Six Irish businesses and entrepreneurs have been included in the Forbes 30 Under 30 Europe list for 2023, spanning from artisanal chocolates, to artificial intelligence.
The Forbes 30 Under 30 list spotlights 300 business people across 10 categories, all under the age of 30, who they believe are driving innovation and change in their respective fields.
According to their stats this year, the average age of those on the list was 27, with their total social media following clocking in at 92 million and a total of $3 billion investment capital raised.
Galway-based chocolatier Gráinne Mullins has been included on the list under the Art & Culture category. Her company, Grá Chocolates, launched in 2020 and flourished during the pandemic, scooping awards for its intricately hand-painted chocolates that are made with local ingredients.
Having launched from her parents' shed, the company has revenue of $1 million last year, according to Forbes. Posting about the mention on Instagram, Mullins called it a dream "come true".
"OH MY GOD. Wow! I have just been named on Forbes 30 Under 30! This feels so surreal! I want to thank everyone for your support from Day 1. Grá Chocolates has made my dreams come true," she wrote.
Protex AI cofounders Dan Hobbs and Ciarán O'Mara were included in the technology category. Their Dublin-based start-up uses computer vision to detect and predict risks to employee safety in manufacturing facilities, warehouses and ports, with technology able to detect dangers and suggest solutions.
They raised $18 million to fund expansion, and work with Flexport, YCombinator and Notion Capital.
Aisling Byrne, the founder of eco-conscious fashion exchange app Nuw, made it onto the Retail and eCommerce category. Byrne studied music in college and became concerned about the environmental impact of fast fashion. With no experience in entrepreneurship, she launched her recommerce app, where users trade old clothes.
The app has been downloaded 68,000 times and counting across the UK, US, and Ireland, and has raised $2 million in venture capital.
Posting about the list, Byrne wrote on Instagram that imposter syndrome had hit her in the past.
"I've made every mistake under the sun - it feels embarrassing at the start (mistakes that seem so obvious in hindsight). But I learned that no one else sees it that way. They see a tonne of courage and one mistake closer to figuring out something that no one else has. I've started to love the mistakes because each and every one has taught us something new about Nuw."
Ochre Bio, a healthcare start-up, was also included in the Science & Healthcare category, headed up by co-founder and CEO Jack O'Meara. The start-up is working on new RNA therapies to treat liver disease, which recently secured them $40 million in investor funding including Khosla Ventures and Y Combinator.
The company, which is based in Oxford, identifies targets using genomics data and tests them in donor livers that have been rejected for transplants, rather than in mice.
Ruth Williams was listed under the Finance category, as the Senior VP of Blockchain & Digital Assets at BNY Mellon. Forbes reports that she is building the first European Blockchain Engineering team, and promotes diversity and partnerships with the University of Dublin's Centre of Research Training in AI.
Finally, Liam MacMahon, cofounder of Beyond Creative, was listed alongside Kasper Weber and Thomas Hall in the Sports & Games category. Beyond Creative is a game studio using the Fortnite Creative platform to create new games and experiences for brands. They've already worked with the NFL, Timex, Chipotle, Armani Code perfume, and more.
