After trawling online nominations and tapping industry resources and alumni, we have identified 30 of the brightest young entrepreneurs, stars and leaders in their field.
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Against a backdrop of rising start-up funding, growing capabilities in AI and increasing interest in space tech, Australia’s young entrepreneurs are making strides in the region. Sustainable growth and international expansion are high on the agenda for our tech entrepreneurs, and a global mindset is key. All in all, our young founders have raised more than $100 million in funding.
Then there are our women sporting legends who took on the Olympics – and smashed it. Jess Fox became the first Australian canoe slalom athlete to compete at four Olympics – and was the flag-bearer for this year’s Games in Paris. Twenty-three-year-old Ariarne Titmus made the nation proud when she won gold in the women’s 400-metre freestyle (and still holds the world record in this event). Between them, the athletes hold 14 medals.
As Meta threatens to pull news from platforms, our media and entertainment finalists have been busy diversifying their revenue streams and content strategies to move off-platform. Take Zara Seidler and Sam Koslowski’s The Daily Aus: with 565,000 followers, the duo has much to lose. But after a $1.2 million capital raise, the pair embarked on a newsletter and podcast strategy that’s paying off, with 226,000 subscribers and 130,000 monthly listeners, respectively.
The music and arts category is also bursting with young talent, with the likes of singer-turned-entrepreneur Troye Sivan, Hollywood A-lister Jacob Elordi and, hot off a 20-date tour in the US, singer-songwriter Tkay Maidza. All up, our stars hold four Grammy nominations, nine Billboard Music nominations, one Golden Globes nomination and have secured five wins.
Tap here to see the 30 Under 30 List
Methodology
The Forbes 30 Under 30 selection process is rigorous. It begins with soliciting online nominations, where the public is encouraged to self-nominate or nominate a peer.
The Forbes editorial team will then assess all online nominations to find candidates, and background/fact-check each nominee. The team will also reach out to industry experts and list alumni, and of course keep tabs on current affairs (like the Olympics), to source further candidates.
From here, Forbes’ editorial team will create a long-list to present to a panel of independent expert judges. For example, for the inaugural edition, Forbes tapped Airtree’s Craig Blair, Immutable co-founders Robbie and James Ferguson and Collingwood President Jeff Browne. Our judges are asked to assess candidates on various factors, including (but not limited to) funding and revenue, social impact, scale, innovation and industry potential.
Our judging panel helps the editorial team whittle its long-list down to a short list of 30. Most importantly, all final listers are 29 years or younger (as of the cut-off date, which for our inaugural list was 31 December, 2023).
Factors to consider when nominating
- Multiple nominations do not equate to a better chance of making the list. In fact, it can sometimes be seen as a red flag for our reporters
- Whether you are self-nominated or nominated by a peer does not matter – a well-written application that tightly explores your achievements does
- If you aren’t sure which category to nominate under, don’t panic. Our team will assess internally which category best fits your application
- All nominations are background and fact-checked
- No one finds out they have made the list until the day of publication
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Forbes Australia’s inaugural 30 Under 30 list is out now. Tap here to see the full list.
