Khalifa Fund for Enterprise Development launches ‘Future Entrepreneur' program to enhance entrepreneurship skills

Abu Dhabi, July 3, 2025: The Khalifa Fund for Enterprise Development (KFED) is launching tomorrow, July 4, 2025,  the ‘Future Entrepreneur’ program to foster entrepreneurship skills among the youth aged between 6 and 18. The key objectives of the program includes fostering innovation, empowering young people with financial management skills and building a new generation of national entrepreneurs using tools for excellence in a practical environment under the guidance of a committee of experts.

The program is projected to attract 5,000 participants and develop 2,500 entrepreneurial projects and 1,000 small ventures under the ‘Future Entrepreneurs Permit’ initiative, launched by the Abu Dhabi Registration Authority (ADRA), an arm of the Abu Dhabi Department of Economic Development (ADDED) to develop and regulate the business sector, over the next five years. It follows a comprehensive process to select exceptional young entrepreneurs based on their eligibility, thinking methodology, creativity and performance. It mainly focuses on innovative problem-solvers and young individuals with the capability to make a long-term impact on Abu Dhabi’s economic ecosystem.

The program aims to support participants within certain age groups to innovate, develop and sell products and services in a realistic environment. Through this program, participants will receive expert guidance and feedback, helping them reach an idea pitching stage, where they can showcase products and services in a marketplace to promote and sell them and win awards. The training camp, under the program, enables participants to apply their acquired skills in real markets across various key fields, such as science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields, pre-owned goods market and food and beverage kiosks. The camp will also include a stringent evaluation system to recognise exceptional talents and qualify them to be part of ‘Builders of Future Launchpad.’

Her Excellency Mouza Obaid Al Nasri, CEO of the Khalifa Fund for Enterprise Development, said, “The Future Entrepreneur program is a testament to our wise leadership’s progressive vision to support young talents, investing in programs to make them future leaders. Through this initiative, we aim to foster a culture of innovation among youth and reinforce national entrepreneurship, which is one of the key pillars of national economy and a driver of its sustainable growth and diversification. Furthermore, we seek to offer an enabling ecosystem to transform the aspirations of the participants into success stories at the beginning stage itself, allowing them to grow as successful entrepreneurs and create a lasting impact across Abu Dhabi’s major sectors.”

The initiative is going to start with an opening ceremony, in "Nabd Al Falah" Center in Al Falah City, offering participants an opportunity to register and select their preferred pathway under the ‘Inventor’ or ‘Trader’ categories. The selected participants can then engage in a two-week summer camp and gain practical knowledge in pricing and brand development. The program will extend over a four-week period beginning mid-July, with two extensive study days per week. It seeks to nurture skills of young individuals in areas of idea generation, prototype development, budget planning, storytelling and digital tools.