shared from DegreeLibrary.org |
Who says it takes years of experience to do something really big? Young engineers, philanthropists and entrepreneurs are tackling all sorts of issues, and many of them aren’t even waiting until college is over to make their mark. Here are nine of the most important young entrepreneurs.
Shawn Frayne
Company: Humdinger Wind Energy
Founded: 2007
What they do: Humdinger makes a small device called a Windbelt that captures energy from areas where giant wind turbines will not fit.
25 million
Potential number of homes that could be powered by wind in the U.S. by 2020
Michael Nardy
Company: Electronic Payments
Founded: 2000
What they do: Process credit card transactions for thousands of merchants around the world; Electronic Payments’ revenue has grown almost 1,000% in the past five years.
$79 trillion
Total non-cash payments in the U.S. in 2012
Pete Cashmore
Company: Mashable
Founded: 2005
What they do: Mashable has become one of the Web’s most popular destinations, drawing more than 4 million unique visitors each month.
Jonathan Liebmann
Company: Propertuity
Founded: 2008
What they do: Transform rundown space in Johannesburg, South Africa, transforming it into safer housing, thriving business and bustling cultural areas.
Mark Bao
Companies: 10 technology startups and 2 nonprofit foundations
What he does: A prolific developer, Bao is particularly interested in using technology and behavioral science to improve life around the world.
Slava Rubin
Company: Indiegogo
Founded: 2008
What they do: As one of the most popular crowdfunding sites on the Internet, Rubin’s company has helped raise $99 million for thousands of projects, and Rubin played a key role in lobbying for the JOBS Act, which expanded crowdfunding into the startup world through debt and equity funding.
$5 billion+
Total crowdfunding transactions in 2013
Ben Atkinson-Willes
Company: Active Minds
Founded: 2009
What they do: Atkinson-Willes’ own family history led him to develop products designed to help stave off the effects of dementia. Active Minds works with hospitals and organizations across Europe and North America to bring the products to patients.
44.4 million
Estimated number of people with dementia worldwide
Shiza Shahid
Company: Malala Fund
Founded: 2012
What they do: A former business analyst, Shahid left her job in Dubai to direct the Malala Fund, named for Pakistani student Malala Yousafzai, who survived being shot in the head by Taliban fighters. The Malala Fund now aims to turn Malala’s vision for girls’ education into reality around the world. Shahid has helped the fund secure hundreds of thousands in funding, including more than $400,000 in grants from around the world.
Only 30 percent of girls are enrolled in secondary school.
Palmer Luckey
Company: Oculus VR
Founded: 2012
What they do: The company’s first product, Oculus Rift, drew the eye of Facebook, and the social media behemoth is working on a $2 billion purchase of the company Luckey founded and the products he started making when he was still in high school.
