Education company GEMS introduces Youth Entrepreneurship Booster for budding business owners among students
GEMS Education Launches Youth Entrepreneurship Accelerator Program
GEMS Education, a leading K-12 private education provider based in the UAE, has announced the launch of the Youth Entrepreneurship Accelerator Program. This school-based initiative aims to support early-stage, growth-focused student businesses within the GEMS Education network.
The program, managed by staff at GEMS World Academy Dubai (GWA) and sponsored by CAFU, is designed to nurture innovation and prepare young founders to lead startup ventures. It targets students in Grades 9-12 (Years 10-13) and selects a limited number of teams to benefit from educational and mentorship support to transform their business ideas into fully-fledged startups.
Key details and goals of the program include supporting student entrepreneurs to develop their early-stage startups through after-school sessions, providing access to mentorship, education, and resources to scale their business ideas, encouraging the growth of entrepreneurial skills and mindsets among youth within GEMS schools, and preparing students for potential investment opportunities.
The 2023 edition of the program involved reviewing submissions from over 65 teams across the UAE, eventually selecting 12 teams comprising 42 students to participate in the accelerator, supported by the digital EdTech platform 8billionideas.
Each team consists of a CEO, a Product Manager, a Chief Marketing Officer, an Innovation Lead, and a Chief Financial Officer. The teams will participate in the program, learning to identify problems in their businesses, develop solutions, build prototypes, conduct market research, develop a market strategy, create financial models, learn leadership and management skills, and become familiar with investor pitching.
At the end of the program in May, the selected teams will have a demo day where they'll get a chance to pitch their startups to external investors. The program is the first of its kind to bring high-level business acumen and entrepreneurial support usually seen in global accelerators for adult entrepreneurs.
CAFU, the main sponsor of the accelerator, will provide students with mentorship and access to its network of business experts. Nabra Al Busaidi, Community and Sustainability Manager at CAFU, stated that the accelerator will help safeguard the UAE's startup ecosystem by empowering students and fostering their entrepreneurial spirit.
Helen Al Uzaizi, Director of Entrepreneurship, Innovation and Social Impact at GEMS World Academy in Dubai, stated that the program aims to help students build essential skills for their future. Among the selected teams is YOLO, an application that facilitates conversations in awkward social settings, and Tranquil, an online mental health platform for teens that tracks their well-being. Another selected team is Carbon Wallet, an application that rewards users for sustainable practices with the help of AI.
The program is powered by GEMS World Academy and sponsored by CAFU. As a Dubai-born brand deeply rooted in the UAE, CAFU believes that the program will prepare tomorrow's leaders for success in an ever-evolving economic landscape.
- The Youth Entrepreneurship Accelerator Program, run by GEMS Education and sponsored by CAFU, comprises student teams working on business ideas, with each team having roles such as CEO, Product Manager, Chief Marketing Officer, Innovation Lead, and Chief Financial Officer.
- As part of the program, student teams at GEMS Education receive after-school sessions, mentorship, educational resources, and opportunities to scale their business ideas, aiming to foster innovation, entrepreneurial skills, and potentially connect with external investors.
