 The burning desire of youth to reinvent the world. That ambition, confidence and impatience is on full display in our 2018 edition of the Forbes 30 Under 30, our annual encyclopedia of creative disruption featuring 600 young stars in 20 different industries.
Jamel Toppin for ForbesMeet the 30 Under 30 Class of 2018. From top left: Ryan Williams, Leah Sibener, Adam Vanunu, Amandla Stenberg
The 2018 FORBES 30 Under 30 — 30 game changers in 20 industries, all under 30 years old — is the most definitive gathering of today’s leading young change-makers and innovators in the U.S. Selecting these youthful visionaries is a year-round obsession. Now in our seventh year, with an alumni network closing in on 5,000 that spans the globe, this list continues to spotlight the impressive, the inspiring and the (genuinely) enviable.
It was originally inspired by the rising tide young entrepreneurs, mostly in the tech business, making big waves and earning even bigger bucks and world-wide followings. While their electrifying successes may be reflective of a booming economy, one thing is clear: never before has youth been such an advantage.
30 Under 30 2018: See Full Coverage
The Class of 2018: Off to the races
This year’s pool of 600 is especially dynamic. That kinetic energy is what the 2018 edition is all about. They are stretching the elasticity of their categories (outlined below) and challenging the traditional pipelines to industry fame and fortune. Consider the young scientist-cofounders in the R&D side of pharma in the health care sector, Leah Sibener and Marvin Gee, who are working on hot-wiring the body’s white blood cells to attack tumors. Or Austin Russell, the 22-year-old Stanford University dropout who is leapfrogging over autonomous vehicle technology in manufacturing.
In education and social entrepreneurs, honorees are building companies to tackle the $1.4 trillion student loan debt crisis (Kelly Peeler of NextGenVest) and investing in housing so teachers are able buy homes in their students’ communities (Landed’s Jesse Vaughan). They are fusing social media into the millennial-dominated pet care industry (Philip Kimmey of Rover), science into the $26 billion U.S. floral trade (Venus ET Fleur’s Seema Bansal), and exotic cuisine into the everyday American palate (Peter Yang of Pokéworks). Fourteen honorees are still in their teens.
It’s an inspiring group. This year’s list of is packed with boldfaced names, such as actors Hailee Steinfeld and Amandla Stenberg, 2017 U.S. Open champion Sloane Stephens, top wide receiver Julio Jones of the Atlanta Falcons, DJ-producer Marshmello and opera singer Jackie Evancho, supermodel Karlie Kloss, and digital star Gigi Gorgeous. All the others are names-to-must-know, including Michael Tubbs, mayor of Stockton, California, real estate disruptor Ryan Williams, and the classic high school dropout-turned-multi-million-backed fiber optics entrepreneur Joseph Fasone.
They are in 24-karat company. Previous honorees include Nobel Peace Prize winner Malala Yousafzai, billionaires Mark Zuckerberg and Evan Spiegel, musicians Kendrick Lamar and Adele, Olympic Gold Medalists Simone Biles and Shaun White, writer-actor Tavi Gevinson, Global Citizen cofounder Hugh Evans, and cult-worthy video game designer Kim Swift.
A walk through of the process:There are 20 categories with 30 honorees. The categories are Art & Style, Consumer Tech, Education, Energy, Enterprise Tech, Finance, Food & Drink, Games, Healthcare, Hollywood & Entertainment, Law & Policy, Manufacturing & Industry, Marketing & Advertising, Media, Music, Retail & E-commerce, Science, Social Entrepreneurs, Sports and Venture Capital. You can also sort through our popular editorial cuts: Big Money Startups (more than $15 million in funding), Celebrities and Youngest. Our “no repeats†policy insures new talent every year.
The competition is extremely fierce: 15,000+ nominations for just 600 spots. That’s an under 4% acceptance rate; making the 30 Under 30 harder to get into than the nation’s two most selective colleges, Stanford and Harvard University. Our staff sorts through the nominations and passes them on to an army of 50-plus expert staff reporters and editors.
This year we worked closely with 68 A-list judges to appraise the 20 categories,  including Cynthia Rowley (Art & Style); Kathleen Kennedy (Hollywood); Jim Breyer (Tech Consumer); Jim Bankoff and Elaine Welteroth (Media); Stewart Butterfield and Theresia Gouw (Enterprise Tech); Cindy Gallop and Bozoma Saint John (Marketing); and Steve Ballmer (Sports). We included one Under 30 alumni for each category, including Simon Biles (Sports); Rachel Bloom (Hollywood); Ashley Graham (Art & Style); Brian Stelter (Media); Emily Weiss (Retail & E-commerce); and Whitney Wolfe Herd (Consumer Tech).
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30 Under 30 2018 By The Numbers:
50%+ are founders or cofounders
53% started their business to solve a problem; 29% want their business to change the world
73% live or work on the two coasts: 35% on the West Coast; 38% on the East Coast
19% are immigrants from 50 countries
5 most attended universities (in order): Harvard University, Stanford University, Columbia University, MIT, University of Pennsylvania
No. 1 dream mentor (by far): Elon Musk. Others most preferred include Jeff Bezos, Barack Obama, Sheryl Sandberg, Bill Gates
40% describe millennials as Ambitious. Other most-used definitions: Inspired (24%), Adventurous (18%) and Idealistic (18%)
Nearly all describe success as achieving your potential (51%) or liking yourself and what you do (45%). Only 1% pursue success for fame and fortune.
40% believe Grit is the most important trait for entrepreneurs; followed by Passion (21%) and Vision (16%)
37% say Superman is their favorite superhero; followed by Iron Man (26%) and Wonder Woman (21%).
30 Under 30 2018: See Full Coverage
Caroline Howard for FORBES MAGAZINE