Vollmar grew up on his family’s farm in Michigan and started an IT consulting business with classmate Brad Koch while in high school. In 2012, they launched FarmLogs. The software helps farmers manage risk while monitoring crops, expenses, profits, weather and prices. The web and mobile apps are used by commercial farms in 50 states and 121 countries.
Micromidas aims to turn trash into plastic. Founder Bissell invented a way to take waste material high in cellulose, like rice hulls, sawdust or cardboard and transform it into paraxylene, the primary feedstock for making polyester and plastic bottles. Chemical companies currently make paraxylene out of crude oil. Bissell has raised $25 million to build a pilot plant in Sacramento, Calif.
Anthony Licausi is one of the most sought after technology and communications consultants in the world for his broad knowledge and expertise on a range of complex topics. As V.P. of Corporate Development at Daniels & Company, he provides custom digital solutions and public relations services to hedge funds, M&A firms, and public corporations. Anthony started out designing websites at the age of 10 and turned his passion for computers into a lucrative career, now serving companies from America to Asia and everywhere in between.
After winning the Starr Scholarship (full ride, given to six kids from Asia) to go to Carleton College, India-born Yadav graduated magna cum laude with three majors, then went to Goldman Sachs, where he worked as a sales trader for structured equity derivatives. Left to work for ReD Associates, an innovation strategy consulting firm. He was later introduced to Dr. Richard Silberstein, inventor of Neuro-Insight’s technology, who offered him the position of CEO. Neuro-Insight is a neuromarketing firm that has developed a patented brain-mapping technology to investigate and improve the quality of TV commercials, programming and platforms.
Also head of product, Hanlon is the architect of the data-focused Kinetic Social tech platform, which helps marketers and their agencies manage campaigns across social platforms and also gain an understanding of their audiences. The company’s more than 500 clients since launch include Mars, H&M and Victoria’s Secret’s PINK. In one quarter he increased profitability from 19% to 53% while growing the client portfolio.
At Moz, a marketing analytics platform with more than 25,000 clients such as Disney, FedEx, Starbucks and Boeing, Dumont is responsible for business development, overseeing a team responsible for growth initiatives such as data licensing, product distribution and strategic partnerships. He created the company’s product distribution channel; it now accounts for more than 4% of total revenue, which was $27 million in 2013. Previously he was a cocreator at Stride and director of business development at Seesmic.
Kilby oversees all integrated and content-based campaigns on the Ziff Davis brands – IGN, Askmen and Ziff Davis Tech. He runs all events, heads up creative commissioning for third parties and looks after design. Over the last year he has progressed from being someone highly capable at a specific set of tasks to someone who can take on a wide variety of responsibilities and execute them brilliantly. The firm says he’s thorough, and deals efficiently and courteously with stakeholders.
What Airbnb has done for accommodation and Uber has done for taxi-booking, Hassle.com aims to do for home cleaning services. Launched late last year in the UK, Leixlip-born Jules Coleman’s outfit is a new online service that connects home-owners to cleaners. Earlier this year, it received €4.4m in funding, allowing the company to expand into Ireland and hire 30 people. Coleman is a UCD graduate who previously worked with Accenture and PWC.
The Irish-born entrepreneur is the founder of game design company Distractionware. It’s based in so-hip-it-hurts London suburb Shoreditch. He has made a name for himself with innovative, experimental games like At A Distance and Fantastic Arcade, a finalist for Game of the Year on Apple’s App Store
Carrie McMahon is not one to hand out a strict diet plan or extreme workout regimes to her clients. A mentality like that, she insists, can lead to disordered relationships with food and exercise. Instead, Carrie’s goal is to help women learn how to get the body they want without endless hours of cardio and low calorie diets. Her nutrition counciling is based on a flexible, macros based diet, allowing clients to enjoy their lives while still achieving their fitness goals. “Embarking on a completely new lifestyle is tough,” she says, “and I get that, so I am someone they can come to when they are struggling.
Top 30 Under 30 