5 Young Entrepreneurs to Follow If You Want to Start Your Business

Every successful business starts with an idea. Simple, revolutionary or plain crazy – the hardest part is in building something really valuable upon it. We’re always inspired after learning about the successful young entrepreneurs who took the risk and it paid back oh so well! From reusable straws to career advising services — here’s our list of five famous young entrepreneurs to follow if want to start your business.

Emily Weiss (Glossier)

Earlier this year cult beauty brand Glossier announced that it has raised $100 million in Series D funding. The round, led by Sequoia Capital, put the cosmetics company’s valuation at $1.2 billion, according to the Wall Street Journal. Brand’s founder and CEO Emily Weiss is one of the most successful young entrepreneurs.

Weiss began her career at 15 as an intern at Ralph Lauren. In 2010, while working as a fashion assistant at Vogue, she launched her blog Into The Gloss. In 2013, after nearly a dozen rejections, Weiss raised $2 million for her new project in 2013, led by Kirsten Green at Forerunner Ventures in San Francisco, launching Glossier with four universal products. Last November Glossier opened the permanent location in SoHo opened last November with 50,000 monthly visitors. 

Michael Krakaris (Deliverr)

Michael Krakaris was 21 and working his first job out of college, he never imagined that roughly one year later, in 2017, he'd co-found a company that would aim for competing with Walmart. 

After realizing an opportunity to streamline the logistics and fulfilment experience for retailers, Michael Krakaris launched Delivery in 2017 to provide fast, affordable delivery for leading merchants on eBay, Walmart and Shopify. With cofounder Harish Abbot, the duo has raised $7.1 million in funding from firms such as 8VC and individuals including Zola CEO Shan-Lyn Ma. While there’s still long way to go, Michael is a burning example of how to grab the opportunity. 

Rosanna Myers (Carbon Robotics)

Rosanna has first started rebuilding old racing cars with her father and learning about industrial production. Since graduation, she’s focused primarily on software development. After roaming from the jungles of Costa Rica to the electronics markets of Shenzhen, she has founded Carbon Robotics, which makes advanced robotics dramatically more accessible with low-cost robotic arms and highly intelligent control software. 

The company has received numerous accolades for their groundbreaking work in robotics, including being named one of the Top 50 robotics companies in the world by the Robotics Business Review. Rosanna is among the famous young entrepreneurs that got to the Forbes 30 Under 30. 

Miles Pepper (FinalStraw)

In December 2017 MIles asked his parents for a very scary $30k loan to invest into his startup — FinalStraw, the first collapsible, reusable straw. A year later, Miles Pepper and his partner Emma Rose Cohen pitched the FinalStraw to the entrepreneurs from “Shark Tank”, However, a $20 reusable, collapsible straw that folds up and fits in a small keychain-sized case failed to interest the sharks. In April 2018 Miles launched a Kickstarter for his invention and within 48 hours he raised over $200,000. This campaign boosted Pepper’s startup from zero to 60. The company became a hit when it reached $550,000 in seven days.

Miracle Olatunji (OpportuniMe)

Miracle Olatunji started OpportuniMe when she was in high school, in an attempt to help her fellow students decide on building their career paths and developing their talents. OpportunitiMe took the top prize of $10,000 at The World Series of Entrepreneurship. Now at 19 Miracle has been recognized as “Youth Entrepreneur of the Year” by StartUP Africa, listed in The Tempest’s “40 Women to Watch,” featured in Forbes, and most recently, selected as one of The Root’s 2019 Young Futurists and Game-changers. Miracle is the author of the newly released book "Purpose: How to Live and Lead with Impact." She’s among the top young entrepreneurs that inspire more and more youngsters to follow their dreams. 

Summary

It doesn’t matter if you’re striving for investment or you’re demotivated by your peers. A good idea will always find a way if you fight for it. Hope the aforementioned five entrepreneurs inspired you enough to act!