through play-based learning, storytelling, teamwork and basic exchange concepts. Children aged seven to nine will focus on financial literacy, branding, pricing and customer interaction, while those aged 10 to 14 will work on business ideation, prototyping, branding, financial modelling and pitching. The oldest participants, aged 15 to 18, will receive exposure to business planning, investor simulations, pitch-deck development, mentoring and market-readiness training.
Venues listed for the programme include locations in Abu Dhabi, Al Ain and Al Dhafra, with sessions spread across schools, community spaces and learning hubs. The schedule includes International Community Schools in Al Falah and Mushrif, MZN Hub in Al Ain, ADNOC School in Madinat Zayed, Liwa International School in Al Ain and Zayed Central Library.
KFED’s decision to make the programme free lowers the entry barrier for families and supports a wider pool of young participants. The Fund is positioning the summer cohort as an early-stage talent-development channel, with students receiving certificates of participation and recognition awards for outstanding performers.
The 2026 edition follows the completion of the first Future Entrepreneur programme, which drew more than 1,000 applications. A total of 948 applicants were invited for training in financial literacy and entrepreneurship fundamentals, while 134 young participants advanced to a final three-day bootcamp. They developed 54 projects across food and beverage, goods and merchandise, and STEM-focused categories, before taking part in a marketplace attended by more than 350 people.
That earlier cohort helped establish the programme’s operating model: identify talent, teach basic enterprise concepts, test ideas in a simulated market and guide promising projects towards further support. The strongest projects were selected for a launchpad phase offering technical and financial backing, along with continued mentorship.
The Future Entrepreneur programme is part of a wider KFED portfolio that supports enterprise creation from youth learning to start-up acceleration and SME financing. Established in 2007 in Abu Dhabi, the Fund has since expanded its services across the emirate and to other parts of the UAE, offering financing, advisory services, membership benefits, export support, digital learning and specialised programmes for small and medium-sized enterprises.
The youth programme also complements other 2026 initiatives under the Fund, including entrepreneurship competitions and sector-focused support for start-ups aligned with Abu Dhabi’s Falcon Economy priorities. Those programmes include bootcamps, mentorship, pitch coaching, access to workspaces and prizes or in-kind support for selected founders.
For Abu Dhabi, the emphasis on children and teenagers reflects a longer-term view of entrepreneurship policy. Rather than limiting support to licensed businesses or university-age founders, the programme introduces enterprise thinking at school age, where participants can begin to understand saving, budgeting, value creation, product design, customer needs and presentation skills.
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