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Meet the millennial and Gen Z founders growing their startups, raising millions in funding, and using social media to turn their side hustles into seven-figure empires
Meet the millennial and Gen Z founders growing their startups, raising millions in funding, and using social media to turn their side hustles into seven-figure empires
Dominic-Madori DavisJan 4, 2022, 03:16 IST
Business Insider"Star, Rising" is a series highlighting early entrepreneurs and businesses.
Samantha Lee/Insider
Insider's series Star, Rising highlights early-stage entrepreneurs who are gaining popularity.
Insider has profiled founders all over the world who are innovating their respective industries.
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The pandemic spurred a new wave of entrepreneurship, prompting people to start their own companies, and that doesn't seem to be slowing down.
The US saw 3.4 million new business applications in 2021, according to the US Census Bureau. That's in addition to the rise in hustle culture, as the gig economy grows and social media paves way for more virtual shops and accessible marketplaces. In particular, many millennials and Gen Zers are disrupting the industries they work in as they find their place in the protean landscape of entrepreneurship.
With so much change, it can often be hard to track the new innovators seeking to redefine the world around them. That's why Insider has started profiling them in its series Star, Rising, which explores how these entrepreneurs built their businesses, who they call mentors, and what advice they would give others looking to follow in their footsteps.
So far, the series has introduced Oladosu Teyibo, who is sourcing African talent for his software company to increase representation in tech, and Sharmadean Reid, who launched a female-centric financial news publication to educate the rising crop of entrepreneurs. Here are the 19 other burgeoning founders in Insider's Star, Rising series.
Reid is the founder of The Stack World, a female-centric financial publication that aims to be the stepping stone between Cosmopolitan and The Financial Times. Based in London, the outlet is on track to hit 10,000 subscribers by this year and has more than 420,000 followers on Instagram.
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In 2019, Reid raised nearly £4 million ($5.5 million) in a funding round led by Index Ventures for BeautyStack and has since rebranded and expanded the platform into The Stack World's marketplace. That milestone made her one of 10 Black female entrepreneurs in the UK who's raised venture capital between 2009 and 2019.
Alexis de Bernede (R) and Marius Jacob (L))
Darmo Art
Based in France, Alexis de Bernede and Marius Jacob are the founders of Darmo Art gallery. This summer, their two shows netted six figures each, and they are now planning future exhibitions in Paris, the French Riviera, and at the Grand Hotel Heiligendamm, an exclusive report in Germany.
Oladosu Teyibo is the founder of Analog Teams, a software development company focused on hiring talent from underrepresented communities. The company is on track to net seven figures in revenue last year and has already expanded into six African countries, including Kenya, Ghana, and Nigeria.
Pavel Dler, 27, launched Culted as an arts and culture-focused news platform designed with Gen Z consumers in mind. Based in London, his company is on track to make $1 million this year and hopes to expand further into content creation.
Travis Chen and Brain Femminella built a therapy app to help people deal with their anxiety and depression, especially during the pandemic, they told Insider. To date, their company has raised six figures in pre-seed funding.
Luxury designer Hogoè Kpessou is best known for her backpacks emblazoned with a gold bumblebee. Before starting her eponymous company, she held weekend shifts at a local restaurant and delivered food for Uber Eats. Now she expects to hit seven figures in revenue by the beginning of this year.
Alex Masmej made headlines last year after turning himself into a token on crypto-platform Ethereum. Now, he's working on his next venture, called Showtime, which is an art gallery that focuses on highlighting non-fungible tokens. In April, he raised $7.6 million in venture capital and hopes to make Showtime one of the biggest NFT art galleries in the world.
When the pandemic made it difficult for Nisha Persaud to get her nails done, she created at-home manicure kits to get the job done. Since then, she's netted more than $100,000 in revenue and her work has been reposted on social media by Cardi B, received a shoutout by Megan Thee Stallion in a video, and gifted to the model Teyana Taylor for her baby shower.
Riley McDonnell wants to build the Sotheby's of glass bongs and pipes. Last year alone, his company has launched an app that has amassed 20,000 users and has done more than $500,000 in transactions.
Kingsley Gbadegesin took his unemployment check, mixed it with his savings, and launched his eponymous fashion line during the pandemic. Already, it has been spotted on Issa Rae's character in her hit HBO show "Insecure," pop star Lil Nas X, and seen on beauty influencer Bretman Rock.
(L-R) Tristan Petit, Adrien Dewulf and Cyriac Lefort
Courtesy of Heroes
Tristan Petit, Adrien Dewulf, and Cyriac Lefort are the cofounders of the job platform Heroes, which allows individuals to submit video job applications and lets employers share day-in-the-life videos of workers. The platform seeks to help Gen Z workers get jobs at retailers such as Panda Express and H&M. What's more, last year it closed a $6 million seed round, led by Greg McAdoo of venture capital firm Bolt.
Last November, Anne Onyeneho authored a cookbook full of plant-based recipes called PlantBaed to help people prepare their own healthy dishes at home. Four months later, she launched a meal prepping service, named after the cookbook, so customers could buy healthy dishes directly from her. She was on track to net six figures in revenue by the end of last year and looking to open a restaurant.
Alexandra O'Neill is the founder of luxury brand Markarian and made headlines last year after First Lady Jill Biden wore a custom Markarian piece for Inauguration. Since then, the company has seen sales skyrocket. What's more, O'Neill held her first New York Fashion Week presentation in September, showing off a collection inspired by Lauren Bacall in the movie "How to Marry a Millionaire."
Harry Beard, Alexandre Daillance, Adam Flanagan launched the competition Prospect 100 last year to help young creatives showcase their work as the pandemic shuttered the arts industry. Since last May, it's held six competitions with more than 15,000 participants from 82 countries. Additionally, past judges include Apple cofounder Steve Wozniak and Yeezy design director Steven Smith.
Brittni Popp likes to help people commemorate their important life moments, whether that's a bridal party, divorce, or even an expunged DUI. Her business, Betchin Cakes, sells customized baked goods that come adorned with decorations like Barbie dolls or empty nips. In the two years since she launched her side hustle, she's landed high-profile customers like Paris Hilton and Khloe Kardashian, and was on track to make six figures in revenue last year.
