Forbes 30 Under 30 List Packed With Groundbreaking Women Leaders (Including Her Agenda’s Founder!)
![Forbes 30 under 30, leaders, entrepreneurs, HerAgenda](https://media.heragenda.com/brand-img/9930/480x251/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/pexels-photo-57825-1.jpeg?position=top 480w, https://media.heragenda.com/brand-img/9930/640x335/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/pexels-photo-57825-1.jpeg?position=top 640w, https://media.heragenda.com/brand-img/9930/768x402/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/pexels-photo-57825-1.jpeg?position=top 768w, https://media.heragenda.com/brand-img/9930/1024x536/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/pexels-photo-57825-1.jpeg?position=top 1024w, https://media.heragenda.com/brand-img/9930/1280x670/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/pexels-photo-57825-1.jpeg?position=top 1280w, https://media.heragenda.com/brand-img/9930/1440x753/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/pexels-photo-57825-1.jpeg?position=top 1440w, https://media.heragenda.com/brand-img/9930/1600x837/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/pexels-photo-57825-1.jpeg?position=top 1600w, https://media.heragenda.com/brand-img/9930/2160x1130/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/pexels-photo-57825-1.jpeg?position=top 2160w)
This morning, Forbes announced its annual 30 Under 30 – the top list of some of the world’s most influential young leaders from across over 20 industries (600 total) including entrepreneurship, media, and activism.
This year’s list was more competitive than ever says Forbes, with over 15,000 applications and just a 4% acceptance rate – making it harder to get into than any ivy league in the country. The leaders on Forbes 30 under 30 are socially driven, business minded, and entrepreneurially savvy. Over 50% of those listed included founders or cofounders of companies. The majority of those founders started their company to solve a problem.
Excitingly, Her Agenda founder Rhonesha Byng topped the media and the dorm room founders categories this year for her work through the Her Agenda community and news network. Byng also is also an Emmy award winning journalist.
![Rhonesha Byng Forbes 30 Under 30](https://media.heragenda.com/brand-img/2967/373x500/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/Photo-Jan-03-11-19-57-AM-500x670.jpg 373w)
Joining Byng are a slew of amazing powerhouse women leaders, including…
Simone Biles
![Simone Biles, 30 under 30, forbes, top athlete](https://media.heragenda.com/brand-img/5688/480x613/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/Screen-Shot-2017-01-03-at-2.06.52-PM.png 480w, https://media.heragenda.com/brand-img/5688/640x818/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/Screen-Shot-2017-01-03-at-2.06.52-PM.png 640w, https://media.heragenda.com/brand-img/5688/768x981/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/Screen-Shot-2017-01-03-at-2.06.52-PM.png 768w, https://media.heragenda.com/brand-img/5688/1024x1308/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/Screen-Shot-2017-01-03-at-2.06.52-PM.png 1024w, https://media.heragenda.com/brand-img/5688/1280x1635/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/Screen-Shot-2017-01-03-at-2.06.52-PM.png 1280w, https://media.heragenda.com/brand-img/5688/1440x1839/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/Screen-Shot-2017-01-03-at-2.06.52-PM.png 1440w, https://media.heragenda.com/brand-img/5688/1600x2043/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/Screen-Shot-2017-01-03-at-2.06.52-PM.png 1600w, https://media.heragenda.com/brand-img/5688/2160x2759/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/Screen-Shot-2017-01-03-at-2.06.52-PM.png 2160w)
Biles was this year’s Olympic darling, hailed as potentially the best female gymnast of all time and capturing four Olympic gold medals at Rio, including all-around champion.
Ryan Burke
![Ryan Burke, White house, tech, 30 under 30](https://media.heragenda.com/brand-img/10901/480x299/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/Screen-Shot-2017-01-03-at-2.09.54-PM.png 480w, https://media.heragenda.com/brand-img/10901/640x399/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/Screen-Shot-2017-01-03-at-2.09.54-PM.png 640w, https://media.heragenda.com/brand-img/10901/768x479/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/Screen-Shot-2017-01-03-at-2.09.54-PM.png 768w, https://media.heragenda.com/brand-img/10901/1024x638/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/Screen-Shot-2017-01-03-at-2.09.54-PM.png 1024w, https://media.heragenda.com/brand-img/10901/1280x798/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/Screen-Shot-2017-01-03-at-2.09.54-PM.png 1280w, https://media.heragenda.com/brand-img/10901/1440x897/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/Screen-Shot-2017-01-03-at-2.09.54-PM.png 1440w, https://media.heragenda.com/brand-img/10901/1600x997/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/Screen-Shot-2017-01-03-at-2.09.54-PM.png 1600w, https://media.heragenda.com/brand-img/10901/2160x1346/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/Screen-Shot-2017-01-03-at-2.09.54-PM.png 2160w)
Burke is a special assistant to the president for economic policy. She designed, led and implemented the TechHire initiative – a group implemented under the Obama administration designed to train nontechnies with the right skills and funnel them into the high demand tech market.
Keiana Cave
![Keiana Cave, Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg, Forbes 30 under 30, Chevron, inventor](https://media.heragenda.com/brand-img/9627/480x723/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/Screen-Shot-2017-01-03-at-2.29.07-PM.png 480w, https://media.heragenda.com/brand-img/9627/640x963/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/Screen-Shot-2017-01-03-at-2.29.07-PM.png 640w, https://media.heragenda.com/brand-img/9627/768x1156/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/Screen-Shot-2017-01-03-at-2.29.07-PM.png 768w, https://media.heragenda.com/brand-img/9627/1024x1541/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/Screen-Shot-2017-01-03-at-2.29.07-PM.png 1024w, https://media.heragenda.com/brand-img/9627/1280x1926/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/Screen-Shot-2017-01-03-at-2.29.07-PM.png 1280w, https://media.heragenda.com/brand-img/9627/1440x2167/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/Screen-Shot-2017-01-03-at-2.29.07-PM.png 1440w, https://media.heragenda.com/brand-img/9627/1600x2407/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/Screen-Shot-2017-01-03-at-2.29.07-PM.png 1600w, https://media.heragenda.com/brand-img/9627/2160x3250/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/Screen-Shot-2017-01-03-at-2.29.07-PM.png 2160w)
Before she turned 18, Keiana Cave had coded for Microsoft, patented two inventions, three publications, pitched to high profile investor Daymond John and was about to sell one of her inventions to Chevron. Is she the next hybrid of Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerburg? Who knows! But her methods of detecting toxins in oil spill areas was enough to raise 1.2 million from Chevron to continue her research work at the University of Michigan.
Peche Di
![Peche Di, forbes, 30 under 30, trans modle, activist](https://media.heragenda.com/brand-img/9578/480x730/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/Screen-Shot-2017-01-03-at-2.13.20-PM.png 480w, https://media.heragenda.com/brand-img/9578/640x973/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/Screen-Shot-2017-01-03-at-2.13.20-PM.png 640w, https://media.heragenda.com/brand-img/9578/768x1168/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/Screen-Shot-2017-01-03-at-2.13.20-PM.png 768w, https://media.heragenda.com/brand-img/9578/1024x1557/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/Screen-Shot-2017-01-03-at-2.13.20-PM.png 1024w, https://media.heragenda.com/brand-img/9578/1280x1946/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/Screen-Shot-2017-01-03-at-2.13.20-PM.png 1280w, https://media.heragenda.com/brand-img/9578/1440x2189/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/Screen-Shot-2017-01-03-at-2.13.20-PM.png 1440w, https://media.heragenda.com/brand-img/9578/1600x2432/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/Screen-Shot-2017-01-03-at-2.13.20-PM.png 1600w, https://media.heragenda.com/brand-img/9578/2160x3284/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/Screen-Shot-2017-01-03-at-2.13.20-PM.png 2160w)
Founder of Trans Models, one of three modeling agencies in the world that represents trans models. Di is an NYU grad, trans model and Thai beauty queen.
Ashley Ford
![Development executive, Web series & video, Matter Studios, Ashley Ford, Forbes 30 under 30, media,](https://media.heragenda.com/brand-img/7576/480x732/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/Screen-Shot-2017-01-03-at-2.20.42-PM.png 480w, https://media.heragenda.com/brand-img/7576/640x976/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/Screen-Shot-2017-01-03-at-2.20.42-PM.png 640w, https://media.heragenda.com/brand-img/7576/768x1171/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/Screen-Shot-2017-01-03-at-2.20.42-PM.png 768w, https://media.heragenda.com/brand-img/7576/1024x1561/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/Screen-Shot-2017-01-03-at-2.20.42-PM.png 1024w, https://media.heragenda.com/brand-img/7576/1280x1951/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/Screen-Shot-2017-01-03-at-2.20.42-PM.png 1280w, https://media.heragenda.com/brand-img/7576/1440x2195/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/Screen-Shot-2017-01-03-at-2.20.42-PM.png 1440w, https://media.heragenda.com/brand-img/7576/1600x2439/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/Screen-Shot-2017-01-03-at-2.20.42-PM.png 1600w, https://media.heragenda.com/brand-img/7576/2160x3292/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/Screen-Shot-2017-01-03-at-2.20.42-PM.png 2160w)
Ford is a writer you need to know about. In addition to her role as a development executive at Matter Studios, her compelling works have also been featured in Elle, The Guardian, and Lenny Letter. Additionally, she has her own podcast called Authorized, and alongside Roxane Gay, is co-editing a book of stories from rape survivors.
Emily Motayed
![Emily Motayed, Forbes 30 under 30, entrepreneur, Havenly](https://media.heragenda.com/brand-img/1161/480x609/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/Screen-Shot-2017-01-03-at-2.15.12-PM.png 480w, https://media.heragenda.com/brand-img/1161/640x812/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/Screen-Shot-2017-01-03-at-2.15.12-PM.png 640w, https://media.heragenda.com/brand-img/1161/768x974/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/Screen-Shot-2017-01-03-at-2.15.12-PM.png 768w, https://media.heragenda.com/brand-img/1161/1024x1299/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/Screen-Shot-2017-01-03-at-2.15.12-PM.png 1024w, https://media.heragenda.com/brand-img/1161/1280x1623/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/Screen-Shot-2017-01-03-at-2.15.12-PM.png 1280w, https://media.heragenda.com/brand-img/1161/1440x1826/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/Screen-Shot-2017-01-03-at-2.15.12-PM.png 1440w, https://media.heragenda.com/brand-img/1161/1600x2029/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/Screen-Shot-2017-01-03-at-2.15.12-PM.png 1600w, https://media.heragenda.com/brand-img/1161/2160x2739/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/Screen-Shot-2017-01-03-at-2.15.12-PM.png 2160w)
A cofounder of the interior design company Havenly, an online company that allows you to hire and collaborate with online designers for a flat fee – making your apartment easy and affordable to live in. In just three years, Havenly raised over 13.3 million in funding.
Lu Zhang
![Lu Zhang, Newgen capital, Forbes, 30 under 30,](https://media.heragenda.com/brand-img/4755/480x700/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/Screen-Shot-2017-01-03-at-2.17.37-PM.png 480w, https://media.heragenda.com/brand-img/4755/640x933/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/Screen-Shot-2017-01-03-at-2.17.37-PM.png 640w, https://media.heragenda.com/brand-img/4755/768x1120/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/Screen-Shot-2017-01-03-at-2.17.37-PM.png 768w, https://media.heragenda.com/brand-img/4755/1024x1493/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/Screen-Shot-2017-01-03-at-2.17.37-PM.png 1024w, https://media.heragenda.com/brand-img/4755/1280x1866/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/Screen-Shot-2017-01-03-at-2.17.37-PM.png 1280w, https://media.heragenda.com/brand-img/4755/1440x2099/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/Screen-Shot-2017-01-03-at-2.17.37-PM.png 1440w, https://media.heragenda.com/brand-img/4755/1600x2333/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/Screen-Shot-2017-01-03-at-2.17.37-PM.png 1600w, https://media.heragenda.com/brand-img/4755/2160x3149/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/Screen-Shot-2017-01-03-at-2.17.37-PM.png 2160w)
Founder and managing partner of NewGen Capital, an early stage venture capital firm that focuses on up and coming tech companies, developing them in both the Asian and American markets.
You can check out the full list at Forbes 30 under 30.