Kiwis shine in Forbes annual 30 under 30 list

May 22, 2023

Every year Forbes releases its 30 under 30 list spotting young innovators, entrepreneurs and more who are on the verge of making history. This year, 11 Kiwis were included from various disciplines such as including entrepreneurship, acting and sports.

Here are the eight Kiwi entrepreneurs who made this prestigious list:

Eteroa Tusipepa Lafaele of DigiTautua

In Aotearoa, a significant disparity exists in the representation of Māori and Pacific women within the tech industry.

The absence of Māori and Pacific women in the tech sector can be attributed to limited awareness and accessible opportunities, and it is these challenges that Eteroa Tusipepa Lafaele sought to tackle through the establishment of DigiTautua.

DigiTautua first started as a programme that refurbished laptops to give youth who can’t afford it, access to devices, slowing closing that gap regarding the clear digital divide in New Zealand.

While juggling her job at Xero, Lafaele also co-founded Fibre Fale, an organisation that aims to create representation in the tech scene by 2042.

Stephanie Benseman and Mason Bleakley of Icehouse Ventures

Stephanie Benseman and Mason Bleakley are principals at New Zealand’s very own venture capital firm Icehouse Ventures.

Both Benseman and Bleakley focus on investing in Kiwi start-ups by founders under the age of 30 through the First Cut programme.

As of 2022, the programme has seen $5 million in funding which will be invested in 20 to 30 companies in pre-seed and seed rounds.

Sonya Gupthan and Simran Kaur of GirlsThatInvest

Sonya Gupthan and Simran Kaur have taken on the mission of educating people about stock investing through their podcast, GirlsThatInvest. Their unique approach involves simplifying complex jargon, making it accessible to all listeners.

The podcast has seen major success, quickly becoming one of the most popular shows in New Zealand and one of the most shared shows globally on Spotify.

Nearly two years since their first show, Gupthan and Kaur have extended their education by releasing an investment course and Kaur releasing her own book.

Sukshans Asrani of Zorbi

Driven by his dislike for conventional studying methods and a desire to enhance its effectiveness and enjoyment, Sukshans Arsani founded the educational technology start-up known as Zorbi.

The flashcard company was created using coding he learnt on his own since he was nine-years-old, hacking games. Zorbi now has over 50,000 users worldwide.

Levi Fawcett and Nathan Taylor of Partly

Levi Fawcett and Nathan Taylor, the founders of Partly, an innovative software platform for automobiles, have garnered recognition for their entrepreneurship in the industry.

At the end of 2022, it was announced that Partly became New Zealand’s fastest growing start-up after raising $37 million in funding.

The platform focuses on connecting people to car parts on a global level via online marketplaces like eBay by simply entering a vehicle registration number.

The start-up has seen great success in both Europe and USA where majority of its customers are based.

Fawcett, an ex-engineer at Rocket Lab, and Taylor an expert in the field of start-ups have come together to create a company that is now valued near $180 million after launching over two years ago.