10 Successful Young Entrepreneurs

The entrepreneurial spirit is alive and well among today’s youth, and many of them are turning their dreams of business ownership into a reality. According to the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor 2023/2024 United States Report, young adults between the ages of 18 and 24 are launching businesses at higher rates than their older peers.

Some don’t even wait that long—in fact, these 10 remarkable young entrepreneurs all started their ventures before age 21, proving that you don’t need a college diploma to make it as a successful entrepreneur. From e-commerce and tech to education and social impact, these founders have truly “made it” in their respective fields and offer their advice for budding young entrepreneurs.

Key Takeaways

• A young entrepreneur is a child or young adult who identifies and seizes an opportunity to start their own business.
• There is no age requirement for being an entrepreneur, although children under 18 may need guidance or co-signing from a trusted adult.
• The 10 entrepreneurs featured all started their companies before age 21, showcasing their curiosity, drive, and action-oriented mindset.

Meet 10 Successful Young Entrepreneurs

Research from Junior Achievement and Ernst & Young LLP (EY) found that 41% of teens are open to pursuing entrepreneurship over a traditional job, and among current business owners, 13% got their start at age 18 or younger.

Many of the young entrepreneurs below fall into that camp and have continued on their path of success in the years that followed, thanks to great ideas, unwavering determination, and support and guidance from the right mentors.

Deni Darenberg

Deni Darenberg founded dogAdvisor at just 16 years old, providing dog owners with valuable advice to support their four-legged friends. Since its creation, the company has released over 100 expertly written and highly-skimmable articles, helping more than 1,600 dog owners weekly. 

Beyond its articles, the company has expanded its offerings, adopting an AI chatbot named Max to support dog owners with emergency guidance. Notably, Darenberg’s company won the UK Business Awards’ Most Innovative Pet Product category in 2024.

For young entrepreneurs looking to pursue their ideas, Darenburg suggests the following:

“Find a niche on a topic you love, work on it tirelessly until you build something that’s really worth people’s time, and enjoy your journey,” Darenburg said.

Fonzi Coleman

14-year-old Alphonse “Fonzi” Coleman started his eco-friendly candle business, Bubbles and Blaze. What started as a homeschool project became a successful venture, earning over $3,000 in sales with his coconut soy wax candles.

Coleman attributes the “why” behind his vegan candle business, Bubbles and Blaze, to his mother, for whom he wanted to create healthier, better-smelling, and more affordable candles. 

Driven by his passion for sustainability—all Bubbles and Blaze candles are poured in hand-made, reusable concrete vessels—and creativity, Coleman’s ideas have led to great success. His 100% coconut soy wax candles have sold nationwide and have helpe him build professional connections along the way. He’s also been recognized with an entrepreneurship scholarship, which provided a $750 award.

An inspiration to young entrepreneurs everywhere, Coleman has proven that you’re never too young to pursue your dreams.

“Don’t wait to be older— just start with what you have and keep going,” he said.

Archika Dogra

In 2017, high school student Archika Dogra set out to promote STEM education as a way to counter educational inequity. Focusing on social good, Dogra founded Innoverge, a global network that supports over 11,000 underrepresented youths through partnerships with community centers, libraries, and schools.

Today, the nonprofit’s impact spans over 14 countries, offering more than 450 free STEM and humanities-focused programs—including curricula covering ethics in neuroscience—to students in grades K-8.

Since Innoverge’s inception, Dogra has continued her education at Princeton University as a computer science graduate. Additionally, she’s received accolades from numerous organizations, including The Hershey Company and Disney, garnering over $15,000 in grants and sponsorships, and was named on the Forbes 30 Under 30 List in 2024.

Dogra’s best advice for accelerating your entrepreneurial journey as a young person is to surround yourself with extraordinary people. 

“My sense of what was possible was constantly expanding thanks to the remarkable people I was meeting over the years,” Dogra said. “Looking back, I’m deeply grateful to the mentors who opened doors I never knew existed and the friends who were generous enough to expand my worldview.”

Esan Durrani

At just 18, Esan Durrani co-founded StudyFetch, an AI-powered study tool. This advanced AI study tool has contributed to improved student performance for users across K-12 and universities.

Thanks in large part to Durrani’s efforts, StudyFetch has amassed nearly four million registered users, including students, educators, and institutions, and boosted its social media to reach billions organically. The program has also made its way into classrooms, with integrations in educational institutions and nationwide pilot programs in development. 

Durrani shared this bit of wisdom with his young business-minded counterparts: 

“Your product will never be perfect, so be happy with the idea that it will always get better,” Durrani said.

Andrew Glantz

CEO and founder of GiftAMeal, Andrew Glantz, built his cause-marketing platform at the age of 20 to help alleviate food insecurity.

Since its founding, GiftAMeal has donated more than 2 million meals to over 130 food banks through partnerships with over 1,000 national restaurants, ranging from quick service to full-service.

Through its “food for photos” concept, Glantz and his business have earned major recognition. Accolades include first place at the Global Impact Awards, Hospitality Technology’s Industry Hero Award, and the grand prize in Amazon’s 2023 Small Business Grant.

To fellow young entrepreneurs, Glantz encourages embracing resilience and adaptability while staying true to their values, as this fuels passion and leads to lasting results. 

“The path to building a successful business is rarely linear, and the key is to stay committed to your mission while being flexible enough to pivot when challenges arise,” Glantz said.

Both Dogra and Glantz cite strong mentors as a driving force in their entrepreneurial success. Young entrepreneurs should seek mentors who challenge their thinking while encouraging them to pursue their vision and goals.

Bunim Laskin

Bunim Laskin founded Swimply, a peer-to-peer marketplace for renting private swimming pools, at just 19.

Laskin developed the idea for Swimply from his own experiences as a teenager in Lakewood, New Jersey, where he negotiated for use of his neighbor’s pool in exchange for assistance with maintenance costs. After bootstrapping the earliest iteration of the platform in 2018, Laskin raised over $51 million in funding over three rounds, drawing the attention and backing of investors like Norwest Venture Partners and GGV Capital.

The platform has listings across thousands of U.S. cities and international markets, and has expanded to include related verticals like private tennis and pickleball courts.

Laskin advises young entrepreneurs to start where you are, with what you have.

“When I launched Swimply, I didn’t have a fancy MBA or deep pockets. What I did have was a problem, a simple idea, and the drive to do something about it,” Laskin said. “That’s where every great business [starts]—not with perfection, but with permission to try.”

Grace Leger

Grace Leger discovered her passion for injury rehabilitation massage while facing multiple injuries throughout her teenage running career. After receiving her License in Massage Therapy from Boulder Massage Therapy Institute in 2022, Leger launched her own practice—Elite Massage and Injury Rehab in Boulder, Colorado—in 2023.

Elite Massage and Injury Rehab focuses on injury rehabilitation and chronic pain management, with complementary services like cupping and deep-tissue massage. Leger also shares educational content with an audience of nearly 900,000 viewers across TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook, providing tips on at-home muscle release.

Having launched her practice at just 20 years old, Leger often finds herself as the youngest in the room. Though this is a daunting experience, she hasn’t let it stop her from achieving her goals.

“It’s normal to be scared. I’m scared about 50% of the time—especially when facing older people in business,” said Leger. “Give yourself a pep talk. Stay grounded and confident in your business, even if you don’t feel it all the time.”

Joosep Seitam

Joosep Seitam co-founded Icecartel, an e-commerce shopping platform for men’s jewelry, at 19. The store has gained a strong reputation in its six years of operation thanks to its high-end premade and custom offerings, consisting of Moissanites and natural diamonds. 

Icecartel has seen especially impressive growth in the past two years, reaching six-figure revenue and building a loyal, global customer base. Seitam has passed along his secrets of success to other fashion brands, helping them scale through brand positioning and consumer psychology.

“Branding is bigger than you think,” said Seitam. “A good brand lets you connect emotionally with your audience.”

Caitie Sfingi

While most agencies launch after their founders have gained years of experience in the working world, Merakite has a different starting point: the college dorm room.

Caitie Sfingi and her twin sister Maggie co-founded their software design and development agency in 2017, while both were still in school—Caitie studied design and media ethics at Stanford, while Maggie studied data science and consumer behavior at the University of Southern California. Today, Merakite boasts clients ranging from early-stage startups to Fortune 500 companies, specializing in software-as-a-service (SaaS platforms), AI-powered tools, and online communities.

Sfingi advises aspiring young entrepreneurs to begin before they feel ready, in whatever free time they can find.

“The biggest advantage of being a young entrepreneur is that you have a huge runway, which means not a lot to lose and everything to gain,” Sfingi said. “The sooner you start building, the more you get to learn, change, and grow.”

Zach Yadegari

Zach Yadegari’s skill and passion for tech and entrepreneurship were apparent from a young age. After learning coding at the age of seven, Yadegari went on to launch Totally Science—a gaming website that was successfully sold for a six-figure sum—while he was a freshman in high school.

At 17, Yadegari continued his entrepreneurial journey by co-founding Cal AI, a nutrition-tracking app that uses AI-powered image recognition to calculate calories and nutrients. Within just 10 months, the company reached over 3.3 million downloads and $30 million in annual recurring revenue.

Now 18, the young CEO has proven the success of his own philosophy to entrepreneurship: Act now.

“Don’t wait to take a class. Don’t wait for permission. Get started,” advised Yadegari. “It doesn’t matter if you don’t know what you are doing. Figure it out on the fly.”

The Bottom Line

The stories of these young business owners are a reminder that entrepreneurship isn’t about waiting for the perfect moment. It’s about starting where you are, learning as you go, and staying open to feedback, mentors, and change. From building strong brands to embracing failure as part of the process, these founders prove that with focus and action, you can create something meaningful and profitable, regardless of your age or life experience.