Top Gen Z Pacesetters To Look Out For in 2024

These Gen Z entrepreneurs are building business empires despite their tender ages. 

Mikaila Ulmer started her multi-million dollar business at age 11. In 2016, her brand won a $11 million deal from Whole Foods. At six, Cory Nieves launched a pop-up cookie business to contribute to his family’s finances. Now 18, Nieves has grown Mr. Cory’s Cookies to earn a $1 million net worth.

Gen Z stands at the forefront of a digital revolution, having grown up in an age where technology is seamlessly integrated into daily life. Born between 1996 and 2013, this cohort has swiftly become a disruptive force in the entrepreneurial realm.

These Gen Z’s don’t have a road map, degrees, or years of experience, but ambition, support systems, and willingness to make the world a better place. They are ushering in new eras and ideas within their respective fields. 

Here are our Top 10 Gen Z pacesetters that should be on your radar in 2024.

Marsai Martin

Marsai Martin is the archetypal definition of young black excellence. She was born in 2004 and has made a name for herself as an American actress, producer, and executive director. 

Martin made history in 2019. She produced and starred in her first major movie, “Little,” becoming Hollywood’s first 14-year-old to do so. The film earned her nominations at the NAACP Image Awards, the BET Awards, and the SAG Awards. In February 2019, Genius Productions, Martin’s company, signed a first-look production deal with Universal.

She made Forbes’ 30 under 30 list in 2020 because she was the youngest executive producer in Hollywood, a breakout star on ABC’s “Black-ish,” and an award-winning actress.

Ama Amo-Agyei

Ama is a seven-figure entrepreneur who accidentally built a brand by solving her hair loss issues during the turbulent time of COVID-19. Her startup, Plantmade, is one of the fastest-growing wellness brands in the UK. 

The haircare brand combines ancient rituals and traditions with clinically proven ingredients to create hand-made wellness solutions. Plantmade has over 50,000 customers worldwide in under two years of operation.

In 2022, the BBC documentary “The Beauty Boss” chronicled Amo-Agyei’s journey from unemployment to Plantmade’s first million.

Essynce Moore

Moore is an exceptional 21-year-old serial entrepreneur who has launched several successful ventures, including Essynce Couture, Essynce Cosmetics, and GodXess. She boasts a diverse portfolio as a GenZ fashion designer, stylist, accomplished author, and actress.

Moore published her first book, “6th Grade Middle School Chronicles,” in 2015, followed by “7th Grade Middle School Chronicles” in 2016 and “8th Grade Middle School Chronicles” in 2017. These works have earned a well-deserved place in school curricula worldwide.

Esteemed platforms like BET, Verizon Fios News, MadameNoire, The Epoch Times newspaper, and other notable media outlets have featured her incredible journey. Moore received the prestigious 2023 Presidential Lifetime Achievement Award. She was also named the 2016 Teenpreneur of the Year by Black Enterprise. The City of Passaic honored her with a Proclamation, and the State of New Jersey’s Senate and General Assembly recognized her upon the grand opening of Essynce Couture Spa and Boutique, LLC, in 2015.

Mikaila Ulmer

Mikaila Ulmer (born September 28, 2004) is an American entrepreneur who started a lemonade business in 2016. The Texas native began her company, Me & The Bees Classic Lemonade, based on an idea after her great-grandmother gifted her an old cookbook. She, however, added her spin to the recipe by using honey. 

Her lemonade not only provides a refreshing, cool beverage for those who drink it, but it is also an initiative that she uses to help raise awareness about the protection of bees. 

In 2015, she received a $60,000 investment from Shark Tank’s Daymond John. In 2017, a consortium of football players invested $800,000 in her business. Stores like Whole Foods, Cost Plus World Market, Vitamin Cottage Natural Grocers, H-E-B, Kroger, and The Fresh Market sell Ulmer’s lemonade.

Cory Nieves

19-year-old Cory Nieves is a successful entrepreneur who sits at the helm of a successful company – Mr. Cory’s Cookies. The company specializes in crafting exquisite, natural, gourmet cookies using only the finest ingredients. Mr. Cory’s Cookies offers original recipe cookies like the Double Dark, Chocolate Chip, and Creamsicle.

The Harlem native founded the Cookie Consortium when he was six years old after complaining to his mom, Lisa Howard, that he was tired of taking the bus to school and wanted to buy a car instead. Nieves has grown Mr. Cory’s Cookies to earn a $1 million net worth.

He’s competed on MasterChef Junior and connected with A-list brands like Aetna, Barney’s, Bloomingdales, Citibank, Macy’s, Pottery Barn, Ralph Lauren, Viacom, TOMS, Marcus Lemonis and Mercedes-Benz.

Moziah Bridges

Moziah Bridges started building the foundation of a fashion empire at a tender age. Bridges’ business, Mo’s Bows, makes neckties, bow ties, and accessories like pocket squares.

The Memphis, Tennessee-based youth started in 2011 when his grandmother taught him how to make his bow tie at age nine. He needed a tie that suited his style and personality but couldn’t find anything.

The 22 year old Gen Z has sold more than $300,000 worth of bow ties and men’s accessories, with products available at several retailers nationwide. In 2016, he was recognized by the National Retail Federation and received its Dreamers Award. He also was named to Fortune’s “18 under 18” list of young innovators and entrepreneurs. In 2015, the Gen Z business mogul was a fashion correspondent for the NBA draft and gifted Sacramento Kings’ Willie “Trill” Cauley-Stein with a custom bow tie.

Asia Newson

Asia Newson was just five years old when she watched her father, Michael, sell candles door to door in Detroit. She saw how hard her mom worked at her job and decided to create her own business to have more freedom. So, she started a candle-making business, and in 2017, it was reported to have six figures in revenue.

She’s expanded her business into a training model — Super Business Girl. The company teaches children how to become entrepreneurs and make money for themselves.

The Genz entrepreneur was featured on the Ellen DeGeneres Show in 2015. She has also been featured on  Disney World’s Cinderella Stage, MSNBC, 20/20, ABC News, and NPR.

Maya Penn

Maya Penn is a 24-year-old American entrepreneur, philanthropist, animator, and artist who runs her eco-friendly fashion company, Maya’s Ideas. She is the creator of an animated series called The Pollinators, which focuses on the importance of bees and other pollinators.

In 2022, the Atlanta-based entrepreneur completed her first film, Asali: Power of The Pollinators, an animated action-adventure short. Her sustainable fashion brand, which she launched in 2008 at the age of eight, sells organic, recycled, or vintage items.

Maya was featured in Forbes magazine at age 10 and on other media platforms, such as Huffington Post, Business Insider, Entrepreneur Magazine, NPR, ESSENCE, The View, CNN, CBS This Morning with Gayle King, O Magazine, Ebony, The Steve Harvey Show, VICE, Wired, Adobe, and many more.

Gabby Goodwin

Gabby Goodwin continues to climb the ladder to success as a young budding entrepreneur. At seven, Gabby and her mom Rozalynn solved the age-old problem of disappearing hair barrettes by inventing GaBBY Bows, a non-slip Double-Face Double-Snap Barrette. 

GaBBY Bows and its full line of natural hair care and styling products remove stress from the styling process. The company also offers online hair care tutorials and a hair tool organizer, which saves time and frustration. At the same time, Gabby’s children’s book, virtual entrepreneurship academy for girls, and keynote presentations inspire confidence and creativity.

More than 50 girls and their mothers from 16 states have enrolled for mentoring and started their businesses. Good Morning America, BET, Inc., Forbes, The Washington Post, Chicago Tribune, U.S. Chamber of Commerce Free Enterprise Magazine, and Essence.com have all featured her story.

Marley Dias

Marley Dias is an American activist and writer. In November 2015, while Dias was in 6th grade, she launched a campaign called #1000BlackGirlBooks to collect 1,000 books with black female protagonists to donate to black girls at other schools in the U.S.

As the 12-year-old founder, Dias has collected over 13,000 books featuring black female protagonists. Through organizing and campaigning, the 19-year-old Gen Z has emphasized the importance of representation in literary spaces for young people. She wrote a book about activism and the work of changing the world, and she has a Netflix series highlighting Black voices.

Dias’s work has led her to many places, including the White House, where she spoke at the United States of Women Summit alongside Michelle Obama and Oprah Winfrey. TIME recognized her as one of the 25 most influential teens in 2018.

Main Image: Mikaila Ulmer, CEO at Me & the Bees Lemonade