Who are the entrepreneurs and innovators shaping the future of tech and business? Click here to learn about 10 millennials who just happen to be inspiring entrepreneurs. These are the people to keep track of in 2018.
People love to complain about millennials.
They’re entitled and lazy. They’re used to being told that every idea they have is worthwhile and deserves a trophy.
In reality, millennials are the ones changing the landscape of the business and tech world. They have innovative ideas that are turning into billion dollar companies. The new generation is here and
Are you hoping to become an entrepreneur yourself? Then there’s no better group of people to look to for inspiration.
Who are the entrepreneurs shaping the future of tech and business? Read on to learn about ten inspiring entrepreneurs under 40 to keep an eye on in 2018 and beyond.
1. Annalea Krebs
Back in 2015, Annalea Krebs sold her first company, ethicalDeal. It was a site similar to Groupon that pulled in over 1 million dollars in sales its first year.
Just before selling ethicalDeal, Annalea began her next venture – a marketing company called Social Nature.
Social Nature allows users to find new, green products that are available. From there, selected users get to try out products for free in exchange for a review.
The site already has 100,000 users and counting!
2. Allie Magyar
Allie Magyar is the president of Hubb. The platform helps people manage content for events and meetings.
Allie, who worked in event planning, started this company out of necessity. She saw that the industry needed a tool to manage and streamline event materials.
Founded in 2012, Hubb eventually raised $3 million in investments. Today, the company counts Microsoft and Intel as some of their clients.
3. Josh Kent
Josh Kent started the tee-shirt company SunFrog in 2014. In 2018, the site is more popular than Nordstrom.
With his innovation and business acumen, Josh turned SunFrog into the next big thing.
Similar to Etsy, SunFrog is a marketplace where users can upload their own tee-shirt designs.
In addition to his business work, Josh is committed to philanthropy. He founded the crowdfunding site ShowYourLove.com. Unlike similar sites, it doesn’t take any fees from charities raising money on the platform.
4. Polina Raygorodskaya
Polina Raygorodskaya‘s company Wanderu has forever revolutionized the transit industry.
Wanderu allows users to search for train and bus tickets from all different carriers at once. This was technology that didn’t exist and many thought would be too difficult to create.
Polina is a rising star entrepreneur. She’s been included in both Inc and Forbes Magazine’s 30 Under 30 list.
5. Christine Hunsicker
Christine Hunsicker saw a gap in the fashion industry and set out to fill it. Her company Gwynnie Bee sends plus-size fashions straight to consumers’ doors.
This box-subscription service annually sends an array of clothing items. The consumer gets to try on the clothes in the comfort of their home. If they like something, they keep it and send the rest back.
Christine has raised over $100 million in funding. What began as a tiny startup now has over 350 employees.
6. Solomon Liou
After Solomon Liou became a parent, he realized how difficult it was to find activities for children. Most of the classes and events he found were through word of mouth.
That’s why Solomon created KidPass. A subscription site where parents can easily find different activities for kids.
It has clearly struck a chord with fellow parents. By 2017, KidPass had already raised over $5 million in funding.
7. Jamie Siminoff
In his garage, Jamie Siminoff created the first video doorbell system in 2011. After coming up with this innovative idea, investors were lining up.
Even Richard Branson, founder of Virgin Airlines wanted to invest!
Now Jamie is the founder and chief inventor of Ring Video Doorbell. The product has proven to be a huge success. A study conducted with the LAPD showed that the doorbell cut down neighborhood crime by 55%.
What started as just a small idea, has now made Jamie a very rich man. In 2018, Amazon acquired Ring for over $1 billion.
That makes it Amazon’s second-biggest acquisition to date. The first? Whole Foods, which was bought for $14 billion.
8. Rodney Williams
Rodney Williams is the CEO of LISNR, a data-over-audio connectivity service.
This entrepreneurial heavyweight has helped his company snag clients like the Indianapolis Colts and GRAMMY Awards telecast.
In 2016 Rodney was named the 2016 Tech Entrepreneur of the Year by Black Enterprise. LISNR has been included in CNBC’s Disrupter 50 for three straight years.
9. Andrew Yakub
Now a CEO, Andrew Yakub was once a NASA lab engineer. Using those skills, he and his company Rayton Solar created a new kind of solar panel.
These panels are much cheaper and more efficient than average panels. Thanks to this kind of innovation, Rayton Solar is poised to be an industry leader.
They’ve already been racking up awards from organizations like the Business Intelligence Group. Andrew himself was named one of Forbes’ 30 Under 30 in the Energy category.
10. Gerard Adams
Gerard Adams was one of the co-founders of the popular website Elite Daily. In 2015, Gerard became a millionaire when the company sold for $50 million.
He could have stopped there. Instead, he’s taking his knowledge and expertise and helping others find success like his.
As “The Millennial Mentor,” Gerard created the nonprofit, FOWNDERS. They find and cultivate young people with the potential to become leaders and entrepreneurs.
Want to Be on This List of Inspiring Entrepreneurs?
Then it’s time to get started working on your dream project! Inspiring entrepreneurs like these millennials all had to start somewhere. Goldman Sachs notes “Millennial generation is the largest in US history” so this list of 10 is only the beginning of what Millennials will offer the world!
Many of their businesses started with just one or two employees in someone’s apartment. With hard work and determination, they eventually grew their companies and became up-and-coming leaders in their fields.
Are you ready to take the leap and start a business? Then check out my Ultimate Startup Checklist!
