Forbes 30 Under 30

U of T community members named in Forbes 30 under 30 Local Toronto list

Christopher.Sorensen — Wed, 16 Aug 2023 19:06:16 +0000

U of T community members named in Forbes 30 under 30 Local Toronto list

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Christopher.Sorensen Wed, 08/16/2023 - 15:06

Forbes 30 Under 30

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Members of the �ؿ�ζSM community are well-represented on a new Toronto-focused “30 under 30” list published by Forbes magazine celebrating up-and-comers who are making waves from the fashion world to the bioplastics industry.

Anishinaabe designer Lesley Hampton, a recent U of T Mississauga grad, and Genecis CEO Luna Yu, a recent U of T Scarborough grad, are among 19 local leaders on the list who count U of T as a stop on their path to success.

“Toronto, the pulse of Canada’s business and tech life, has been called the next Silicon Valley,” the magazine says. “It’s a city renowned for its entrepreneurial and multicultural spirit and world-class educational institutions, like the �ؿ�ζSM.

“The first-ever Forbes 30 Under 30 Local Toronto list reflects the city’s strengths, which lie in industries like finance, technology, science, sports and the arts.”

The list, which also includes such non-U of T celebrities as actor/writer Bilal Baig and athletes Bianca Andreescu, Brooke Henderson and Summer McIntosh, highlights the impact of a diverse array of U of T entrepreneurs across a wide range of fields. Among the alumni and U of T community members in the spotlight are:

Dalia Ahmed, Alexandra Assouad and Akanksha Shelat, co-founders of Mind-Easy
Mark Ang, co-founder of GoBolt
Alex Cui and Edward Tian, co-founders of GPTZero
Ben Gigone and Abtine Monavvari, co-founders of Chexy
Francois Gouelo and Peter Sorbo, co-founders of Enso Connect
Ayaan Haider and Shayaan Haider and Bashir Khan, co-founders of AirMatrix
Charlie Hua and Frank Yu, co-founders of Myo Palate
Pimyupa Manaswiyoungkul and Nabanita Nawar, co-founders of HDAX Therapeutics
Christine Yuen, co-founder of Shakudo

See all the U of T community members recognized by Forbes 30 under 30 Local Toronto

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Startup founders recognized by Forbes 30 Under 30 list

lanthierj — Thu, 15 Dec 2022 00:15:55 +0000

Startup founders recognized by Forbes 30 Under 30 list

Community

lanthierj Wed, 12/14/2022 - 19:15

Faculty of Arts & Science

Forbes 30 Under 30

Rotman School of Management

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(L-R) Kritika Tyagi, Nuha Siddiqui, Lauren Watkins and Sagar Jaiswal

Entrepreneurs behind two startups that got off the ground at �ؿ�ζSM, and an alumna who launched a frozen food startup while working on her master's degree are among the young up-and-comers on Forbes 30 Under 30 list.

Erthos co-founders Nuha Siddiqui and Kritika Tyagi were recognized in the social impact category, while Argentum Electronics co-founder and chief technology officer Sagar Jaiswal was recognized as a rising talent in manufacturing and industry. PuraVida Foods founder and CEO Lauren Watkins was recognized in the Food & Drink category.

Siddiqui and Tyagi started Erthos, formerly known as EcoPackers, while studying at U of T. The plant-based plastics venture received early support from U of T’s entrepreneurship community, including Creative Destruction Lab at the Rotman School of Management. Founded in 2018, the company has raised US$5.5 million in funding and is bringing in six figures in annual revenue, Forbes reports.

U of T Engineering alum Jaiswal shared a spot on the list with Argentum Electronics co-founder and president Bolis Ibrahim. The Ontario-based company, which changes the way electricity is distributed in buildings from AC to DC to reduce energy consumption, was boosted by the Impact Centre’s Techno2018 entrepreneurship program. Its patented DC power distribution system can cut a building’s electricity costs by 40 per cent. The company has raised $1.1 million, per Forbes.

Watkins, who earned a master's degree in human resources and industrial relations in 2021, launched PuraVida in 2020. The company's ethically sourced, nutrient-rich frozen foods are sold in roughly 1,000 stores in the U.S., Forbes reported.

The annual Forbes 30 Under 30 list spotlights hundreds of leaders across an array of industries who have made a mark in their fields before their 30^th birthday.

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Laura Burget named to the 2022 Forbes 30 Under 30 list

lanthierj — Mon, 20 Dec 2021 19:57:12 +0000

Laura Burget named to the 2022 Forbes 30 Under 30 list

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lanthierj Mon, 12/20/2021 - 14:57

Alumni

St. George

Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering

Forbes 30 Under 30

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(Photo courtesy of Laura Burget)

U of T Engineering alumna Laura Burget and her business partner, Connie Lo, were recently named to the 2022 Forbes 30 Under 30 list for Retail and E-Commerce.

“It’s honestly a very surreal feeling and such an honour to be among so many amazing entrepreneurs, creatives, artists and professionals,” says Burget. “I remember being a student and really admiring leaders who were named to Forbes 30 Under 30, so it’s a ‘pinch-me’ moment to have made the cut this year.”

Burget and Lo started Three Ships Beauty, a vegan, natural skincare brand, in 2017 after feeling frustrated with the challenges of finding natural and affordable skincare. Burget attributes her fourth-year course, Entrepreneurship and Small Business, for motivating her to dive deeper into researching the skincare industry.

“I came up with the idea for Three Ships while taking Professor Joseph Paradi’s entrepreneurship course,” she says. “But I was first bitten by the entrepreneurial bug in my second year, when I ran the Engineering Stores for a year – I was able to manage a business with a team of eight employees.”

Burget also points to her certificate in Entrepreneurship, Innovation and Small Business in helping her gain the knowledge and confidence to launch her brand so soon after graduation.

While manufacturing began in Lo’s Toronto apartment, the products are now sold in over 700 brick-and-mortar stores, including Target, Whole Foods and Hudson’s Bay. The brand is on track to hit $4 million in revenue in 2021 and aims to raise its first large round of institutional Series A funding early in the new year.

Read the Faculty of Applied Science & Entrepreneurship story

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