Hey everyone! Welcome to “Top Young Entrepreneurs.” This is all about young heroes shaking up the business world before turning 30! Kids and young folks like us are not just dreaming big; they’re making big things happen. From creating fantastic lemonade brands to helping bees make stylish bow ties and even building cool gadgets, these young stars show us that age is just a number when it comes to changing the world.
We will share their unique stories, filled with fun, inspiration, and neat ideas. So, get ready to be wowed and learn how these young entrepreneurs do incredible stuff, one exciting step at a time. Let’s dive in and get inspired together!
Table of Contents
Top Young Entrepreneurs
1. Mikaila Ulmer
At the astonishing early age of four, Mikaila Ulmer from Texas, USA, encountered entrepreneurship. Encouraged by her parent’s desire to teach her about financial literacy and the need to ‘do good,’ Mikaila founded Me & the Bees Lemonade.
Initially an entrant at the Acton Children’s Business Fair, her brand has become a national phenomenon stocked in major grocery chains across the US, including Whole Foods. Mikaila’s recipe was inspired by her great-grandmother and is sweetened using local honey.
This twofold success of Mikaila’s venture combines her engaging brand story and the philanthropic element, where a portion of proceeds goes to organizations fighting to save honeybees.
2. Moziah Bridges
Moziah “Mo” Bridges discovered his passion for fashion and design at the tender age of nine. Born and raised in Memphis, USA, Bridges noticed a gap in the market for unique, vibrant bow ties and seized the opportunity. He established Mo’s Bows, a handmade bowtie company that has been successful and acclaimed widely.
Bridges captures his audience with professionalism, a keen sense of style, and high-quality products. Bridges’ ambition and entrepreneurial spirit led to his appointment as a fashion correspondent for NBA Drafts, further enhancing the appeal of Mo’s Bows.
3. Kenan Pala
At just eleven, Kenan Pala from San Diego, USA, realized the seriousness of homelessness in his city. He founded Kids4Community, a nonprofit organization that assists young people in participating in philanthropic activities targeting homelessness services, education, community and environmental improvement.
Kenan’s success stems from his selflessness and the efficiently structured platform he’s created, which encourages and enables young people to give back to their communities.
4. Isabella Rose Taylor
Isabella Rose Taylor, a native of Austin, USA, is an intelligent entrepreneur who started her eponymous clothing line at twelve. Her designs, inspired by her love for art and fashion, have found their way onto the racks of popular clothing retailer Nordstrom.
Isabella Rose Taylor’s brand has been successful due to her unique value proposition—clothing designed by a young adult for young adults—and her unrelenting commitment to maintaining the authenticity of her artistic vision.
5. Haile Thomas
Also kicking off her enterprise at twelve, Haile Thomas from Arizona, USA, has become a leading figure in the health and wellness industry. After her father was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes, Haile founded The Happy Organization—a nonprofit aiming to promote a healthier generation by providing cooking education to children in underserved areas.
Haile’s success lies in addressing a pressing social issue—child obesity and unhealthy eating practices—and her ability to engage the younger generation with her highly relatable, authentic, fun, and energetic personality.
6. Josh Feinsilber
Born and raised in Boston, USA, Josh Feinsilber launched his entrepreneurial journey remarkably early, though his precise start age is not specified. Feinsilber founded Gimkit, a game show for the classroom that requires knowledge, collaboration, and strategy to make students win.
The platform’s success is credited to Josh’s alignment with the evolving demands of innovative educational tools and his ability to turn learning into an engaging and interactive experience, thereby maximizing student participation.
7. Cory Nieves
In Englewood, USA, at 7, Cory Nieves initiated his entrepreneurial expedition by founding Mr. Cory’s Cookies. Nieves started baking cookies and pounding the pavement to sell them, aiming to help his single mom buy a car. Today, Cory’s all-natural, mouthwatering cookies are sold online, making Cory’s venture a real hit.
The success formula of this young business whizz includes authenticity, passion, and an adorable mother-son background story that resonates with many and brings a welcomed touch of humanity to a straightforward product – cookies.
8. Logan Guleff
Memphis-based culinary prodigy Logan Guleff started his entrepreneurial venture at twelve. Winning the reality TV show MasterChef Junior season 2 propelled Logan’s journey to fame. His flair for cooking and knack for being in the limelight facilitated many achievements, including his successful cookbook and a line of unique spices.
Guleff’s success stems from his infectious personality and a distinctive talent that appealed to a broad audience base, thereby carving a niche for himself in the culinary world.
9. Shubham Banerjee
Shubham Banerjee, from California, USA, started his entrepreneurial journey at thirteen, turning a severe high school science project into a viable business by age 20. He invented a low-cost Braille printer called the Braigo, an innovative solution for visually impaired readers.
Shubham’s success comes from his pioneering product that addresses a pressing social issue and his proactive venture into a sector often overlooked by other tech entrepreneurs, setting a trail for others to follow.
10. Rachel Zietz
Rachel Zietz is from Florida, USA, and embarked on a spirited entrepreneurial journey at 13. As an active lacrosse player frustrated by the subpar equipment quality, she resolved the problem herself.
Consequently, she founded Gladiator Lacrosse – a high-quality, durable, and affordable sporting goods company. Rachel’s first-hand experience with her target market’s needs and her initiative in filling a gap in the market placed her venture on a skyrocketing upward trajectory.
11. Babur Jahid
Babur Jahid, originally from Afghanistan and now settled in Canada, is a dynamic young entrepreneur making waves in the social enterprise scene with his venture, ‘You See Clear.’ This enterprise, aimed at offering affordable glasses to anyone in need, showcases its goal of making a significant societal impact.
His journey led him from Afghanistan to Carleton University in Canada, where his participation in the institution’s social innovation hub boosted his entrepreneurial ambitions. Claiming victory at One Young World’s Resolution Project’s Social Venture Challenge further solidified his position as a rising entrepreneurial star.
12. Bonnie Chiu
Bonnie Chiu, a Hong Kong native, is a social entrepreneur who began her journey at 23. With a strong desire to empower female entrepreneurs from underprivileged communities, she founded Lensational in 2013.
Lensational is a social enterprise that trains women and girls in photography and digital skills, providing them with economic and career opportunities and unique modes of self-expression. Bonnie’s success can be attributed to her passion for social change and ability to create a powerful narrative for marketing her venture, garnering global recognition and support.
13. Benjamin Kapelushnik
At 16, Benjamin Kapelushnik, also known as Benjamin Kickz, turned his love for sneakers into a dream of a multi-million-dollar resale business called “The Sneaker Don.” Born in the USA and with an impressive clientele of A-list celebrities and athletes, Benjamin’s success can be traced to his unparalleled ability to network, do local events, source limited-edition sneakers, and establish strong relationships with influencers in the competitive world of high-end fashion.
14. Sabine Sipunova
Sabine is one of the creators and the Chief Operating Officer of a software company called Sorry As A Service, which helps businesses apologize and impress their customers through the mail. She was recognized as one of the Top 10 Promising Founders To Watch In The Baltics by Forbes for her impactful work.
To sharpen her skills and business acumen, she attended two intense startup training programs, Techstars London in 2015 and the Startup Wise Guys BusinessTech’15 CEED Tech program.
15. Rainier Mallol
Rainier Mallol, from the Dominican Republic, began his entrepreneurial exploits at 25 when he co-founded AIME (Artificial Intelligence for Medical Epidemiology). AIME harnesses the power of artificial intelligence to predict disease outbreaks in real-time, helping governments and healthcare agencies proactively address epidemics.
Rainier’s success can be credited to his focus on pioneering AI to solve complex public health issues and his commitment to collaborating with various stakeholders to make public health systems more efficient and effective.
16. Kevin Smiley
Kevin Smiley founded his enterprise, SuraiTea Inc., in Canada at 27. SuraiTea is a social enterprise that provides employment opportunities for refugees, integrates them into workplaces, and helps them establish a promising future in Canada.
The company offers high-quality, fair-trade, organic teas catering to a broad market of mindful consumers. Smiley’s success can be attributed to his unique fusion of social entrepreneurship, business strategy, and trending consumer preferences for ethical, sustainable brands.
17. Victoria Alonsoperez
Victoria Alonsoperez from Uruguay kickstarted Chipsafer at 28, a platform that can track and detect anomalies in cattle behavior, offering farmers an innovative solution to cattle-rustling and disease monitoring. Recognized by the ITU and UNESCO as a leading female innovator, Victoria has won the recognition of the International Telecommunication Union for her instrumental role in devising this transformative technology.
Her triumph is tied to her pioneering idea and persistent pursuit of innovative solutions to traditional industry challenges.
18. Fred Blackford
Fred is the co-creator of Polaroid Swing, an imaging app designed to rival heavyweight competitors like Instagram. This innovative app knits together photos and videos, creating a captivating, animated viewing experience. The app’s credibility is further endorsed through the support of Twitter’s co-founder, Biz Stone, and the designer who crafted Instagram’s early filters and logo.
Moreover, backing from the firm that owns the legendary Polaroid brand is a decisive vote of confidence, emphasizing the app’s potential and positioning it as a strong contender in the competitive photography app market.
19. Enass Abo-Hamed
Enass Abo-Hamed, originally from Palestine, embarked on her business journey at 30 in the UK. She co-founded H2GO Power, a cleantech company that offers safe and low-cost hydrogen energy storage to tackle global energy storage challenges.
As a recipient of numerous awards, including the MIT Technology Review’s ‘Innovators Under 35’, Enass’s startup success is underpinned by her disruptive vision, academic excellence, and intention to make a broad social impact.
20. Vibin Joseph
Vibin is the mastermind and guiding light behind BiOZEEN, a company focused on bio-process engineering. The firm distinguishes itself in the biomedical sector by providing vaccines that help immunize one-third or tens of thousands of children.
Given the dire statistic that 6.6 million children annually succumb to preventable diseases, BiOZEEN remains committed to expanding its reach and ensuring as many children as possible are protected through their vaccinations.
21. Jeremy Lamri
France’s Jeremy Lamri began his startup journey at 32, co-founding Monkey Tie. Monkey Tie is an innovative online recruitment company emphasizing cultural fit and soft skills, serving the modern-day employment market. Jeremy’s success reflects his capacity to identify and make innovations that exploit gaps in traditional recruitment processes and offer a solution that aligns with contemporary HR trends.
22. Diana Paredes
Diana, an accomplished leader and joint creator of Suade, spearheads this pioneering software platform that empowers financial organizations to comprehend and fulfill their regulatory obligations. Having transitioned from investment banking, she bravely ventured into the fintech sector.
She generated her enterprise, securing a spot on the acclaimed “FinTech 50” watchlist—a testament to its potential and influence. Moreover, the Bank of England recognizes Suade as a beacon of simplicity in the often convoluted world of financial regulation—signifying its high caliber and immense value to the industry.
Conclusion
As we close the chapter on this inspiring journey through the lives of some of our time’s most dynamic young entrepreneurs, it’s clear that the spirit of innovation and resilience knows no age limit. These young visionaries have carved their paths to success and lit the way for future generations.
Their stories are a testament to the power of creativity, determination, and the relentless pursuit of one’s passions. As they continue to challenge the norms and redefine industries, they remind us that the power to change the world lies within each of us.
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