Page 68 - KFED PR REPORT - APRIL 2026

4/22/26, 10:31 AM Khalifa Fund participates in the inaugural Abu Dhabi Global Entrepreneurship Festival
Khalifa Fund participates in the inaugural Abu

Dhabi Global Entrepreneurship Festival

Launches ‘Funding on the Spot’ initiative

April 21, 2026

The Khalifa Fund for Enterprise Development (KFED) is participating in the inaugural edition of the Abu Dhabi Global
Entrepreneurship Festival, held under the patronage of Sheikh Zayed bin Nahyan bin Zayed Al Nahyan, from April 20 to 22,
2026, at the Abu Dhabi Energy Center. Image courtesy: KFED

One of the key organizations supporting entrepreneurship in the UAE, the Khalifa Fund for
Enterprise Development (KFED) is participating in the inaugural edition of the Abu Dhabi Global

Entrepreneurship Festival, held under the patronage of Sheikh Zayed bin Nahyan bin Zayed Al
Nahyan from April 20 to 22, 2026, at the Abu Dhabi Energy Center, under the theme “Your
Impact. Our Economy’s Pulse.”

KFED’s participation reflects its commitment to strengthening Abu Dhabi’s SME landscape by
empowering Emirati entrepreneurs to scale their ventures. It also provides direct networking
opportunities for entrepreneurs with investors and decision-makers.

As part of its participation, the Fund is launching the ‘Funding on the Spot’ initiative, an
innovative platform designed to facilitate entrepreneurs’ access to financing during the festival by
enabling immediate eligibility assessments and providing on-site advisory support, including

assessing compliance with requirements and assisting with documentation and application
processes. It is targeted at Emirati business owners aged 21 to 60 operating in Abu Dhabi,
particularly those in growth and expansion phases across priority sectors such as healthcare,

education, agriculture, information technology, tourism, and industry.

Additionally, the ‘Young Emirati Traders’ competition was announced under the patronage of
Sheikha Rawdha Bint Nahyan Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, in collaboration with Khalifa Fund. The

initiative targets youth aged 6 to 18, introducing them to entrepreneurship through hands-on
learning while building awareness of emerging sectors such as artificial intelligence and clean
energy, alongside promoting financial literacy in partnership with banks and financial institutions.

As part of the festival programme, H.E. Khalifa Al Kuwaiti, Executive Director of the
Entrepreneurship Sector at KFED, participated in a panel discussion titled ‘Building Abu Dhabi as
a Global Founder Platform,’ which discussed Abu Dhabi’s position within the global

entrepreneurship economy and the role of alignment between government policies, capital flows,
and enabling institutions in supporting start-up growth. During the session, he presented KFED’s
perspective on effective institutional enablement for entrepreneurs, the challenges facing
businesses in early growth and scaling stages, and mechanisms to balance access to finance with

long-term commercial sustainability.

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