GENESIS
Posts
8 Things to Know About Forbes 30u30, GENESIS x Google NYC GenZ Builders Meetup 🎉

8 Things to Know About Forbes 30u30, GENESIS x Google NYC GenZ Builders Meetup 🎉

Toni Witt
October 13, 2023

Hi everyone,

Welcome back to the bi-weekly GENESIS newsletter👋

If you’re new around here, this is where we share some stories, advice, and resources for GenZ entrepreneurs in the GENESIS community - and plug our events too :)

In today’s edition…

🤔 Thoughts on Forbes 30 Under 30
❓ How to Make Forbes 30u30
💬 Quote of the Week
⏪ Recap
📅 Upcoming Events

🤔 Thoughts on Forbes 30 Under 30

A cohort of GENESIS founders just came back from the Forbes 30 Under 30 Summit in Cleveland Ohio, and I thought it might be relevant to share some facts & thoughts from that…

First off, some fun facts:

👉 over 80% of the listers are single 😯

(towards the end the Summit started to feel like irl tinder, probably for this reason. It’s not everyday that attractive young like-minded entrepreneurs of both genders meet each other)

👉 the Forbes 30 under 30 list has 600 spots available each year, with a 2-3% acceptance rate.

👉 it started in 2011 as a tactic to increase Forbes' millennial readership at a time when Business Insider was dominating online channels for biz news.

👉 only 14% of the list is technically GenZ (under 24)

👉 30u30 alone added over 30M 13-to-34 yr olds to the Forbes audience across channels. 30u30 is now the magazine's top revenue generator.

👉 like race car drivers, 30u30 listers attach the Forbes brand to their personal brand as they're going a million miles an hour, and Forbes benefits.

(the best part was the branded photo wall at the Summit. Today alone I must’ve seen at least ten IG posts with that wall, bringing the Forbes logo in front of tens of thousands of new eyeballs…)

👉 the list was partly inspired by the Michelin guide, which started as a brochure to showcase roadside businesses to promote tire sales. Turns out their restaurant ratings were very popular, and the star system was born

👉 rewards are an interesting business model built on the status flywheel. Many businesses can learn from what Forbes / Emmy's / JD Power / etc has built.

I'm all for promoting young ambition and celebrating achievements in the name of inspiration.

But I also don't think youth is a necessary ingredient to success. Nor should we be striving for rewards for the sake of rewards, but as a side effect of pursuing actual impact. Which many of the listers have…

BUT…

Being a Lister helps your personal brand. Egos aside, having this stamp of approval makes it easier to raise funds, get jobs, get invited to events, and more. Receiving the award can have a meaningful impact on your business, so I don’t blame anyone for trying.

The Summit itself was great. Each day was a mix of pleasure and business. The closing concert featuring Machine Gun Kelly at the Cleveland Rock & Roll Hall of Fame was a great end to a great conference.

For anyone thinking of going next year - try it.

For three days straight you’re surrounded by extraordinary people in very ordinary environments: at the pizza shop, waiting in line for coffee, refilling a water bottle…

It didn’t feel like a normal industry conference. It felt like a lot of young people hanging out, learning from each other, and partying together.

And although there will be major differences, it gave us inspiration on where we can collectively take GENESIS.

❓ How to Make Forbes 30u30

Here’s what people at Forbes attending the Summit said about making the list.

➡️ First and foremost: pursue great challenges & have impact. This can be measured in different ways: funding, revenue, lives saved, CO2 removed, etc.

➡️ Have a strong social media presence. If you can’t be found, you won’t be selected.

➡️ Become friends with other Listers. Getting nominated by past listers is more valuable than non-Lister nominations.

➡️ Don’t be afraid to tell your friends you’re applying for the list. If they laugh at you, explain the real benefits. And if we’re honest, it feels good too.

➡️ Networking like crazy. The business world is surprisingly connected at the top. You should know some of the staff at Forbes. One way to do this is to attend Forbes events and scope out people with All-access tags (usually staff has a unique color tag)

Don’t feel bad about applying. Christina Qi pointed out “You could argue that Forbes 30 Under 30 represents everything that's wrong with our society today. With the glamorization of material wealth, good looks, privileged families, and celebrity idolization, Forbes sensationalizes the world of elites, which, in turn, helps them make money.

“But the 30 Under 30 helped my career in ways that I never could've imagined. It introduced me to my best friends, to investors, startups, resources, new perspectives, and to a world where I feel empowered for once. The U30 community lifted me out of bed during the worst days of my life.

…it’s nice to have others acknowledge your hard work. Whether it's to find investors, or to get a promotion, or maybe you just want the attention... Sometimes you gotta play the game in order to get what you want. So what are you waiting for? Go get ‘em!”