Meet The 2021 Forbes 30 Under 30 I The Youngest Self-Made Billionaire

Plus: Meet The World’s Newest—And Youngest—Self-Made Billionaire

The first week of December is my favorite week of the year. And no, it isn't because a holiday vacation is right around the corner. It's because that's when the Forbes Under 30 list finally launches.

On Tuesday, you might've seen stars from 76ers point guard Ben Simmons to actress Sabrina Carpenter share with their millions of followers that they made the 30 Under 30 list. But those aren't the people I look for after the list goes live. The posts I look for are from people who are not already household names. For the majority of the list, this isn't just another feather in their cap. It is a recognition of years of hard work and a platform that (I hope) will help them to continue pursue their dreams. My favorite post this year came from scientist Ubadah Sabbagh, who tweeted, "Wish I can go back & tell the Syrian immigrant kid living alone w/ no plan other than 'get an education' that in 10 yrs he'll be listed alongside these remarkable @ForbesUnder30."

As with last year, Sabbagh was one of the 20% of immigrants, coming from 62 countries such as Argentina, Ethiopia, Senegal and Serbia. Additionally, 49.3% of honorees self-identify as a person of color. The gender gap also continues to narrow, with 40% identifying as women and 1% identifying as non-binary. You can find our full by-the-numbers breakdown here.

This year is extra special because those aforementioned celebrities, along with the other individuals featured for each category, were photographed by one of their own: Mamadi Doumbouya. The 23-year-old Guinean immigrant has photographed everyone from Padma Lakshmi to Melinda Gates to Spike Lee—just six years after picking up his first camera. And don't forget to page through the rest of the 2021 list. It's the individuals you don't know who are likely to change the world over the next decade.

Top Under 30 Highlights

Startup ManiMe sells custom-fit, stick-on gel manicures in both basic colors and one-off designs from 11 nail artists. With salons closed or seemingly dangerous during Covid-19, its revenue will surpass $3 million this year.

In the face of a global pandemic and recession, this year’s Forbes Under 30 list features some of the most resilient companies of the past decade. With 35% receiving PPP loans, here's how this year's list reckoned with the pandemic

This year shows the importance of the cryptocurrency sector created by the mysterious Satoshi Nakamoto has become. Meet ten crypto-entrepreneurs that made this year's list.

A digital pharmacy with $110 million in venture backing is the top funded company of the Forbes 30 Under 30 2021. The list’s female-founded companies are far from that.

Frederik Groce and Sydney Sykes cofounded Blck VC in 2018 with a goal to increase Black representation in the venture capital industry. “Tech is where net new wealth is being created. And if we’re the gatekeepers, then we should be trying to make it more inclusive,” Groce says.

The Pursuit

This week's collection of expert tips from Forbes contributors around the world for those building and running a business. Click to sign up instantly for The Pursuit, a biweekly essential briefing by Senior Entrepreneurs Editor Maneet Ahuja.

Credibility is like a currency that never depreciates unless you make it do so. If people think you’re credible, they’ll listen to you. They’ll rely upon you. They’ll follow you. But if you do or say something that hurts your credibility, no amount of data or evidence can vindicate you in any short period of time.

For all the buzz around cryptocurrency in the past decade or so, the industry is still far off the radar of most average internet users. Forbes Senior Contributor Shama Hyder talks to Jonathan Jadali about how social media is changing the cryptocurrency landscape.  

Any entrepreneur who’s been in business for more than a few years knows that hardship and failure are part of the game. Adam Weitsman, CEO of Upstate Shredding-Weitsman Recycling in Owego, NY, knows this better than most. After losing his sister to cancer in the early 1990s, Weitsman left a prosperous career in New York City to return to his hometown and support his father in the family scrap metal business and was left with a difficult decision that resulted in hardships and talks to Forbes about his transformation story.

With a vaccine seemingly just around the corner, many employers now face the prospect of deciding whether or not they should have their employees get the coronavirus vaccine. For many employees, it’ll be a choice. For others, it might be a requirement. But is an employer legally allowed to require employees to get the coronavirus vaccine?

Across Forbes