Entrepreneurship is an important backbone of society. Entrepreneurs are responsible for some of the world’s most innovative technology and inventions. Large publications have noticed just how vital and innovative these entrepreneurs are, and as a result, compile their own annual lists of the world’s top innovators. Forbes’ 30 Under 30 is probably one of the more popular lists. And with 2017’s list of entrepreneurs having been released recently, I figured it would be a good idea to pick three entrepreneurs from their list that I felt are truly making waves in their respective industries.
Noah Kraft – Doppler Labs
Originally from the film industry, Noah Kraft later branched off and became cofounder of Doppler Labs. Doppler Labs, in essence, is a tech startup centered around creating unique, human experiences from technology. Their first product, which is shipping out now, is the Here One pair of earbuds.
The earbuds are designed to change the way we hear the world around us. While the earbuds perform the standard, expected task, of playing music, they are also able to receive and make phone calls. However, the earbuds do much more than that. Using advanced technology, the earbuds can actually alter live audio in real time. In essence, they can take whatever you are hearing, and modify it, all at the tap of the button. For example, if you are listening to music while walking through the city, you can also keep tabs on the sound of traffic around you by amplifying that noise specifically. Or, if you are having a conversation with someone in a noisy room, you can amplify their speech, and drown out the rest of the world.
Kraft, as CEO of the Doppler Labs, founded the company with a specific idea in mind. In a Forbes interview with Kraft, he mentioned that Doppler Labs was set on creating technology in a market that wasn’t getting a lot of attention: headphones. According to Forbes, the company is doing well for itself, with 65 employees and approximately $50 million in funding.
Prarthna Desai – Zipline Medical
Once a Harvard grad student, Desai decided that her talents were needed on an incredibly important topic: healthcare. Zipline is a startup dedicated to getting medicine and proper supplies to areas in the developing world, specifically Rwanda. The company has designed and built a small drone, called Zip, with the ability to carry said necessary supplies to areas that are difficult to reach. According to the company’s website, a fleet of Zip drones can provide supplies to millions.
According to the Forbes piece, Desai’s operations role at Zipline sees her attempting to integrate the Rwandan health care system with Zipline’s delivery service.
With the ability to fly at an impressive 100 km/h, Zipline’s Zip drones are an impressive solution to a serious problem. Hopefully the company can continue to thrive and eventually branch out to other countries that sorely need it.
Ricky Ashenfelter – Spoiler Alert
Co-founder and CEO of Spoiler Alert, Ricky Ashenfelter is looking to change the world of food management as we know it. The system uses cloud technology to allow food producers to communicate with each other in order to cut down on food waste. The system also allows food producers to keep track of their unused food inventory.
More impressively, Spoiler Alert’s software is also something of a marketplace, allowing food producers to buy and sell unwanted or undesirable food. This, again, helps decrease the amount of food wasted.
According to a report from Tech Crunch, the startup is doing well for itself, having earned $2.5 million in investments and teamed up with Sysco Corporation. In the same report, Ashenfelter discussed the importance of his company and how he doesn’t want to compete with other companies doing similar work. “There are great nonprofits doing food recovery and waste aversion work. We wanted to be a tool to empower them to do their work better but never ultimately compete with them. At the same time, we felt tech could play a role here, and that a for-profit approach would attract the talent and investment we think this problem needs,” he said.