atx changemakers

Meet the groundbreaking Austinites who made Forbes' first local '30 Under 30' list

Jenna Palek, Fun on Weekends Podcast, Austin 30 Under 30

Jenna Palek's Fun on Weekends podcast has amassed more than 2.3 million downloads.

In a first for the publication, Forbes has compiled a "30 Under 30 Local" list highlighting Austin's most innovative entrepreneurs and trailblazers. Austin was one of 10 innovation hubs in North America to get its own version of the prestigious Forbes list, along with Toronto, Puerto Rico, Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Cleveland, Los Angeles, Miami, and Seattle.

The inaugural 30 Under 30 local lists are meant to "spotlight the bold entrepreneurs, leaders and changemakers" in these cities, Forbes says.

To come up with the local list, Forbes first solicited nominations for people under age 30 with Austin-based businesses in the categories of art and style, media, entertainment, social media, science, sports, healthcare, energy, enterprise tech, and more.

Winners were determined by a panel of judges comprising local business leaders and North America "Under 30 Class of 2023" recipients. Austin's judges include Love.Life co-founder and president Betsy Foster; Snoopslimes founder and CEO Jungmin Kang; LiveOak Venture Partners founding partner Krishna Srinivasan; Jasper AI co-founder Chris Hull; and Destiny founder Sohail Prasad.

The resulting 30 Under 30 Austin honorees range from activists to beverage business founders, artificial intelligence pioneers, and more. (There are actually 38 people on the list, as several co-founders are listed together.)

"Driven by a University of Texas talent pipeline and an influx of young entrepreneurs, Austin is an innovation hub that is empowering the next generation to challenge conventions," the list's author said.

Forbes did identify one glaring disparity in the Austin market: that women entrepreneurs are severely underrepresented in the local business leadership industry. Out of the 38 individuals on the list, only nine are women.

"While the city has made strides in recent years to create a more welcoming space for female entrepreneurs through groups like Women@Austin and the mayor’s newly formed Austin Women Entrepreneurs task force, female founders still need more support accessing capital, with women owning 30 percent of small businesses but receiving just 7 percent of [venture capital] funds in Austin," the report's author said.

The full roster of the Austinite entrepreneurs on Forbes' list (and their age as of publication) are:

Irfan Alam, Frontrow Health founder (27)
Aditya Bhatia, MeriPheri founder (20)
Destin Bell, Card.io co-founder (24)
Elle Beecher, The Board founder (28)
Shriya Boppana, TV personality and activist (23)
Caleb Dykema (27) and Zach Nichols (26), Vault Sports co-founders
Kate Ferguson (28) and Lila Sullivan (27), Flourish Plant co-founders
Rich Fortune, Hangtight co-founder (25)
Victor Guardiola (25) and Jordan Hicks (25), Bawi co-founders
Jake Hay, PopShorts partner (28)
Dan Hnatkovskyy, NewHomesMate co-founder (27)
Matthew Iommi (26) and Justin Rath (25), Fetii co-founders
Miriam Laeky, Texas Legislative Black Caucus executive director (25)
Mason Lynaugh, ATX DAO co-founder (27)
Adrian Montoya, Summit Eleven co-founder (29)
Teodoro Mefalopulos (28) and Blake Takushi (24), Idea Peddler partners
Juan Carlos Munguia Castañeda, M Aerospace RTC co-founder (29)
Jonathan Newar, Captain Experiences co-founder (28)
Jonathan Newton (29) and Mark Phillips (28), Dream Con co-founders
Joseph Noor (29) and Colton Pace (29), Ownwell co-founders
Samuel Padilla, Google Cloud Digital Assets Team founding member
Jenna Palek,Fun on Weekdays podcast creator and founder (25)
Umar Brimah, Austin Venture Association director of platform (28)
Nico Ramsey, ECPR Texas senior account executive (28)
Connor Saeli, Waterboy co-founder (28)
Victor Schwartz, Sonara co-founder (26)
Katherine Snedeker, Gray for Glioblastoma Society founder (21)
Makenzie Stokel, EVA co-founder (29)
Luke Thorssen (25) and Rafaella Thorssen (31), Vlogmi co-founders
Colin Tierney, Gold Tier Real Estate founder (25)

More information about the"30 Under 30 Local Austin" list and their businesses can be found on Forbes'website.

austin Forbes 30 under 30 reports business entrepreneurs

SKIN IN THE GAME

Renowned Hill Country tattoo artist inks new sacred geometry app

Photo courtesy of Dillon Forte

Dillion Forte at his "tattoo ranch" in the Texas Hill Country.

In the world of tattooing, there may seem to be few better rat traps left to build, but Dillon Forte aims to change that. In October, the renowned Wimberley-based tattoo artist and entrepreneur introduced a new iPadOS app to bring ancient symbology into the digital age.

Forte has made a worldwide name for his black dot work (a contemporary take on stick-and-poke techniques) and ambitious undertakings like tattooing underwater and opening a “tattoo ranch.” His ink appears on Usher, Chris Hemsworth, and Kehlani.

Still, he is most recognized for his sacred geometry designs, using patterns to convey various meanings. His interest led him to create the Sacred Geometry Drawing App, a convenient way for novices and experts to develop and export their creations.

The app grew out of his own practice. Over the past decade, he has used tablets and freehand techniques to achieve his highly symmetrical artwork but grew to realize existing tools were not always easy to use.

“The app is an attempt and fulfillment of my desire to make sacred geometry accessible and bring the ability to create into the fingertips of as many people as possible,” Forte tells CultureMap via email, adding a tagline: “symmetry made simply.”

He says he wished the app was available when developing his signature style as a tattoo artist, but it was designed with a broad range of users in mind. He hopes that designers, educators, and artists will find a use for it.

A short intro to the app's capabilities is available on YouTube. It looks like a standard drawing app, starting with a blank canvas and some tools like pens, pencils, colors, and of course, straight line and dot makers.

A "symmetry index" anchors the functionality and expands it to something between 2D art and 3D modeling. In addition to generating shapes like repeating patterns and spirals, the app also creates 3D shapes with grids, so that the artist can map their design in real space or even create sculptures. There is also an index for explaining the spiritual meaning of some standard designs.

“Geometry often prompts an intimidating feeling when it comes to making art,” Forte continues. “The fundamentally complex and often academic nature of math-based art can induce a sense of fear in the potential user instead of creating a sense of awe. The purpose of the sacred geometry app is to cultivate the latter."

Creatives interested in constructing their own geometric masterpieces can download the app at the App Store for free, and in-app purchases are available.

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