Forbes 30 Under 30 Europe includes UCL graduates

Nineteen UCL alumni and students made Forbes’ annual Top 30 Under 30 list of prominent entrepreneurs and creatives in Europe, recognized for their work in international media, AI, and child healthcare.

In its eighth year, the list features UCL graduates. The 19 persons this year span eight of the 13 categories, from Social Impact to Retail and Ecommerce.

A vibrant entrepreneurial culture at UCL creates start-ups that attract millions of pounds in investment, create employment, and drive UK economic growth. UCL launched almost 500 student start-ups between 2014 and 2023. Investors have invested over £360 million and employ over 2000 people (HEBCI 2014 to 2023).

UCL Vice-Provost (Research, Innovation & Global Engagement) Professor Geraint Rees said: “Congratulations to all UCL graduates in Forbes’ 30 Under 30 list this year. Their participation showcases UCL’s diverse talent, creativity, and innovation, and their success resonates with the university’s entrepreneurial community. I wish them many successes in the future.”

Check out UCL’s 19 distinguished graduates below:

Social Impact
Wafia Zia (BA English, 2020) is a procedural adviser for the Committee on Standards, which oversees Parliamentary discipline. The Gender Workplace Equality Network employs her to advise on house-wide DEI measures including excluding sexual assaulters on Parliamentary estate. Wafia said: “I’m honored to be on Forbes’ 30 under 30 for Social Impact.” As a Parliamentary Procedural Advisor, standards in elected lawmakers are crucial to democratic institutions. In the recent year, media emphasis on Parliamentarians’ behavior has intensified, highlighting the significance of trust in our democratic system. I appreciate being recognized for promoting Parliamentary democracy.
James McBride (BSc Biomedical Sciences, 2016) co-founded We Are Social Enterprise Recruitment, which assists jobless, returning-to-work parents, ex-military, and others find construction and civil engineering employment. In 2023, revenue was $2 million.

Ambessa Play, a for-profit impact firm started by Sara Berkai (BS Information Management for Business, 2018), co-designs STEM kits like DIY flashlights for kids to make their own tools and learn via play. Sara attended BaseKX, UCL Innovation & Enterprise’s King’s Cross entrepreneurial center, for extracurricular entrepreneurship programs.
Famous for organizing Fridays for Future with Greta Thunberg, climate activist and author Luisa Neubauer (BSc Geography, year abroad 2017-2018) She has spearheaded several climate strikes, including a 2020 protest against Siemens’ planned Carmichael hard coal mine in Australia.
Flinn Dolman (MSc Computational Finance, 2018) co-founded Lawhive, a London startup that uses AI and a network of human attorneys to deliver legal services at a fraction of the cost of a law firm.

Retail/ecommerce
After writing a dissertation on the UK dog food business at UCL, Harry Bremner (MSc Tech Entrepreneurship, 2021) founded Tuggs, a subscription pet food company. The company has raised over $1.7 million and anticipates 2024 revenue of $1.5 million. Harry obtained free office space and customized business assistance via BaseKX’s Hatchery incubation program.
After graduating from UCL, Jessica Rogers (BA German, 2017) founded The Teff Creations Company, which sells teff cookies online and at Soho House.

Media/Marketing
CNN International journalist Nada Bashir (BA Politics & Eastern European Studies, 2017) has addressed international issues and amplified underrepresented perspectives for 347 million homes globally. In 2023, her Instagram posts garnered over 19 million views as CNN’s first hijab-wearing staff correspondent.

Science & Health
Dr. Sioned Jones (PhD Chemistry, Biophysics and Cell Biology, 2022) and Dr. Tara O’Driscoll (PhD Neuroscience, 2022), founders of ambitious biotech company BoobyBiome, have worked closely with UCL to create a supplement that mimics breast milk’s health benefits.

Arts & Culture
Pam Evelyn (BFA Fine Art, 2019) creates mercurial landscape-abstraction paintings. The prominent contemporary art gallery Pace hosted Evelyn’s inaugural exhibition “A Handful of Dust” in London in 2023.
Ed Faulkner (MSc Environment, Politics & Society, 2018) created a “climate-positive” vodka after leaving UCL. His Sapling Spirits company makes sustainable vodkas and gins and expects $3.8 million in 2024.

Technology
Drs. Abdel Mahmoud (MSc Computer Science, 2017 & MBBS Medicine, 2021) and Zahid Mahmood (MSc Systems Engineering Management, 2021) met at UCL and founded Co:Helm, an AI-powered co-pilot to help American doctors get insurer prior authorizations in minutes instead of hours.
Jamie Dborin (PhD Quantum Technologies, current student) co-founded TitanML, a generative AI firm that simplifies private and secure big language model deployment, in 2022. TitanML’s 2023 funding exceeded $2.8 million.

Finance
Transition is a European climate tech VC founded by Clara Ricard (BSc Management Science, 2017). Clara specializes on Seed and Series A investments, whereas Transition manages $124 million.
Leonora Ross Skinner (BSc Cognitive Neuroscience, 2017) is Molten’s youngest investment manager. The European VC firm has invested $300 million in Revolut and Trustpilot.
Diana Diaz Castro (MSc Transport and City Planning, 2018) heads the UN Environment Programme’s Principles for Sustainable Insurance Initiative, representing the insurance sector in critical government and organization discussions.

Industry & Manufacturing
Metris co-founder and CEO Natasha Jones (MS Public Policy Analysis, 2019) wants to turn buildings into solar power plants and property owners into electricity providers. From June 2023, the firm has raised over $2 million.