Forbes recently released its “30 Under 30,” a list of under-30-somethings who have started successful businesses. This year the business areas range from consumer tech to food to venture capital and more. Here’s just a taste of the up-and-coming startups the world will want to watch out for.
The Museum of Ice Cream (Maryellis Bunn, age 25)
Bunn’s Museum of Ice Cream began in 2016, when the artist opened her first pop up installation in New York for 45 days. The exhibit was so popular there were 200,000 people on the waitlist trying to get in. The 2017 Los Angeles version attracted celebrity attention, including Beyoncé and Salma Hayek. In September, Bunn will open a Museum of Ice Cream-themed wing of a Miami hotel.
Patreon (Tyler Palmer, age 27)
As Patreon’s VP of Operations, Palmer wrote the crowdfunding operation’s cultural values statements and now oversees marketing, sales, account management, and more. He was instrumental in bringing the rapidly growing platform—which allows visitors to support creative work via subscription—to life. Since its launch four years ago, Patreon has raised $107 million in funding.
Imperfect Produce (Benjamin Chesler, 25)
Chesler and his co-founder Ben Simon took a look at the statistics (20 percent of all fresh fruit and vegetables grown in the US never make it to consumers) and decided to do something about it. Imperfect Produce is their response: a subscription-based company that sells the “ugly” leftovers directly to consumers for 30 to 50 percent less than they’d pay at a grocery store. Since 2015, Imperfect Produce has rescued 6 million pounds of produce from going to waste.
Buttonsmith (Henry Burner, 14)
At the tender age of 14, Burner is already leading an up-and-coming business. Buttonsmith began as a class project in fourth grade and has morphed into the profitable online sales of buttons, magnets, lanyards, and more. Buttonsmith’s Tinker Reels, badge reels with swappable tops, have a pending patent.
Qurious (Sabrina Atienza, 27 and George Ramonov, 28)
Atienza (CEO) and Ramonov (CTO) created Qurious as a communications platform that monitors conversations and provides answers. A company using the system can better optimize voice communications between employees and customers, improving relationships and making sure no question goes unanswered.
These are just a few of the young people leading a wave of new businesses and business practices. Youth isn’t everything, of course, but fresh blood is continuing to bring an influx of innovation to the business world, and these up-and-coming startups prove it.
Photo: Shutterstock
