It’s been just a month since Forbes announced it’s 13th annual Under 30 List for the Class of 2024. The list honors young trailblazers across North America, within 20 different industries including: art, media, entertainment, education, healthcare, sports, music, finance, food and drink, social impact, marketing and advertising, games, etc.
“This is one of the most diverse and ambitious Under 30 classes to date,” says Kristin Stoller, Senior Editor, Forbes 30 Under 30.
Among the Under 30 2024 honorees are Black HBCU alum, many of whom are creating meaningful change through their entrepreneurship and innovation.
Meet the 2024 Forbes ‘Under 30’ Black HBCU Alum:
Nia Faith Betty | Co-Founder of Révolutionnaire | Howard University | Art & Style
Sisters Justice Faith Betty and Nia Faith Betty, founded Révolutionnaire, a dancewear line for dancers of color. Their Roots collaborations sold out of stores across Canada, the U.S., and Taiwan, and their collaboration with L’Oréal’s Essie line was distributed in 1,200 storefronts. Nia Faith Berry is a Howard University Alum.
Kadidja Dosso, Founder of Dosso Beauty | Hampton University | Retail & E-Commerce
After seeing how many warning labels and chemicals were listed on the products at her local beauty store in West Philadelphia, Kadidja Dosso decided to start her own organic beauty company. She now sells hypoallergenic hair extensions and other haircare products for Black women who have sensitive skin. Her products are sold at salons, as well as online at GoPuff, Macy’s and Amazon.
Matthew Clarke | Assistant Professor, University of Illinois Urbana | Howard University | Science
While doing his doctoral work at Stanford, he developed a design tool used by over 10,000 aerospace engineering professionals, including NASA and Airbus. His new lab explores the interaction between aircraft and the environment to make more sustainable designs.
Nialah Wilson-Small | Assistant Professor, NYU | Howard University | Science
Nialah Wilson-Small creates coordination algorithms for human-drone interactions using touch. Touch has the potential to expand robots’ use as assistive devices. Her research looks to apply it in situations like search and rescue, emergency evacuation situations, and workplace human-drone collaboration.
Aiyana Ishmael | Associate Editor, Teen Vogue | Florida A&M University | Media
Aiyana Ishmael is an associate editor at “Teen Vogue,” where she covers the culture of fashion and how it affects marginalized communities. She’s best known for her column, “CTRL+C,” which analyzes the dearth of size-inclusivity within the retail industry.
The series has garnered attention from celebrities like Bella Hadid and Zendaya, and resulted in features on CBS and NPR. Since joining “Teen Vogue” in 2021, she’s published over 150 stories, with a social media following of more than 40,000 across Instagram, TikTok and Twitter.
Armani White | Artist | Delaware State University | Music
Artist Armani White is one of the buzziest names in hip-hop. His 2022 breakout hit “Billie Eilish” was certified gold with more than half-a-billion streams and 36 million YouTube views. Tapped as BET’s Amplified Artist and MTV’s Push Artist for January and February of 2023, he continues to dominate social platforms and airwaves with hits such as “Silver Tooth” featuring A$AP Ferg, “Goated” featuring Denzel Curry, and “Baazigar” with Indian rapper Divine.
Temilayo Butler | VP, HarbourView Equity Partners | Howard University | Finance
A vice president at HarbourView Equity Partners, an investment firm focused on the media and entertainment industry, Butler has helped source over 400 media opportunities resulting in more than 40 acquisitions within two years. Butler holds a board position for NFT marketplace Mueshi. She is also a member of the Young Leaders Circle of the Milken Institute think tank.
Nina Meyers | Equity Investor, Goldman Sachs | Spelman College | Finance
Meyers is a growth equity investor at Goldman Sachs, leading the effort for the firm’s One Million Black Women initiative, a $10 billion investment commitment to narrow opportunity gaps for at least one million Black women (through investments in areas like affordable housing, job creation, education and access to capital) by 2030.
Meyers’ daily responsibilities range from sourcing to underwriting to portfolio management, where she currently leads a portfolio of six companies spanning several key pillars, including healthcare, education and financial health.
Tiana Tukes | Co-Founder of LGBT+VC | Morehouse College | Venture Capital
Jackson Block and Tiana Tukes cofounded LGBT+ VC, a nonprofit dedicated to advancing LGBTQ prosperity through venture capital. LGBT+ VC has helped educate over 1,000 limited partners, venture capitalists, family offices and startup founders since its launch, with hopes of reaching 10x that by 2030. Tukes is a Morehouse College alum.
Justin Shaifer | Founder of Fascinate Media | Hampton University | Education
Justin Shaifer is forming the ESPN for STEM. Fascinate Media creates quality educational STEM content by leveraging media to help millions of underrepresented students. Fascinate Media has also helped students embrace STEM and equip hundreds of thousands of teachers for a tech-driven future. Recognized as a diversity leader at the World Science TV Congress, Shaifer has given over 150 talks, reaching over 250,000 students and educators. His TEDx talk, “How to Speak Gen Z,” boasts over 400,000 views.
Congratulations to the Black HBCU Alum Honorees! To see the full ‘Under 30’ 2024 Class, please visit Forbes.
