The Next Big CEO is Probably in Middle School Right Now

Kids love games. 

They play peek-a-boo before they even recognise faces. 

They master hide-and-seek long before they master the alphabet. 

They stack Lego towers before they learn geometry. 

They team up in Minecraft and Roblox before they’ve ever read a strategy book. 

Play always comes first. It’s how they learn to navigate the world. 

So why should entrepreneurship be any different? 

 

Why Do Kids Love Play?

If you ask a child what they love about play, you won’t hear “math” or “political science.”

They’ll say it’s fun. It’s discovery. There are no rigid structures. There’s always something to uncover. And most importantly - there’s instant gratification.

• Dopamine hits: Every coin collected or badge unlocked gives the brain a tiny chemical reward. The brain seeks it again to repeat the feeling.

• Instant feedback: In games, kids don’t wait weeks for results. They know immediately if a move worked or didn’t. It’s right there.

• Visible progress: Levels, leaderboards, and points make progress tangible. Kids can see how far they’ve come.

  
  

While so much of their world is outcome-oriented, games let them explore.

Now, don’t get me wrong, I’m not ‘pro-gaming'. But I do find this behaviour fascinating. Instead of ignoring it, or hoping it will “pass”, I thought of channeling it into a real-life skill, like entrepreneurship.

But Why Entrepreneurship?

This generation of kids is growing up differently. They’ve lived through global upheavals, economic shifts, and massive tech revolutions - all while being raised by parents who want them to be creative and resilient. 

The result? A wave of young entrepreneurs so young, they’re still in school.

It's not just parents noticing this shift. Schools have started to recognise that entrepreneurship is a life skill worth nurturing. More and more classrooms are running “mini business fairs,” encouraging kids to come up with ideas, set up stalls, even raise money for causes they care about.

At a kids’ event, I met a 3-feet tall “finance manager” with glasses, a tag that proudly showcased his role, and a notepad to track all the financial transactions. Yes, he also explained the profit margins.

If that doesn’t show you the future is already here, I don’t know what does. Kids aren’t waiting until adulthood to step into entrepreneurial roles. They're already doing it.

The CEO Game Nobody Told You About

If you really think about it, entrepreneurship is already structured like a game.

You start at Level 1 with nothing but an idea.

You fight your dragons, your obstacles, doubts, setbacks, “what if this doesn’t work?” moments.

You explore hidden paths and open doors just to see what’s behind them - just like testing markets, experimenting with strategies, or finding new audiences.

You collect power-ups in the form of skills, and even Product-Market Fit.

And you keep playing until your idea takes shape - no matter how many times you fail.

For kids, entrepreneurship isn’t about profit margins or “CEO of the Year” trophies. It’s about expression, making their own decisions, building something that gives them a sense of security, and accomplishment.

Unlike a digital game, this experience doesn’t vanish when the screen turns off. What’s left behind are critical life skills: creativity, problem-solving, conflict management, resilience.

What We’re Doing at KOKOVERSE?

Here's the thing: everything takes practice. You don’t just pick up a basketball and nail the perfect shop on your first try. You don’t enter Roblox and master it in one go. You practise, you mess up and then try again – that's how you get good.

Entrepreneurship works the same way. At KOKOVERSE, we take kids through the thinking process - giving them a structure to follow, questions to wrestle with, and gaps to spot. How do you know if an idea is worth exploring? What problem are you really solving? And how do you push that idea further until it transforms into something bigger?

That’s the skill we’re training - thinking by doing. And like any game, it’s fun, messy, and full of surprises. At every stage, kids unlock a new layer of their business. They enter with just an idea. Through power-ups, trial-and-error, and iterative play, they leave with their very own pitch deck, ready to hit the inboxes of potential investors.

KOKOVERSE is the space for creators who love to build.

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