E KNOW
how to pick ’em. This is Inc.’s 10th 30 Under 30 list, and we’ve
established a solid track record of identifying future superstars.
Since 2006, we have profiled Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg;
Elizabeth Holmes of Theranos, now a health industry leader
and America’s youngest self-made female billionaire; a pre–Y
Combinator Sam Altman; and Quirky’s Ben Kaufman. We don’t
have a crystal ball, but we know that energized entrepreneurs
with smarts and great ideas are always worth watching. This
year’s winners are using the new tools available to them (3-D
printing, mobile technology, You Tube celebrity) combined with
the ageless rules of entrepreneurship (profit is king, figure out
what people need and build it, work harder than you ever
thought possible) to create ideas with staying power.
Our 2015 honorees are hacking how you sleep, shop, and
listen to music. They’re making your shoes more comfortable, helping your kids learn more efficiently, providing loans
for your business, and serving hearing-impaired people in
the developing world. They are innovators, disrupters, and
dreamers—and they’re just getting started. They’re in very
good company among our alums, and we look forward to
shamelessly bragging, “We knew them when.” —DONNA FENN
–
W
MAKING
THEIR MARK
THESE YOUNG
FOUNDERS ADD NEW
TOOLS TO THE OLD RULES
•
Meet all 30 of our
honorees—each was
under 30 on the
application date—as
well as the judges who
helped us compile this
year’s list: Steve Case,
venture capitalist and
CEO of Revolution;
Julia Hartz, co-founder
of Eventbrite; Troy
Carter, founder of Atom
Factory; Sarah Prevette,
founder of Future Design
School; and Scott Belsky,
co-founder of Behance. PHOTOGRAPHS BY JOÃO CANZIANI
96 - INC. - MAY 2015