Reimagining Business and Financial Literacy with AI‑Powered Simulations

The Problem with Traditional Business Education

Most business concepts are taught too late, too passively, and too abstractly. Students often do not encounter real-world frameworks, like supply and demand, fiscal management, or branding, until their university years, by which time much of their curiosity has already been eroded by memorisation learning.

Furthermore, by referring business to a subject for graduate students, we overlook the vital period when young minds are most receptive to experimentation, risk-taking, and entrepreneurial thinking. At the age of 12 to 18, students are naturally fearless about failure, a disposition that often diminishes as educational systems instil a fear of making mistakes.

Simulation Is a Medium Built for Mastery

At Visionaries, we believe the best way to learn business is the same way pilots learn to fly: through simulation. Business Heroes™ allows students to run their own virtual food truck start-up, make decisions across marketing, finance, HR, and pricing, and see immediate feedback based on real economic principles. It is hands-on, gamified, and yes, AI powers the feedback.

Unlike roleplay-based simulations or case studies which require teacher facilitation, our platform is fully autonomous. While the simulation engine manages market dynamics, pricing sensitivity, and customer preferences, AI plays a pedagogical role; it analyses the player’s decisions, behaviours, and patterns, then offering tailored advice to guide them forward. It acts as a virtual mentor, highlighting what went well, where they missed the mark, and which business concepts are at play. All in real time. The result? Scalable, personalised, experiential learning!

Why AI Reinforced Learning Matters

Artificial Intelligence is not just powering the backend of Business Heroes™, it is transforming how students learn within the simulation. With Adaptive Feedback the AI recognises skill gaps in learners and subtly nudges them toward decisions that challenge their current understanding. With real-time feedback the students do not wait for marks as they get performance data as soon as they make a pricing change or launch a campaign. Through this approach, we do not just teach what to think, we teach students how to think under pressure, with data, and in the face of uncertainty. Isn’t that what business is all about?

The Results So Far

Over the last 12 months, we have deployed pilots of Business Heroes™ in schools and universities across the UAE. During the workshops and tournaments, the outcomes were both striking and consistent:

•    65% boost in students’ confidence to start a business. •    61% increase in interest in entrepreneurship.

•    100% of students said simulation-based learning was more engaging than traditional teaching.

•    100% recommendation rate from participants

And the most encouraging result was when we did post-session interviews. The students were using terminology like inventory turnover, target segment, and brand value not just correctly, but also enthusiastically.

Making Business Education Age-Inclusive

One of the most surprising discoveries we made early on was that you do not need to water down business for younger learners. You just need to present it in a way that’s interactive, intuitive, and story-driven. When students are placed in scenarios where every decision affects their business’s success or failure, they want to learn the concepts. They ask better questions. They self-correct. They start thinking like entrepreneurs. This is especially critical in the Middle East, where governments are pushing for more diversified, innovation-led businesses and economy. Instilling business literacy from an early age is no longer a nice-to-have, it is ESSENTIAL for national progress.

What’s Next? A Business Education Metaverse

Business Heroes™ is just the first chapter. We are now working on a full business simulation metaverse. Imagine an ecosystem of interconnected simulations spanning retail, supply chain, sustainability, and finance. A place where learners can explore distinct roles, industries, and economic scenarios. AI will play an even bigger role in shaping dynamic, cross-simulation storylines, giving students a holistic view of the business landscape. We envision a world where teenagers graduate high school not just knowing how to pass exams, but with the muscle memory of running a business. Since they already made mistakes, navigated crises, and built brands, all within a safe, game-like environment.

A Call to Educators and Policymakers

If we are serious about preparing students for a world of automation, volatility, and global competition, we must bring entrepreneurship and financial literacy into the core curriculum. But more importantly, we must teach it differently and effectively. Let us stop asking students to memorise business definitions. Let us give them a simulation where they experience them.

About the Author

Kunal Oogorah is the Founder and CEO of Visionaries, an EdTech company based in Abu Dhabi supported by Microsoft. A simulation design expert and MBA graduate from HKUST, he is on a mission to gamify entrepreneurship education and equip the next generation with real-world business skills through immersive, AI-driven learning.