Entrepreneur & Education Reform Advocate; Founder & CEO at PRACTICE; Author of "Breaking Through From Rough to Ready"

Tampa, FL, USA

Karim Abouelnaga Biography

Karim Abouelnaga is an entrepreneur and education reform advocate whose work focuses on expanding educational equity for low-income students in urban public schools. He is the founder and CEO of PRACTICE, a B-Corp dedicated to ensuring that no child's circumstances limit their educational opportunities. While an undergraduate at Cornell University, Abouelnaga launched Practice Makes Perfect, a seven-week summer program designed to provide equitable education access for low-income students. This initiative grew into a company that operates as a direct-service provider supporting emerging leaders in New York City public schools, as well as school districts in Delaware, Michigan, Florida, and Texas.

Abouelnaga's approach to closing the achievement gap is informed by personal experience and evidence-based practices. Practice Makes Perfect operates as a full-service summer school provider for urban K-12 schools, utilizing a near-peer learning model to improve academic outcomes. The program offers students enrichment experiences that include mastering academic standards, social-emotional support, and fostering a passion for learning. After graduating in the top 10 percent of his class at Cornell, Abouelnaga declined a Wall Street job offer to focus on educational equity. Within two years of graduating, he and his team raised more than $2 million from philanthropists, including the Rockefeller, Tisch, Mailman, Sackler, and Ackman families.

Abouelnaga has received recognition as a TED Fellow and Echoing Green Fellow, and is the author of "Breaking Through From Rough to Ready" and "The Purpose-Driven Social Entrepreneur." He has been named to Forbes 30 Under 30 in Education and Magic Johnson's 32 Under 32. His TED Talk was highlighted as one of the "9 Most Inspiring Talks," and his Forbes feature became the platform's most viewed video, with 4.5 million views. He contributes regularly to Entrepreneur and Forbes and is a co-founder of Gentlemen Ventures.

Abouelnaga shares his insights on entrepreneurship and education reform through various platforms, including a weekly newsletter titled "The Learning Loop." He holds a bachelor's degree in hotel administration from Cornell University and a master's degree in education policy from Columbia University. He serves on the board of Harrington Housing, a co-living provider in North America and the UK. Through his writing, speaking, and organizational leadership, Abouelnaga advocates for systemic change in public education.

BOOK Karim Abouelnaga

Speaker profile last updated by AAE Talent Team on 10/13/2026.

Karim Abouelnaga Speaking Topics

  • Shattering Limiting Beliefs to Unlock Your Leadership Potential

    Limiting beliefs impede our ability to fulfill our full potential. Our beliefs drive our behaviors, shaping our outcomes. As leaders, our behaviors are the primary means by which others around us learn. Oftentimes, our limiting beliefs are the result of a limiting label.

    Key Takeaways:

    • Reframe your self-talk and language to boost productivity and empowerment
    • Master a simple, effective process to remove limiting labels and teach others to do the same
    • Understand the psychological and scientific roots of limiting beliefs and develop strategies to overcome them

    Optional Workshop: Transforming Limiting Labels Into Liberating Ones

  • The Power of Purpose To Drive Outcomes, Impact & Fulfillment

    Mark Twain famously said, "The two most important days in your life are the day you are born and the day you find out why." Knowing our purpose has the power to transform our leadership and make even the most difficult decisions easier. By infusing our lives with a strong sense of meaning, we can achieve significant measurable outcomes in both our personal and professional lives.

    Key Takeaways:

    • Distinguish between passion and purpose, and understand the crucial role purpose plays in driving outcomes
    • Discover three powerful questions to help yourself and others infuse deeper meaning in your work
    • Learn how to harness the power of your personal narrative to create urgency, inspire action, and drive impact

    Optional Workshops: 1) Big Money for Your Mission: Building A Grassroots Fundraising Campaign 2) Marry Impact Not Ideas: Shifting Perspectives to Solve Your Biggest Challenge

    Optional Book and/or Signing: "The Purpose-Driven Social Entrepreneur"

Read More +

Karim Abouelnaga Videos

Redesigning Public Education with Karim Abouelnaga

Redesigning Public Education with Karim Abouelnaga

Karim Abouelnaga, SHRM-SCP, is a vanguard and catalyst for change in urban education - redesigning public education. He is the founder and CEO of...

Karim Abouelnaga: I Wake Up Every Day At 4:30 - Relentless | Forbes

Karim Abouelnaga: I Wake Up Every Day At 4:30 - Relentless | Forbes

Karim Abouelnaga is the founder of Practice Makes Perfect, an organization that develops and operates summer learning programs in high-need...

A summer school kids actually want to attend | Karim Abouelnaga

A summer school kids actually want to attend | Karim Abouelnaga

In the US, most kids have a very long summer break, during which they forget an awful lot of what they learned during the school year. This "summer...

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  • What topics does Karim Abouelnaga speak about?

    Karim Abouelnaga is a keynote speaker and industry expert whose speaking topics include Business Authors, Business Leadership, Education, Education Reform, Entrepreneurship, Overcoming Adversity, Personal Growth, Social Entrepreneurship, Storytelling, TED
  • Where does Karim Abouelnaga travel from?

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Karim Abouelnaga is a keynote speaker and industry expert who speaks on a wide range of topics such as Shattering Limiting Beliefs to Unlock Your Leadership Potential, The Power of Purpose To Drive Outcomes, Impact & Fulfillment and Navigating the Hype to Achieve Success in a Fast-Paced World. The estimated speaking fee range to book Karim Abouelnaga for your event is $20,000 - $30,000. Karim Abouelnaga generally travels from Tampa, FL, USA and can be booked for (private) corporate events, personal appearances, keynote speeches, or other performances. Similar motivational celebrity speakers are Adam Markel, Kimberly Bryant, Shiza Shahid, Jonathan Mooney and Shelli Brunswick. Contact All American Speakers for ratings, reviews, videos and information on scheduling Karim Abouelnaga for an upcoming live or virtual event.

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