In line with its goals of promoting and encouraging entrepreneurial ventures in Abu Dhabi, Khalifa Fund for Enterprise Development (Khalifa Fund) revealed details about Venturist, a two-week entrepreneurship summer camp for citizen and resident students aged 10 to 14 and 14 to 18 years old, who are based in Abu Dhabi.
During the course of the camp, students will learn essential entrepreneurship skills, including the components behind starting a business, problem-solving skills, and maximizing digital literacy for an increasingly tech-savvy marketplace.
The Venturist Summer Camp is set to take place in two groups scheduled from 5th – 27th July, and 5th – 20th August respectively.
The Venturist – Week 1
Students will take part in virtual classes which introduces them to the concepts of entrepreneurship and business ideation, before gaining an understanding of design thinking, and business modeling, including case studies from successful global start-ups. Students in teams will then explore how to create meaningful social and economic value, conducting market research, creating a prototype product or service, and how to iterate and improve their ideas and business model based on how the market reacts.
The Venturist – Week 2
Students will undergo lessons on management and execution, as well as fundamentals on how to scale-up a business and how to create a launch plan with a holistic sales and marketing strategy.
Students pitching their business ideas developed over the course of the camp upon the conclusion of the camp to a committee of representatives and entrepreneurs that have had the first-hand experience of working alongside the Khalifa Fund.
Mubarak Al Ameri Executive Director Outreach Management Department Khalifa Fund
“As the leading enterprise development organization in the region, we aim to spread entrepreneurship culture and shape the future of the UAE’s entrepreneurial ecosystem by investing heavily into immersive education programs, from a grassroots level to established SMEs. By providing this emerging generation with opportunities to learn about entrepreneurial skills, we’re creating an environment that empowers youth to think ahead and understand the business world from an early age.”
He added: “We see this generation as the one that will continue the UAE’s exponential growth in the SME sector, and thus further diversify our national economy. This can only be achieved by nurturing today’s bright, young talent, into tomorrow’s leading business minds. Initiatives and programs like Venturist will help us to further enhance the sector, as we provide youth with access to Khalifa Fund mentors and showcase to students that the private sector is ripe with opportunities; they can become anything they strive to be.”
