10 top young entrepreneurs from around the world – Page 2 of 2 – StartupSmart
6. Phil Hartman
Hartman won the 2008 US Young Inventor of the Year award for coming up with a system of fusing optical fibres in a cheaper and more efficient way than before.
Now 17, Hartman hasn’t stopped there, conjuring up the Steam Viper, a device that shoots steam onto a frozen windscreen, defrosting it in around 15 seconds.
Despite his age, Hartman has some sage advice for other budding entrepreneurs, telling JuniorBiz.com: “If you love entrepreneurship, you should do it. Do what you love.”
“But if you’re not really into what you’re doing, then you should go get a job and do something else.
“It’s not easy. You’ve got to have a huge passion for it, along with a passion for helping out the world. If you’re just doing it for the money, then it doesn’t really work. You won’t end up being successful.”
7. Tim Chae
Chae boasts the enviable achievement of having two profitable start-ups before the age of 18, but it wasn’t always easy for the US-based entrepreneur.
After dropping out of college to launch social media marketing agency PostRocket, Chae found that his age was a barrier to striking out on his own, telling Reuters that he had to get his father to co-sign a lease on an apartment.
He is now part of the celebrated 500 Startups programme and is a vocal advocate of the innovation provided by young entrepreneurs.
8. Seth Priebatsch
Priebatsch, who calls himself a “proud Princeton dropout”, has been creating businesses since he was 12.
At 18, he launched PostcardTech, which offers interactive marketing tours for CD-ROM, and three years on he was backed by Google Ventures to create SCVNGR.
Priebatsch describes SCVNGR as “part game, part game platform.”
Players take part in the game by completing tasks in the real world – an opportunity that has been seized upon by marketing-savvy small businesses.
9. Daniel Gomez Iniguez
Notching $3 million revenue in your second year is a decent achievement for any business, especially one that is headed by a 20-year-old.
Mexican entrepreneur Iniguez started Solben in 2009 as a non-profit that creates biodiesel production technology. After realising that he could make revenue from the concept, Iniguez expanded the idea to a global marketplace.
10. Stanley Tang
While growing up in Hong Kong, Tang’s school banned snack foods, prompting his first entrepreneurial venture – he brought in his own snacks and sold them onto his classmates for a healthy profit.
Since then, Tang has worn the title of the world’s youngest bestselling author, after his eMillions book shot to the top of the Amazon charts. He was just 14-years-old.