Pearl Initiative and Abu Dhabi Music & Arts Foundation’s Creative Entrepreneurship Lab Inspires Young Artists to Build Accountable, Impact-Driven Ventures

Manal Saleh

Abu Dhabi, UAE – 13 December 2025: After two successful editions of the Youth Impact Lab that brought together 85 students from 10 universities, Pearl Initiative, a non-profit organisation dedicated to strengthening corporate governance across the Gulf region, has partnered with the Abu Dhabi Music & Arts Foundation (ADMAF) to launch the Creative Entrepreneurship Lab, a new initiative empowering young creative leaders through the principles of good governance.

The inaugural of the Creative Entrepreneurship Lab session took place in the end of November, at the Jafar Center for Executive Education – American University of Sharjah. The one-day experience is designed to support and inspire young cultural and creative leaders to combine artistic talent with purpose and strong governance, transforming their ideas into impactful visions for social change.

Through dialogue with experienced philanthropists and artists, structured mentorship, and a comprehensive pitch development workshop, participants explored how creative expression can be paired with purpose and good governance to build initiatives that are both inspiring and sustainable, with clear accountability and funding potential.

H.E. Huda Alkhamis-Kanoo, Founder of the Abu Dhabi Music & Arts Foundation (ADMAF), and Founder and Artistic Director of Abu Dhabi Festival, said:

“Through the Creative Entrepreneurship Lab under the Young Philanthropist programme, in partnership with the Pearl Initiative, we seek to establish a pioneering model that fosters a culture of accountability and transparency. By combining artistic creativity with social purpose, we enhance innovation in business and culture, create meaningful opportunities and nurture a culture of human impact locally and globally within the framework of a sustainable creative economy.

H.E. added: “We work hand-in-hand to empower young leaders to create impact, engaging community members and students from UAE universities – including American University of Sharjah, Sorbonne University Abu Dhabi, and Manipal University Dubai preparing them to exchange creative ideas and develop innovative solutions to environmental, social and humanitarian challenges.”

To open the programme, ADMAF hosted a Riwaq Al Fikr talk, its cultural dialogue and knowledge-exchange initiative, titled ‘Building Creative Ventures for Lasting Social Impact’, bringing together cultural leaders, philanthropists and entrepreneurs. The session explored real-world partnerships, funding pathways and the role of strong governance in ensuring that arts-driven initiatives deliver meaningful and sustained social and environmental progress. It also highlighted how clear frameworks, transparent processes and measurable outcomes build trust and enable collaborative ventures to flourish. The panellists included Dr Pradeep Sharma, Director, Arts, Culture and Heritage, Salama bint Hamdan Al Nahyan Foundation and Kamila Rangoonwala Ahmed, Founder, KRA Art Advisory.

In the next part of the session, participants took part in a competition where they worked with a diverse group of mentors including, Sarah Sabbagh, Founder, 180xSarah; Dr. Wasseem Abaza, Professor of Entrepreneurship, Zayed University, and Dipika Mallya, Founder, Ideation Labs to explore practical ways of transforming creative expression into structured, fundable and purpose-driven social ventures. Through this process, they gained hands-on experience in designing, pitching and presenting their creative projects for social impact, with guidance on governance, partnerships and funding readiness.

The participating teams focused on addressing a range of social challenges. Their pitch presentation showcased their dedication to driving positive change within their communities, and reflected a solid understanding of the importance of combining artistic vision with business acumen and governance for building ventures that are impactful and sustainable.  

Commenting on the success of this year’s challenge, Ralph Choueiri, Executive Director of Pearl Initiative stated: “This year’s competition is another demonstration of our commitment at Pearl Initiative to integrating governance principles into the creative economy. This year, we have worked closely with ADMAF to refine the programme to enable the creative entrepreneurs translate their ideas into impactful projects. The ideas presented this year show that when creativity is guided by vision and strong governance, it can deliver meaningful and lasting social impact in UAE, and across the region.”

The participating teams was rewarded with a one-month internship opportunity at ADMAF, which will allow them to gain real-life experience. They will work alongside ADMAF’s professional team to further develop project ideas, gaining insights on how creative ventures can be effectively structured and governed for long-term social impact.

The Creative Entrepreneurship Lab reinforced Pearl Initiative’s commitment to nurturing young leadership and entrepreneurship in the UAE, and across the Gulf region. By integrating social impact and strong governance principles into the creative economy, the initiative aims to strengthen the ecosystem of young philanthropists and changemakers driving impact through innovation and integrity.