Kickstart was born out of the founder’s son’s desire to give other teenagers in the UAE the opportunity to work in entrepreneurial and start-up business environments.

During the COVID lockdown in 2020, a 12-year-old decided to set up a small commercial enterprise selling sweets and drinks to the community’s younger members.

Sparking a keen interest and desire to understand the basics of commerce, what started as a bit of fun morphed into the establishment of V.I.P Sneakers – an eCommerce fashion retail business operating in the secondary market for exclusive and high-demand sneakers.

In February 2022, the UAE Government passed a directive that permitted 15 to 17 years old to attain paid part-time work experience. In response to finding out about the directive, the now 14-year-old could not understand why others should get the same opportunity as he had availed himself.

He subsequently launched an event to explore whether other teenagers would be interested in working in his eCommerce business. Not only did several hundred youths apply for the limited number of positions, but the UAE academic community also responded in equal measure.

The decision was then made to establish Kickstart as a legal entity. Based on a non-profit commercial basis, Kickstart would work with academic institutions and private sector companies to provide and facilitate real-life/on-the-job training and work experience that would complement education studies and personal development.